Today me and my friend Dorte, who also works at the orphanage Para Los NiƱos, went to check out the Sunday market 16 de Julio in El Alto (the city next to La Paz). To get there you simply find a bus or car going to El Alto, and there are always people going to the marked too so it is not hard to know when to get off. This market takes place every Thursday and Sunday, and it is supposed to be even bigger on Thursdays!! Can you believe it..
The 16de Julio- market is the biggest one in Bolivia, and it is easy to understand why; it's huge! And they sell everything from what I personally would call garbage, to furniture, clothes, electric stuff such as mobiles, radioes earplugs etc etc, basically anything you can think of. And they do sell both new and used stuff here as well, so even though some parts of the marked looks like a garbadge dump they also have a lot of nice things for sale if you know what you are looking for. The market is divided into areas that specifies in different stuff, so if you find the right area you're good to go;).
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| People leaving the market as we were arriving. |
I had heard that there are some problems with pickpockets here, so I didn't dare to bring along my normal camera cause it is so big. Fortunately my iPhone takes usable picktures as well..
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| Going up to the market from the highway; there are a lot of people and also a lot to buy here as well. Not to mention the amazing view!! |
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| Used shoes, anyone? The quality varies a lot so you have to search for what you want.. |
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| There are people selling things everywere, and you can find both new and used stuff here. |
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| You can find anything at the 16. de Julio market.. Fortunately the cliff to the right makes it easier to find your way back too.. |
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| From the market you can see La Paz as well |
Also, just the view from the marked itself is worth the trip! Also worth mentioning is that this is not a tourist market; I think we saw two-three foreigners during the time we spent here. This is where the locals go. And like elsewere in Bolivia you don't have to worry about bargaining. I bought a pair of Timberland shoes for 160 Bolivianos, which is about 127 NKR/23$/1770å. Although they are used you can't really tell..! So good for the environment and good for me! ;D
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| They also sell fruits - a lot of fruits.. |
After the trip to the market me and Dorte checked out the shopping centre north of the San Fransisco square; this place is quite new and the sell all sorts of stuff. Most were closed since it is Sunday, but you can find some cheap places to eat that are popular among the locals. We ended up with a lunch that coated us 10 Bolivianos each.. And the rooms aren't that big, so you basically sit in the kitchen and watch the staff as they make your food. It was very special:)
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| Dorte with her dinner. Just the tabel itself takes half of the area of the restaurant.. |
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| The kitchen seen from my seat in the restaurant |
All Blogposts from Bolivia
About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.
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