Inside El Alto, Bolivia's Most Dangerous Neighborhood at 14,000 Feet

Inside El Alto, Bolivia's Most Dangerous Neighborhood at 14,000 Feet

A traveler explores El Alto, the highest and most dangerous neighborhood in La Paz, Bolivia, situated at 14,000 feet. He visits shamans living on cliff edges, a black market selling everything from phones to guns, and learns about local customs like coca leaves for altitude sickness and animal sacrifices. The video highlights the extreme altitude, vibrant culture, and risks of pickpocketing.

Walking into Bolivia’s Roughest Neighborhood. | Transcript:

Today we're heading to the highest point of the highest capital city in the world, La Paz, Bolivia. We'll be going deep into the neighborhood of Alto, a notorious neighborhood sitting at a staggering 4,100 m. That's around 14,000 ft above sea level. Oxygen up here is thin, and the altitude hits you like a truck. In this video, we're venturing into the most dangerous part of the most dangerous area in all of Bolivia. We'll step inside shamans houses built right on the edge of massive cliffs where they've watched their neighbors homes literally fall off the cliff, but they stay trusting that mother earth will protect them. I end up getting my future read to me by one of these shamans on

the cliff edge. We'll also visit an insane black market where they're selling just about anything you can imagine. This one's crazy. Welcome back to La Paz, Bolivia, the highest capital city in the world. Today we're going from down here in the downtown of the city going to get one of these gondola cable cars behind us and we're going to go up into one of the most notorious neighborhoods in the whole of Bolivia. They call it the most dangerous. We'll go and see. We're going to see who we can meet. There's people living on these huge cliff faces and they refuse to leave for spiritual

reasons and sometimes the houses just fall off and they just submit to death. So, it's quite an extreme atmosphere up there, but you know, full of vibrance and life. Let's head up into El Alto. Another thing to be super mindful of here is the altitude, cuz some parts of the city are over 4,000 m in elevation. You just fly straight in here without acclamation. You can definitely feel it. Like, I'm feeling okay, but I definitely feel a bit not exactly on it, you know. So, excuse me if I'm a bit delirious today. One of the remedies for that is cocoa leaves. The same leaves that cocaine are made out of. So, we'll keep

our eye out for some of that. Maybe that'll help. Yummy. That's good stuff. This is like a cocoa energy drink. So, I guess this is kind of like the original Coca-Cola cuz it's actually got the cocoa leaves in it cuz cocoa leaves are legal in many countries for obvious reasons. Uh, but this one, it's legal in Bolivia, the leaves. So, we got this sugar cocoa leaves drink. It'll help cuz definitely a bit lightheaded versus See these buildings here falling off the cliff quite literally. We're going to go and visit them and see the people who live there. Scale here is insane. This is the biggest market in Bolivia. So, we've arrived in Elto and been told to put the bag on the front cuz

pickpocketers are rife around here. But so far, it seems super relaxed. The most threatening thing to me right now is the altitude cuz we're at 4,100 m above sea level right now. There are a few pick pockets around here. We have some points which is dangerous. For example, if we walk a bit more on the left. Yeah, it's dangerous. It's there are so many people, right? It looks more like something like this, right? Two guys just kind of like came up to me and one of them was definitely eyeing me up and they were two of them. They

looked super sketchy, but it's not like I don't feel like in danger of violence. It's just more mainly like people trying to grab my stuff, you know, little bit of an adrenaline to keep the altitude at bay. So this area is really famous because all these shacks, these bu this line of buildings on this side here sitting on a collapsing cliff. Right now this whole edge could collapse. Actually the government has told all these people that they're living illegally, but they like to leave it up to mother earth to decide their fate. So they continue to live in these extremely precarious predicament here. So we're going to go and try to get into one of these buildings and look over the edge. Try

not to spend too much time honestly cuz it's super sketchy. You could see from the cable car. It's just a matter of time. And a lot of these have collapsed off the edge in different parts of this area of Leaz. These buildings are all over the city. You can go in and you can get your future read to you. They'll use cocoa leaves to predict your future. They'll tell you what you need to be aware of, what the future might hold, the dangers, and everything. So, we're going to go inside of one of these and see the view out the back. But before we do that, I'm going to get my future read to me and see what the future holds.

Wish me luck. Yeah. So, do you want to So, he's going to predict my future. Yeah. More or less. Love, health, and job. Okay. Sure. Let's do it. Nick. Trana tranka maybe you will get sick. Okay. Yeah. Maybe he say when it looks like this it means that it's okay. But when it looks like this it's not very okay. Okay. So I'm in the middle. So that's why you have to be careful with your general health. Really? Uhhuh. See here we call to everyone gringo.

Yeah, that one's much nicer than the one we had in the last video. It's really strong. What do they put in there? Oh, it's good luck. Good luck. Really? Wow. Look at that. The cocoa leaves on the ground. I mean, good luck. Wow. Yeah. You will be fine. So, we're walking out the back here of the building, man. I don't know if it's the cocoa leaves or if this place is rolling, but my head is rolling. Are you not afraid? No mama, right? Mother Earth protects him, he says. He bro.

It was a quite a special experience actually. Uh really nice, gentle man. His energy was really positive and he's shaking hands and giving hugs and things at the end. And he um basically said at the start he said be careful with your health but generally it's going to be okay. And then he said in all other areas of my life I should have a generally good life. he said. So can't argue with that and uh it's just insane that they are so comfortable with their beliefs and patcham mama mother earth that they will live on the edge of the cliff but uh you know he had an energy around him so who am I to question this is the biggest market in Bolivia right here is the biggest one of the in Latin America.

The biggest in Latin America and one of the biggest in the world. You can buy whatever you can imagine. And there's a black market here, right? Yeah, exactly. Behind you. What do they sell there? Like stolen goods and things. Yes. Sometimes with blood. Sometimes they stole using a knife. Oh, like they use violence to steal it. Sometimes. Really? Yes. That's why you have to be focused. Yeah. We have to go like this, for example.

Cuz you look like a gangster as well. So, it's good to have your gangster. Yeah, I'm not going to steal anything. Imagine if you pickpocketed me and it was like a massive scam and it was really smart. They're just selling all kinds of things. Dolls Okay. Yeah, we produce a lot. You export it all over the world. Exactly. The best quality went to Europe, states. It's a massive industry in Bolivia. Yeah. Cocaine and coffee.

We were just walking through the market here and this man just handed me this to weight and scale replica pistol. At least he's telling me it's a replica. The audio cut out on this clip for some reason, but he definitely seemed really happy to show it off. Apparently, they're imported from China and they do shoot little metal pallets. Willie was just telling me that you were once here and what one of your friends told you that he saw your photos in one of these phones being sold in this market and you asked what was going on. But then ultimately you realized that it was

a tourist that you had brought here and she'd been pickpocketed and her phone uh she had taken a photo with you and it was found in this market. Yes. Here. Wow. Crazy. If someone stole your phone, you have to come here to here looking for your phone. Is that one of your old phones? Can you imagine? There's so many vendors and there's so many random things. Like you've got old used locks for doors and then old random shoes and then cheese grers. Like can all these people make a living from this? Because there's so many people and

so many random things. Like some people are just selling just like door locks from like 30 years ago. How do they make a living doing this? Most of the locals, these locals, it's not their main occupations. We do so many things here. They don't like to th the their clothes. Someone else can use it. Okay. So, they don't want to waste things. That's why they try to sell it. Okay. This stand is all different potions for the prostate. Can you ask them what it actually does? This is an alternative as a natural medicine. anti-inflammatory for the prostate. Is it a common issue here?

Yes, the locals here. Yeah, we drink the He say it's better than to take uh pills because at the end if you take pills for a long time, you destroy your stomach. Landing abroad with no working internet is a bit of a pain. Just like when I arrived here in Bolivia, I had to sort many things out quite quickly. This video is brought to you by EIM.io, and they've made traveling way easier. Before heading out here to Bolivia, I set up Eim.io on my phone, and as soon as I touched down, I activated the SIM. I had fast working data right away. No waiting, no stress. It helps so much with everyday logistics like using maps,

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topped up $20, you would get another 20. So, you would have $40 of credit. Thanks to EIM.io for sponsoring this video. Don't forget to use my code indigo 100 for 100% cash back. The link is in the description. Now, let's get back out onto those main streets of Bolivia. How much does it cost? 2,800. is insane. There's like heaps of puppies and kittens everywhere. Not sure about the welfare, but they really don't like filming. Apparently, animal welfare people come here and uh try to expose them, I guess. Hard to know, right? cuz you know it's obviously not what you would see in the west or whatever, but they do seem quite close quarters and they're probably bred on like puppy

farms. How much does a golden retriever cost? 5,000 400. Really? I'll leave it to you to make your judgments. I'm leaning towards it's probably not the best. Roman. Yeah. Same. So, what do you think about the puppies and the kittens? It's sad. No, cuz they're making money. It's not 10. It's not 15. It's It's thousands. At least they deserve a good life. It's a really profitable business then. Puppy farms.

Yes. Yeah. Gracias. They must come from Coachaba. Most of them. Coachaba is warmer than Apas. The animals must struggle with the altitude, right? Yes. This is the highest city. So sometimes they don't have food or a jacket. At least they're very tiny. They're shaky. Yeah. Some of the cages were really small for big dogs, you know. Uh-huh. Cheers.

You say all this stuff stolen. I say that sometimes they get drunk still selling. Really? He realized that I know that they are really is he shouting at you saying what? Uh he was not happy with me. So all that stuff stolen and sold for really cheap. Yes. Because normally it's a double price in a shop. They love to consume soda. Here you see this lady sitting here with a huge bottle of Coke drinking it all day. You know that drink that we had earlier, the cocoa like the original Coca-Cola that has like 100 g of sugar in it. They love the sugar here.

I translated the label on the back of this bottle and it absolutely blew my mind. This 600 mil bottle has over 2,000 calories. Basically, a full day's calorie needs for the average adult. It has about 48 teaspoon worth of sugar in it. I've never seen a drink this insanely caloric in my entire life. The Bolivians love to consume soda cuz I saw a lady with like 3 lers of Coca-Cola drinking it. Ah, yes. It's not healthy, of course, but they don't care. They think that if I chew cocoa leaves, yeah, everything is fine. I can eat whatever I want.

They cook food in here. What kind of food? Pork. It's cooking now. I can feel the heat. So they heat these ovens up super hot. Then the heat goes up into these pallets and cooks the pork. This is the kitchen of a restaurant. Yes. Wow. How much would a meal cost there? 15 bolivos. 15 for a big meal. 20? Yes. This pork is extremely famous. So we got a huge line. Look how much they're buying. Huge plates of this bubbling pork. 96% alcohol. Even this cost. Yes, we got the cocoa leaf as well. Yeah, we have cocoa leaves for the mother earth. So, we're going to say thank you pachamama.

Keep us safe today in Elto, the highest and the youngest city in of Bolivia. A little bit for me. Then thank you, Pamama. in a really good condition Toyota truck here for $55,800. Just in the middle of this market with such a wide range of things, you know, you got like a plug for a bathtub and then you have a $55,000 Toyota. But like somebody that has that much money, are they really coming to a market like this to buy a truck like that? Yes, but they don't have the negotiation here. They have to go to a office or a house safety or no maybe to make it not.

Well, sometimes maybe. Yes. That's why it's not 100% safe to buy a car here. You can see a lot of the houses are not finished. You see up there that's kind of like almost finished but not quite. Some are. And then here they're unfinished here and not painted. And the exterior hasn't been finished. The reason for that, if you didn't see the last video, is because you pay less tax. If your house isn't for one finished and for two painted, so people purposely do not finish their houses all over the city. You can see this unfinished houses so that they can save on tax. One of the most bizarre government incentives that I've seen.

Some robbers open the windows if they steal your phone and grab your phone. Yeah. So this place we're going to now it's like apparently like the most dangerous place in the whole country, right? But it's not that bad, is it? No, I don't know. Yeah. The driver's watching the sentence on his phone. They love a hat in Bolivia. Sombrero are very popular, right? Yes. Very traditional for the chalas. We call them chalitas. The ladies with the My mom was one of them. Right. It's very cool because if you wants to know a girl, they can let us know if they're single, widow, or engaged or married. For example, it's on

the right side. She's single. Oh, really? If she's stray, she has a boyfriend, husband. If he's in the other side, she's widow. Really? Wow. Every so often, I just get these like insane head rushes from the altitude. So, this is a most dangerous neighborhood in the country. It's called chaos happening, eh? Yeah. So many people. What's it like here at night? Does it get crazy here? Must be insane, eh?

Yes. I can see from the ground. Exactly. There's thousands of bottle caps, eh? Yeah. And so many sellers waiting for the drink people. And you said there's a lot of prostitution. There is a son right there. It's called October. Very famous. Also, it's very busy at night. All the night. Every day. So, apparently this is the most dangerous area of the most dangerous place in Bolivia. But honestly speaking, I don't think this is dangerous. But I think this is very safe. If I'm going off Latin American standards, if you go to capital cities in Latin America and you go to the most dangerous part of that city, you wouldn't be standing here so confidently. So, I

think Bolivia is a relatively safe country. Of course, you got to be careful like anywhere, but I don't think that this place is uh at all like other Latin American. It's not like Brazil or, you know, Peru or, you know, these neighborhoods that you walk in and you're probably not going to walk out. Pretty funny after I was just saying how safe it is that somebody just comes and robs me. Look at the cocoa leaves. Yeah, this really helps with altitude sickness. Gracias. They also have this 96% alcohol that they drink with it. I do not know how they don't go blind. And it's so cheap.

Super. Oh, there's like a piece of stevia. Yes. You have to mix it. Stevia is really popular here, isn't it? Cuz I've never seen a country with stevia everywhere you go. We have so many farmers around the past. Right. So here they have a bunch of animals clearly deceased. And they use these for uh ceremonies like a sacrifice to Patcha Mama Mad. So these are the quite famous buildings that you'll find around La Paz. And if you didn't see the last video, they often have to give a human sacrifice underneath the buildings to pay respects to mother earth. And unless there's a human sacrifice, often construction workers will refuse to work

and build the construction. More details on that in the last video if you missed it. If you have a restaurant, then it's normally opened with a sacrifice of a pig. You can see here. And then a llama is one of those buildings where they have the wedding events and things, right? Or depending on how big it is, it could be a human sacrifice. Yes. Look at all these llamas. This market goes forever and there's just thousands of these. There's a fake $100 bill there. It's an extremely spiritual country. Bolivia, gaining some composure here because of the uh altitude. Oh, it's okay. Gracias. I am also jetlagged cuz I've been up since uh 2:00 in the morning every day that I've been here because of um still on Europe time. So

altitude's like a double slap, but not too bad. Could be much worse. All along the street are what they call witches lighting these fires and they have these homemade chemists or pharmacies. And if you can't get help from a doctor, then you come here and they'll make you a special concoction and uh trying to fix your ailments. What are the fires for? They make the like the medicine on with the fire. Yes. This is a mix of all the things that we saw in the witches market. So they prepare something. Depends what you want. If you're not lucky about love, uh job or if you're not good like healthy. So it can be for like psychological things as well as physical

things. Right. Exactly. Have you ever used it for something psychological? No, I didn't use that but I know people who use it. It works sometimes when the people don't know why do they feel like that stop to eating. They are not laughing. They looks always sad like depressed. Exactly. Physically they're okay. But we think here we call au. Aayou is like soul. We think that the their soul is not with them. With this uh type of medicine, we call for example if my soul or my aayo is not with me. They start to uh to call to my soul with my name like willy ding with a bell this way. This way we are here. Come and once my soul is back I'm okay. So your friend that came here, did it help them with their depression?

Yes, it works. And they were happy after that. Yeah. Really? Yeah. You see on their face? Exactly. Face. Look at this. What an incredible city this is on our planet. I don't think the videos are going to be doing it scale, but so unique and magical. And there's huge snowcap mountains behind those clouds. Very, very special and unique place. Laaz, a massive thank you for watching these Bolivia videos. Obviously, Bolivia is so much more than just the capital city. There's many beautiful landscapes, lakes, and much more beautiful spiritual culture. So, if you ever want to visit, I highly recommend not only visiting La Paz, but venturing out into the nature, the jungles, the mountains. If you're in

Bolivia and you need a guide, I'll leave Willy's info in the description. Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you in the next video. And in case I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

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