14 CultureShock! Bolivia
countless microclimates, but for those of us who simply
want to know what to wear in the morning, there are
three remarkably distinct climate zones; the visitor may
choose between:
Highlands: warm/cool and dry days, cool/cold/
frigid nights.
Valleys: warm, occasional hot days, cool nights.
Lowlands: steamy hot days, hot/warm nights, sometimes
chilly with the surazo winds in the winter dry months.
Seasonal change is minimal in any of these regions but
for the fact that with summer (November through March)
comes the rainy season. In La Paz, the summer rains turn
the surrounding hills into a fuzzy green. In lowlands, the
summer rainy season with its syrupy humidity spawns the
most dangerous creatures of the jungle, mosquitos and
their insect allies, and some roads become motorised canoe
channels. But winters, with less rain and humidity, usher in
a surprisingly pleasant climate.
Other than variations created by the rainy season,
changes in climate in Bolivia are primarily due to altitude.
Visitors from most other parts of the world, where weather
is a seasonal function linked to latitude, will need to
make a psychic adjustment as all of the world’s highs
and lows are found within Bolivia. On many afternoons
in the highlands, it may be necessary to alternately strip
down and bundle up as you move between the sun and
the shade.
A reprieve from the chill of highland La Paz can be found
in the valley cities of Cochabamba and Sucre, or smaller
valleys nearer to La Paz.
In La Paz itself, poorer people tend to dwell near the
upper rim of ‘The Hole’ at 3,800 m (12,500 ft) above sea
level. The wealthy fl ock to the lower, warmer areas of the
south zone, the only open end of ‘The Hole’, as far down as
3,120 m (10,200 ft) above sea level. As the affl uent see no
need to fund the building of sewage systems for the shanty
dwellers above, untreated waste trickles down the tributaries
and flows into the rich neighbourhoods—their reward
for indifference.