La Paz is a city with gritty character.  At its bottom the city is around 9,000 feet above sea level.  At its peak, it is over 12,000, making it the highest capital in the world.  Beer bottles foam above the neck when opened because of the altitude.  Other cities may be hilly or their suburbs built into mountains, but La Paz, unlike any other city I traveled to, literally cradles the Andes.