What did we learn from our three-week stay at Loki Hostel in La Paz, Bolivia? People make all the difference. Well, that and the fact that La Paz is pretty damn high in elevation and can make your body feel like crap.

Tamara’s high school buddy, Yuki, happened to be working as a bartender in a party hostel, so we thought we’d join him and try our hand at bartending in La Paz for a couple of weeks in exchange for free accommodation and some free food. It was a great experience and we learned a lot about La Paz, a little about bartending, and we figured out what the most important part of traveling is. Spoiler: it’s the people you’re with. Whether it is the people you choose to travel with or the people you meet along the way, the individuals can make or break an experience, so choose whom you share your time with wisely.

We partied together for UV night, a soccer match, an angels/devils party, and we partied just because it was a Monday night. You get it – every night was a party and working at the bar put us right in the middle of it. We even threw a beach party 300 miles away from any ocean! This was a big change from the way we usually travel but it was SO fun too.

When we started bartending, Tamara had to ask what went into a rum & coke; and by the end, well we got really good at making rum & cokes. Loki’s signature drink is a blood bomb – part vodka, part energy drink, plus grenadine to make it red (the secret is out). I can’t count how many blood bombs I made, and I really don’t want to remember how many I drank myself. Most days started about 2 pm, involved one free meal at the hostel then “work” started around 7 PM. We’d go until about 2 AM at which point we’d kick everybody out. Then it was time to clean up and count the cash. When all our chores were done at the bar it was time to go outside for dirty street burgers from Dora. Now we had a decision to make – either go to bed or go out to the club across town and dance for a few more hours. The next day, it started all over again. Although we only had to work four 7-hour shifts per week, it seemed like most of our “nights off” were also spent at the bar.

About two weeks into our three-week stay in La Paz, we realized that the city actually has quite a lot to offer outside our hostel. La Paz was recently named one of the New7Wonders Cities and we were lucky to have the time to explore the city with our awesome coworkers. But readers beware, La Paz is located at 12,000 feet above sea level and the elevation can really bite you in the ass.

We joined up with Tam’s other friend from high school, Alex, to head over to the Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon) so named for it’s impressive landscape that really makes you feel a bit like an astronaut. Upon our arrival, the taxi was bombarded with young guys on ATVs trying to persuade us to rent from them. They offer organized tours of Valle de la Luna in town, but it’s a lot cheaper and more flexible if you take a cab (or the local bus if you’re feeling extra adventurous) and rent ATVs when you get there.

One Friday afternoon, while nursing a hangover with some of the other bartenders, we brilliantly decided to try “Urban Rush”. I’ll admit that I didn’t exactly know what I was getting myself into when I agreed to go, but it went a little something like this:

Step 1: Find a 17-story green building in La Paz and go to the very top floor

Step 2: Put on a costume so you feel invincible

Step 3: Get harnessed up (nice and snug)

Step 4: Watch your friends walk/run/jump down a building

Step 5: Freak out

Step 6: Make sure you go to the bathroom before it’s your turn (tricky with the harness)

Step 7: When it’s finally your turn, enjoy the view before making the plunge

Step 8: Hug the guy at the bottom that was holding the rope

I could not have done this alone and I was so lucky to have the moral support of amazing friends with me. Tam was stuck with an afternoon shift at the bar but she lived vicariously through the pictures.

We also survived the “World’s Most Dangerous Road” (AKA “Death Road”) with our coworker Alex, and spent one afternoon playing Lazertag at the Megacenter like a bunch of awkward teenagers.

If traditional Bolivian activities are more your style, we visited the Witches’s Market where they still sell dried llama fetuses for good luck. We also took the brand new Telefericos (gondolas) up to the El Alto neighborhood for the largest open-air market in South America where they will literally sell you anything. And if you’re into WWE wrestling (and even if you’re not), you won’t want to miss the famous Cholitas Wrestling.

Overall, we spent most of our time at the Loki bar serving guests or making friends. Some of the characters who frequented the bar included: clingy California girl, guy who buys too many tequila shots, local pole dancer girl, sloppy drunk 19 year old bros, guy who is clearly going through a midlife crisis, girls that don’t know what they want to order for dinner, guy that only wanted to take his shirt off and dance on the bar, extremely nice Canadians who tip as if they’re in North America, guy who plays beer pong all night but insists on bouncing every turn, and the local club promoter with an eye patch.

We don’t think we could have survived at Loki much longer than we did, but it was a unique experience that we wouldn’t trade for anything. When we look back on this trip of course we’ll remember seeing Machu Picchu, and exploring the crazy Salar de Uyuni Salt Flat, but more than anything we’ll remember the people we met along the way. We’ll never forget Kit’s party cardi, Shai Angel’s hair flip, Alex and Vaan’s cuddle fests, KC getting the party started, visiting Dora with Peter, late night dancing with Nicole, Justin’s smooth Spanish skills, Yuki almost losing his crystal and climbing that rickety ladder. And as hard as we try, we’ll never be able to forget Diogo making us watch Madagascar Penguin videos at 3 AM!