Skateboarding
Skateboarding
Hit up La Paz as the Inca Trail skate trip enters Bolivian airspace
Watch Madars Apse, Milton Martinez, Thaynan Costa and Angelo Caro blasting it in the high Andes.
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7 min
Skate the Inca Trail, episode 3
Madars Apse, Milton Martinez, Angelo Caro and Thaynan Costa enter Bolivia to skate La Paz!
I don’t think I’ve ever crossed a sketchier border in my life – and I've crossed plenty.
After our wonderful visit to the Uros people, we ventured to the border that separates Peru from Bolivia. This border is only a couple of kilometres from Puno, with Lake Titicaca itself being a natural border between the two countries.
Our crew was back in action with Thaynan feeling better and the spirits once again high.
Madars Apse, Thaynan Costa,Angelo Caro and Milton Martinez were ready to skate La Paz, the highest capital city in the world – but first, we needed to go through customs.
The border town of Desaguadero looked like a war zone. Photos posted to our social media accounts drew comments asking if we were in Afghanistan or Iraq.
The town was being rebuilt, so there was no paved road, and to get to the border itself we hired a porter who had a little bicycle cart to carry our bags.
A mannequin hanging by the neck from the electricity wires held an ominous sign: ‘thieves will be burned’!
The whole ambience of the border crossing was tense, so we were stoked to get out of there as soon as possible.
After a couple of hours’ bus ride we rolled into La Paz, situated 3,700m above sea level. The city in itself is impressive, as half of it's in a deep creek and the other half overlooks the creek from high plains.
Connecting the two are downhills and cable cars which offer incredible vistas of this chaotic city.
Crossing borders
© Gaston Francisco
Milton Martinez – Kickflip
© Gaston Francisco
Men and women share the building workload
© Gaston Francisco
Angelo Caro
© Gaston Francisco
The spots were really good, much better than expected, and Milton put on his show by destroying everything that crossed his path.
This was just a single day after he had fallen victim to the dreaded vomiting induced by altitude sickness.
We met some local skaters who kindly showed us the street spots and who later took us to the incredible Pura Pura DIY – which is well worth a visit.
Some of the best spots we found though were downhills, and with Madars being a fan of wild rides he and Milton pretty much bombed every hill the city had to offer, while people watched in awe and cheered as the skaters whistled through.
Madars Apse – Drop In
© Gaston Francisco
La Paz
© Gaston Francisco
Milton Martinez – Lipslide
© Gaston Francisco
Tiwanaku ruins
© Gaston Francisco
To round off the trip, we paid a visit to one of the oldest constructions in the Americas: the Tiwanaku ruins. Not much is left from this civilisation which pre-dates even the Incas. These people were incredibly advanced in agriculture amongst other things, using terraced systems for their crops. The place is barely visited by tourists, which is something quite refreshing after having visited mass-tourism sites.
All in all, this was one of the best trips we have ever made.
We got to skate untouched spots and meet the nicest locals, while visiting some of the most impressive places this world has to offer and experiencing different cultures to our own. I can’t think of a better way to spend time with friends and to learn about this wonderful place we live in.
Go skate, venture off to a place you've never been before, meet new people, make great friends and celebrate difference!
Watch how the Inca Trail tour kicked off in Lima before crossing into Cusco and Puno just by clicking on the links below:
- The Inca Trail Episode 2
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