Along the extensive 20 de Octubre strip of eateries comes Cafe Arábica (as long as you can manage to resist the temptation of Chocolate Caliente one door down). Entering the cafe, you could be anywhere in the world, though Arabia wouldn’t be my first guess: spotless coffee table tops reflect the MTV shows playing on the flatscreens, and the calm atmosphere goes against the rowdy Bolivian norm. The food selection is very agreeable, with plenty of pitas and wraps – despite being a resolute carnivore, I found myself picking a vegetarian option with ease – and the drinks selection defies the number of ‘mocha’, ‘cappu’, ‘frappe’ and ‘cino’ combinations you thought possible. By Bolivian standards the service is average to rather quick, though if you’re doing Arábica for speed, you’re doing it wrong: here is the place to escape the hustle and bustle of Bolivia and embrace the chilled-out, cosmopolitan side of La Paz.

Location: Av. 20 de Octobre n. 2355, (591-2) 211-3293

Apparently, Forum is the place to be on a Saturday night in La Paz, but on two conditions: you look good enough (or often even white enough...), and you can make it through the hour or so of Latino-music-that-everyone-knows-except-you before the real party gets going. Our friends from ‘mad gringo hostel’ Loki couldn’t hack it, but spurred on by the remaining alcohol in our bloodstream, the thought of free drinks (40bs entry was considered especially steep, until presented with 35bs worth of drinks money), and with the delights our VIP wristbands might bring us in mind, we shook our booties with the best of them. The VIP area is a spacious balcony with tabled sections where only the richest of paceño rich kids come to play (as we were told on various occasions). Cue much dancing on sofas precariously close to a low rail overlooking the dancefloor (until we realised there probably are better places to go, and decided it was time to leave).

Apparently, Forum is the place to be on a Saturday night.

Now Blue really is the place to be on a Saturday night. Or any night for that matter. Whether you want to or not, you will end up at Blue on a night out. Blue is a bit like Marmite: you may find a gringo couple shagging in the toilets the perfect excuse to go home, or forget the mess in the back, stare up at the lasers and rave about how good a venue this grimy little cellar-esque room down a back alley is. If by now you’ve come to expect some of the usual Latino sounds thrown in to the mix, the music suddenly ain’t so bad either.

Location: Somewhere along the Calle México... but shhh