My Story

Born at 3,600 metres above the world

I was born and raised in La Paz, Bolivia — one of the highest cities on Earth, sitting at 3,600 metres above sea level, cradled by the snow-capped peaks of the Cordillera Real and overlooked by the mighty Illimani. Growing up at altitude wasn't a lifestyle choice; it was simply life. The thin air, the vast open sky of the Altiplano, and the deep blue of Lake Titicaca — the highest navigable lake in the world — shaped how I see everything.

From childhood I was drawn to the landscapes surrounding La Paz: the ancient ruins of Tiwanaku, the pilgrimage town of Copacabana on the shores of Titicaca, and the trails that wind through Bolivia into Peru — past Machu Picchu and beyond. The Andes were not a destination. They were home.

Years later, I emigrated to New Jersey, USA. Living between two worlds taught me something no guidebook could: what foreign travellers actually need to know before setting foot on Andean soil. The questions they ask, the gear they get wrong, the cultural gaps that turn adventures into ordeals — I've seen them all from both sides.

My background as a Failure Analysis Engineer trained me to ask one question relentlessly: why do things fail? Whether it's a material under stress or a travel plan that falls apart at 4,500 metres, the methodology is the same — find the root cause, eliminate the risk, build a solution that actually works. That's what this blog is: a practical, engineer-tested guide for anyone who wants to discover the Andes without the avoidable mistakes.