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You can avoid the chaos below by flying across the city on Mi Teleréfico.

I knew that Bolivia’s capital, Nuestra Señora de la Paz, is the highest capital city in the world. But somehow I pictured a remote, sleepy Andean retreat. Instead we discovered a chaotic city of a million souls spilling improbably down the sides of a steep canyon.

On the map La Paz looks like a short hop from the shores of Lake Titicaca. But our bus took its time winding through the rugged mountains of the Central Andes. As in the Sacred Valley of Peru I was stunned by the drama of the landscape. The colors are so vivid — deep blue sky, bright green trees, and billowing snow-white clouds. As I contemplated the drama of the clouds a thought suddenly occurred to me: Perhaps they are so stunning simply because we are so much closer to them! Here we are rolling through the landscape at 12,000 feet. Planes fly at 30,000 feet, and they are way above the clouds. So we must be roughly halfway to them. No wonder they form such an integral part of the landscape.

A cemetery peeks out from the roadside, backed by those stunning Andean clouds

I was wondering how we were going to get across this narrow stretch of Lake Titicaca to cross into La Paz. Most of us passengers took a little speedboat, as our bus boarded this primitive looking ferry. A few sleeping Bolivians were left in the bus the whole time.

The Spanish founded La Paz in 1548 in a narrow bowl in this canyon, surrounded by the high altiplano. As the city grew it climbed up the walls of the canyon and spilled out into vast suburbs in the altiplano. The result is a city that ranges in elevation from 10,500 ft. to 13,500 ft. Transportation is a nightmare of long, twisting, clogged streets — until the birth of Mi Teleréfico.

Inaugurated in 2014, this will be the world’s most extensive (and only) rapid transit network consisting primarily of aerial cable cars. Today three lines — red, yellow, and green — whisk passengers from station to station, rising and falling over steep Andean peaks in between. The cars leave every 11 seconds, so you virtually never wait. Then you fly above the density and traffic, enjoying stunning views all the while — all for less than 50 cents a ride. Heck, you’d pay $15 for a ride like this in some other city! Seven more lines are in the planning stages.

It’s nice to fly above the twisted chaotic streets of La Paz in a sleek cable car

Back down in the colorful streets of central La Paz

Looking across the roof of Iglesia San Francisco in central La Paz

In the bell tower of Iglesia San Francisco

We enjoyed the modern Bolivian art at the Museum of Contemporary Art, but it was especially cool just to wander through the halls of this 19th century mansion partly designed by Gustave Eiffel

Plaza Murillo at the heart of La Paz with the presidential palace to the left and the cathedral to the right

The tomb of independence leader Antonio José de Sucre, where these guys aren’t going to be messed with

On our last night in La Paz we met up with old friends from Copacabana, Law and Meg