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Bolivia is a country of amazing contrasts! From the rugged, rocky and cactus filled terrain of Tupiza where Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid
once roamed to Uyuni where you will find the worlds largest salt flats to the jungle areas of Rurrenabaque, Bolivia has it all. Bolivia is
not only one of the most authentic of South American countries, it is also the cheapest!
I have been to Bolivia 4 times during 2008/2009 and again in 2011, each time entering and exiting at a different place. I have spent around 4 months in the country.
Here are my experiences and story.
Villazon and Argentinian Border:
My first time in Bolivia in 2008, I had spent roughly 7hrs on a bus from Salta in Argentina up to the border town of La Quiaca and crossed to the Bolivian border town of Villazon from there. The bus had left Salta at 10pm and it was now around 5am, it was freezing! "Bienvenidos A La Republica De Bolivia - Villazon - Altitude 3497 (meters above sea level)", the sign said. More
Tupiza:
Tupiza will remind you of the scenery you have seen in the wild west movies, it is surrounded by the Cordillera de Chichas, a rugged, rocky, mountainous area of jagged edged hills and dusty canyons of cactus. Things to do here include horse riding, biking and hiking, there a few tour operators with guides around town. More
Tupiza via Atocha to Uyuni:
The following morning, I made an early start towards the bus terminal in Tupiza just a few minutes walk away. I intended on getting a bus but it was full up, so the other and better option was to go by jeep, there was enough people who couldn't fit in the bus to fill the 10 spaces available in the jeep pretty quickly. More
Uyuni and the Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats):
I arrived in Uyuni in the early evening from Tupiza, I found a room for myself in a hostel for about 40 bolivianos which was $5USD in early 2008. It was quite cold, Uyuni is at an altitude of 3675 meters. I went out to a restaurant and hung out with a whole bunch of people, some that were in the jeep from Tupiza that day and had a great meal. More
La Paz:
La Paz, what an amazing place it is! I have been in and out of La Paz about 4 times in 2008/2009 entering and exiting from and to different places and stayed here for 6 weeks in 2011, I have spent well over 2 months here all together. In my mind I call La Paz the mad house, it is like sensory overload on steroids. More
La Paz to Copacabana:
I have travelled this leg in both directions 3 times in all, it is a nice bus journey that includes crossing Lake Titicaca briefly, it takes up to 3hrs. The bus doesn't leave from the main terminal in La Paz, it leaves from up the hill quite a bit, take a taxi there. More
Copacabana:
Copacabana is a little paradise on the shores of Lake Titicaca just 2 and a half hours north of La Paz. The contrast between Copacabana and La Paz couldn't be greater. I have stayed in Copacabana on 3 occasions in 2008, 2009 and 2011 for 5 nights in total. More
Rurrenabaque:
Going to Rurrenabaque and going on the pampas or jungle tour sounded like an awesome experience from what I had heard and read about it. A friend and I decided we would go on the pampas tour of the wetlands. We booked the tour in the foyer of Loki Hostel at Kanoo Tours in La Paz, it cost 1200 bolivianos and was for 3 days and 2 nights. More
Cochabamba:
I spent 3 nights in Cochabamba, I didn't do a lot here apart from wander around the markets, eat too much fried chicken and see a lot of dead chickens in the meat markets. But I did visit the worlds tallest Jesus statue that towers over the city called Cristo De La Concordia (Statue Height - 34.2 metres, Pedestal Height - 6.24 meters). More
Santa Cruz:
The first time I came to Santa Cruz was on a long 18hr bus haul from Salta in Argentina, I knew it was known as the 'city of rings' and that it would be quite warm, but that's about all. I also didn't realise that it was the weekend of the Bolivian vote of confidence referendum, 2008, for the president Evo Morales and that all shops, bars and clubs would be closed. More
Santa Cruz to Quijarro on the Death Train:
The Death Train (Ferroviaria Oriental) was due to leave Santa Cruz mid-afternoon and would take about 15hrs through the night and arrive at the border in Quijarro first thing in the morning, it cost between $15-20USD. The journey was quite comfortable and fun, the seats were not bad and there was food onsale on the train, some nice little chicken and rice meals for about 20 bolivianos, but better still was the food that the local children brought onboard to sell to the passengers when the train stopped at various places along the way. More
Oruro:
From La Paz it took 3hrs 30mins to travel to Oruro by bus. Oruro is known as a cold and windy place but wasn't while I was there. I was interested in having a quick look around and finding out about the train to Uyuni. There are quite a few budget hotels and hostels around the city center, I planned to stay just 1 night. More
Uyuni to Potosi:
After my 2nd time in Uyuni I finally left after being held up for 3 days because of road blocks near Potosi which had been set up by the miners who were protesting against something. This is very common in Bolivia, roads can be blocked for weeks on end, letting traffic through only at night or during weekends. More
Potosi:
I spent nearly 3 weeks in Potosi in late 2011, partly as a tourist and partly because I was waiting for a new passport to be sent from home to replace my now expired old one. My stay in Potosi was broken up with a trip to Sucre and Tupiza before I returned to continue waiting, the problem was that the miners had blocked the road so that the traffic and trucks with the mail couldn't get through. More
Sucre:
Sucre is the official capital of Bolivia, it's a lovely city full of white colonial arquitecture, for this reason it also known as the white city and is a photographers dream. If you are a photographer the most important decision you need to make is whether to wait until a fine day to visit the city, do you want blue sky or cloudy white sky in the background of your photos? It was mainly cloudy when I was here and the whiteness of the buildings and clouds actually give for a nice effect. More
Argentinian Border, Yacuiba to Santa Cruz:
When I crossed the border from Salvador Mazza in Argentina to Yacuiba in Bolivia, it happened to be Bolivia's National Independence Day. The streets were jammed with parades, a stage, marching bands, onlookers, stray dogs and chaos. The bus stood still for 4hrs before we were allowed to pass through the town, but we did get off the bus and walk around to watch the celebrations. More
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