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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 3 times during 2008 and 2009, each time entering and exiting at a different place. I have spent about 5-6 weeks here.
Here are my experiences and story.
Argentinian Border, Villazon to Tupiza:
The first time for me in Bolivia, I had spent roughly 7hrs on a bus from Salta in Argentina up to the border town of La Quiaca and crossed onto the Bolivian side and stepped into their border town of Villazon. 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, 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 have spent about 3 weeks 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, 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, it leaves from up the hill quite a bit, take a taxi there. The bus climbs out of La Paz, the view of the city is awesome, stopping a couple of times at the top of the rim to pick up more people, the main road out of the La Paz area is busy, dirty and polluted with vehicle fumes. 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 2 occasions in 2008 and 2009 for 3 nights in total, backpackers pass through here for a break from city hopping, it is a great place to relax on a journey, say from La Paz to Cusco. 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
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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