Like everyone else, after my Salar de Uyuni tour, I wanted to get out of Uyuni as fast as possible. For me that meant an overnight bus to the city of Sucre for some hiking and city exploration. I didn’t sleep well on the bus but that became the least of my concerns when later in the day it became time to question my choice in Salar de Uyuni tour operators, because I too came down with the Bolivian bug. No one is sure what it is, food poisoning, altitude sickness, exhaustion, some combination of all of the above, but it seems almost everyone gets it at some point in Bolivia. And with regards to the Salar trip, almost unanimously knowing that you’ll get sick, everyone says they would do it all over again.
Sucre is known as the white city because throughout the city and especially within the center, almost all buildings are white. Because of my illness I wasn’t able to do the hiking I planned but was able to explore the city, which I enjoyed. Great scenery aside, this was where I felt like I truly arrived in Bolivia. A town with activity, people on the streets, civilization. Streets were filled with Cholitas, the Indigenous women wearing the colorful clothing, wide skirts and bowler hats. School kids also were a constant on the streets in Sucre, something I haven’t seen anywhere else in South America. No matter what time of day, with parents, without parents kids in school uniforms were everywhere, it’s like everyone was always skipping class (just like I did).
The central market where I wandered every day is probably the best I’ve seen in Latin America. It had the widest selection and best looking fruit and vegetables I’ve seen in a long time (far better than most US grocery stores), and for the first time there was almost no stink walking through the meat and chicken sections. Each day I would get an exotic all natural fruit drink from one of the many juice stalls and purchased a variety of nuts and fruits to replenish my snack mix. Fresh, specialty bread was baked and delivered twice daily and fancy cakes were waiting for people to purchase for all occasions. Unfortunately because of my illness I wasn’t able to eat at the food stalls that supposedly served tasty traditional regional food.
After lingering around Sucre to recover, I jumped on a bus to La Paz to meet up with my Austrian friend Flo. I met him in Buenos Aires and we intentionally crossed paths briefly in Sucre while I was recovering. In La Paz we caught up, ate, drank and explored but the highlight was our hike up Austria Peak (yes I hiked Austria Peak with an Austrian). It was about 6 miles round trip, 2,600 feet elevation gain and we reached a height around 17,400 feet.
La Paz is another South American city built in a valley in the mountains and up the hills are numerous neighborhoods so it also has a gondola system used for transportation throughout the city. One day, with my hostel roommates we rode the cables circumnavigating the city. Start to finish we rode the gondolas for almost 3 hours.
Not far into my bus trip to La Paz I got a message from good friends I met in the Philippines last year, Darren and Sarah who live in Australia. I still communicate with them and even more so recently because they were planning on coming to South America. Unfortunately their timing wasn’t going to coincide with mine. However, their timeline changed and having no idea where I was or where I was going, sent me a message saying they just booked tickets and would be landing in La Paz in 5 days. Well…that worked out well.
By the time Daren and Sarah arrived, Flo and I were burnt out on La Paz (it’s just a big, congested, polluted city) so upon their arrival we all immediately headed to Cooacabana, a town that sits along Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in Latin America and the highest navigable lake in the world at 12,500 feet. It’s a nice little town with dirt or cobbled roads and a long stretch of restaurants, coffee shops and tourist agencies. A main square sits in front of a church (sound familiar) and the church is supposedly a very holy place. People make pilgrimages to the church and even drive hundreds of miles from Bolivia and Peru, just to have a priest bless their new car or truck.
On the bus to Copacabana I sat next to a Bolivian woman who spoke no English and finally my Spanish lessons have paid off. We spoke most of the 4 hours and much of it without needing google translate. And if she spoke English she would be reading this blog.
The big draw to the area is Isla del Sol, an island just off shore. Unfortunately just before our planned one-night trip there, Flo got the Bolivian stomach bug and had to stay in town. So one morning just Darren, Sarah and I made our way to the island. This island is another overall trip highlight, it was one of the most peaceful places I’ve been to this trip. The first day after lunch the three if us started walking on a trail (island has no roads or cars, just trails for people, donkeys, llamas, sheep and pigs to use) and before we knew it we were atop a viewpoint and could see the whole island, and Peru on one side of the lake and Bolivia on the other.
During our hike locals were all very friendly, everyone saying hello, helping us with directions even when we didn’t ask (amigos, abajo, ariba, derecha, izquerda, …). The island is constantly full of tourists but the locals are still friendly with everyone. We watched the sunset that night over Peru and woke up to watch the sunrise over Bolivia the next morning. Our restaurant for dinner that night had no electricity so we had a candlelit dinner for three.
After one more night in Copa, Darren, Sarah and I headed back to La Paz and I said goodbye to Flo who finally felt good enough to go to Isla del Sol, and then Peru. In La Paz, Darren, Sarah and I met Frieke and Kay from Germany and hung out with them for several days, including going to Cholita wrestling. Remember the description above regarding the Cholitas? Well, now picture them flying around the ring WWF style. Prior to one of the matches, I got pulled out of the audience to dance with one of the Cholitas (due to Sarah’s pointing at me and yelling pick him, pick him) .
My second stint in La Paz was like a going away party for me. Every day I seemed to run into someone else I met earlier in my trip, in addition I met some great new people and of course had extended quality time with two very great friends from last year’s trip. Since after La Paz I was quickly making my way up to Lima to fly home it was the perfect ending to my trip.
(FYI, in my few days in Peru I did go to view the Nasca lines and ate at Al Toke Pez-featured on Netflix Street Food Latin America Lima episode).
This trip was six and a half months. It seemed long but short at the same time. Last October seems like six years ago but looking back I can’t believe it’s already over. I’m still ready to travel but also excited to go home. A perfect combination.
South America was amazing. Colombia, the towns of Jardin and Jericho defined Colombia. Medellin, a city I never expected to like, was one of my favorites. Brazil, thanks for Albane and the Falls, but not the dengue. Argentina, don’t cry for me now, the truth is I never left you, I love you and hope you love me. Bolivia, you surprised me the most and are definitely worth the hassle (visa and uhm…otherwise). I look forward to seeing you all again soon (ok, maybe not you Brazil).
Obviously the experiences and nature you encounter when traveling are great, they make for good stories and sometimes even better pictures. But most often it’s the people you meet, whether locals or other travelers that create lasting memories and can even determine how much you like a place. Most you meet for just a short time but quickly feel like you’ve known forever. To everyone I met in Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia, thank you for the memories. I look forward to seeing you when I finally make it to Europe (not everyone gets an invite to Provence 🙂 ) or get back to South America. Darren and Sarah, see you somewhere soon. Nottingham Forest for life!!
Fins Up!!