Blogs from Chuquisaca Department, Bolivia, South America - page 7

The journey from Chaco to Sucre was not one of our favorites, that is for sure. Bolivia seems to have a lot of spots that are named ‘the highest ...’*, which is pretty understandable when you enter the country. Despite the fact that the winding Andean road offered us the most tremendous views we could imagine, it was far from being labeled the most secure. Majority of it was just a sandy path that had space hardly for one bus not to mention two vehicles. I was ‘lucky’ to sit on the drop side of the bus and had to hold my breath every time the bus came too close to the edge. It is part of the adventure, right? Would have done it again, though.... if only for the perfect sunset over these mountains... We ... read more

For its size, government buildings (complete with apparently almost constant protests - a Bolivian speciality I will get to find out about before too long, I'm sure) and incredible hustle and bustle, La Paz is not - officially, constitutionally speaking - Bolivia's capital city. That honour goes to the city of Sucre, located some 600 kilometres southeast of La Paz in the dry, rolling hills of the departamento of Chuquisaca. Six hundred kilometres might not sound like much, but in a country like Bolivia it most certainly is. Bolivia is over five times larger than the United Kingdom and has some of the most formidable geography imaginable: pretty much the northern half of the country is rainforest, and the bottom bit is dominated by mountains, volcanos and desert. As a result, Bolivia's road network is not ... read more

My good friend Dr. Kathlyn Ignacio issued stern orders from 5000 miles away, get some rest and recuperate or else she would do something that I can't print. Rather than risk her wrath when I return to the States, Amei and I agreed it was time to pull off the road and decamp for a month in one place. Our choice was just right. Sucre is a wonderful relaxing college town filled with revolutionary history, white washed walls, indigenous markets, friendly folks, fine food, comfortable lodgings and a temperate climate. Its where Simon Bolivar declared independence from Spain and Che Guevara stayed nights at the Grand Hotel. Sucre is unlike a lot of Bolivia, with obvious wealth displayed throughout its colonial buildings, many churches and fine universities. Students are well dressed, hanging out nightly in the ... read more

Hola Amigos, nach dem wehmuehtigen Abschied aus Samaipata und meiner suppertollen Gruppe ging ich ins Callcenter um in der Heimat mal anzurufen. Trotz eines 30-minuetigen ehrgeizigen Versuchs ein internationales Telefongespraech auf ein oesterreichisches Mobilfunkttelefon anzuwahelen, hoerte ich staendig nur, dass dieser Anruf (mal wieder) nicht moeglich sei. Nicht weil ich mich vertippt habe, sondern eher wegen des internationalen Zahlendschungels, bei dem mir auch die spanischsprechende Assistentin nicht weiterhelfen konnte. Anyway, ich ging zurueck zu meiner Herberge und schnappte mir mein Backpack. Mein Busticket nach Sucre hatte ich mir schon am Vorabend bei einem Touroperator besorgt. Die Verkauferin meines Bustickets hat mir am Vortag mitgeteilt, dass der Bus an "dieser Stelle" - und sie markierte die Haltestelle auf der Karte - stoppt, und ich um 7:00 aberds dort sein soll.... read more

In true Bolivian fashion, the flight to Rurrenabaque boards 20 minutes late, without explanation. A mostly gringo crowd anxiously walks across the tarmac to our miniscule 2 propeller plane, and though there is no overhead compartment and no room to stand up straight, on the plus side, every seat has both a window and an aisle. There are no flight attendants, no safety talk, just two illuminated signs, one saying 'no smoking,' and the other, 'fasten seatbelts.' So much for the complimentary peanuts. I am seated in 1A at the very front, and can see directly into the door-less cockpit. I can hear every beep, see every flashing light (all of which seem to signal imminent death) from take-off to landing. The pilots fire up the propellers within seconds of closing the hatch, and we are ... read more