Potosi - Sucre - Santa Cruz, Bolivia

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Howdy everyone!!!

I made it into Santa Cruz this morning! And I discovered exactly what lonely planet said...this city is the most Brazilian city I have encountered so far!!! Aaaaaah, I miss Brazil sooo much. I have met so many Brazilians ....but each time when I am trying to talk to them, I find myself tongue tied....since I am getting myself accostumed to speaking Spanish.. I find myself speaking a mix of both, they are just like...huh?? well, I still really prefer Portugese and love Brazil...anyways.......

So basically, I left Potosi the day after the update, and arrived in Sucre yesterday and the same afternoon I took off for Santa Cruz.

I have to say that I wasn´t really impressed with Potosi... nothing against it, the only thing unique about it is that it is the highest city in the world (4060 m). Though I found Sucre much more entertaining!!

Sucre is a city ..... where you almost can´t walk around without a pair of good sunglasses! Everything in the city is white!!!! Pretty much all the buildings in the city is white, the school uniform for elementary/highschool is white, people like to dress themselves in white!! Other than the vast whiteness, not to be overlooked is the majestic colonial structures. I think that I prefer Sucre to La Paz as Bolivia´s capital really.

As for Santa Cruz, I just got in here today like I said. Really glad that I am finally reunited with one of my Korean friends, Son. A little interesting story for some of you... here goes:

I arrived in Santa Cruz earlier this morning around 6, didn´t really have any thing ($) on me, so I opted to walk from the bus station to the hostel (almost 1 km). While I was happily trotting down the street, I was met with a very friendly stranger, who commented on my cloth (it said "eu sou brasileiro"..a gift from a Brazilian guy I met on the Machu Picchu trail), and said that he had just came back from Brazil...travelling.

So we talked for a few minutes, walking, before long we were confronted by a "civil police"..dressed in plain cloth, insisting to check both myself and my new "friend" for fake dollars/money and/or drug...he kept on saying that this is normal for tourists. I found it a little fishy, something I read a while ago in the lonely planet came to my mind.... that real police here only dress in uniforms... well, they insisted on taking me to the police station, with a taxi that is! That made me even more suspicous. I got on the taxi anyhow. The "civil police" then wanted to see my ID and my money and check my bag even. My new "friend" complied without question and was encourging me to do what I was asked..showing him my ID/wallet for traces of fake dollars and drugs. Before long even the taxi driver started vouching for the "civil police".
My good conscious came to me and I insisted on going to the police office and THEN show them what they wanted. The "civil police" even made a few calls with a badge number - making it seem rather real.

After a few minutes of arguing, they finally gave up and was starting to drive me to the police station, at a street corner I saw two policemen in uniform, and I said "here! here!!", they drove on for another block or so, and said to me..here is the office, let´s go inside.

Then as soon as I got off the cab, they drove off!!!!!!!!

What a little experience I had, well, I guess they ended up getting the shorter end of the deal...I mean I kind of "bummed" a ride off of them...rsrs

At any rate, I am all good here in Santa Cruz.
I am very glad to be here...the weather is more friendly here..nice and warm with a little breeze.
Really reminds of me Brazil.........

Either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I am heading to Vallegrande and then La Higuera for the Che Guevara festival! Really psyched!!!!!!!!

Until next blog (maybe when I am in Argentina or after I got back into Santa Cruz from the festivals!)

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Photos

Streets in Potosi
There wasnt really anything uniquely Potosi that makes Potosi Potosi...I felt like I was in Cuzco,... in a much small Cuzco that is

Even Taiwanese people made to to Bolivia
makes me really proud...hehe..but they are actually from China, Foo Zheng province, just using the name Taiwan..a little bummer, but enough to surprise me a bit..a pleasant surprise that is

Cathedral in Potosi
I really have seen enough curches and catherals I think...

Streets in Sucre
everything is white..you really need a pair of good sunglasses to see anything...rsrsrs
I´d much rather have stayed in Sucre than Potosi I guess..too bad I only had 5 hours to explore the city on foot

Sucre
The "other capital" of Bolivia...and no, it doesnt really mean sugar. I agree that Sucre would/should make a better capital..La Paz is good, but it´s just a mess...markets everywhere...whereas Sucre is much more majestic

Markets in Sucre
more markets....I really adore those markets...
and bargaining with locals...

Someones car in Sucre
lets go go-karting!!!!

Buses in Sucre
They dont even close the doors....
is it to save time???
to save power?
to make the bus´s airflow a bit better?
to make it easier for people to get on and off?
In my case, it was the last one, since I had to take the bus from one bus terminal to another

Buses in Sucre
Not sure how those buses from Asia got here.... and again, as you can see, the door is kept open

On way to Santa Cruz from Sucre
the tire blew on my way to Santa Cruz...and no, this time the bus door is closed..but in the picture they were just changing the tires..the entire process took no longer than 15 minutes..pretty efficient I have to say. but the rest of the bus ride was hell...I mean I thought the road to Uyuni was bumpy, but from Sucre to Santa Cruz, it was worse than that...bumping all the way...the entire 10 hours ...I only managed to sleep 2-3 out of it

On the bus to Santa Cruz
In the bus.... it was pretty fully, that little blanket on the walkway is not just a blanket..a small girl is sleeping in it

In Santa Cruz..
at the hostel, met up with my Korean friend, Son, again. playing with the toucan...there are two toucans here. quite entertaining..I guess they are what brought up the hostel price per night...I was so used to paying 25 bolivanos (about 3 dollars), but this one hostel is charging 50 bolivianos (about 7 dollars)

a parade in Santa Cruz
not sure what kinda parade this is..but we walked by it...

Comments

[maurice]

loud comment
Hi buddy boy sorry if I haven't kept up correspondence up to this point but you're doing an excellent job. It's an excellent travel log. Good luck and look forward to seeing more.