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More on Bolivia

Bolivia Trip
(1993 Summer)

Bob Tinsley

mauqx@csv.warwick.ac.uk

The fruits of five weeks in Bolivia Jul-Aug 1993...

BOLIVIA

As the safest and second cheapest (after Ecuador) country in South America, Bolivia is a great introduction to this fabulously diverse continent.

Accomodation

In most places the guide books can provide a list of more than adequate single rooms in the $2-4 range per night. However do note that at this price your room will not be heated, and in higher cities you may have to ask for more blankets (or use a sleeping bag as well). Hot showers are occasionally an extra $0.50, and should be treated very carefully so as not to get a shock (turn on the water, then the electricity, wash, then turn off the power, and finally water, taking care not to touch any metal.) Note that to get an acceptable heat, the water may have to be turned down to a slight trickle.

There are no/few youth hostels in the country, and only a handful of official camp grounds.

Altitude

The most important factor affecting temperatures is the altitude, and to this end some guide books give the altitude of each town in the appropriate place so that you can gauge the likely temperature. As an example, in Rurrenabaque at 250m shorts and a t-shirt would take me through to sunset, whereas 5000m up in the mountains above Sorata I spent much of the night fully-clothed, shivering in a sleeping bag which had been more than adequate elsewhere.

Another problem is altitude sickness. At 4000m, you only get two-thirds of the oxygen at sea-level, causing breathlessness, lack of sleep, and (when you do drop off) some very strange dreams. The only advice is to cut out tobacco and alcohol as much as possible for the first few days, keep up liquid intake, and follow the locals' example of walking v-e-r-y slowly uphill. Coca (see next section) can also be a major help.

Above 4000m, you will experience mild headaches and a loss of appetite or even vomiting if exercising (age and general fitness seem to be no indicator of the effect on a particular individual), however 90% of people suffer no serious side-effects at 5000m.

Women please note that high altitude can play merry hell with your menstrual cycle.

Books

There are basically three choices of guidebook...

The South American Handbook (Trade and Travel Publications) condenses a massive amount of information about the whole continent into one meaty volume, with little being left out. Its style does tend to be a little dry (Lonely Planet compare it to 'a telephone book'), although the travellers' letters included are a welcome change of pace, but has ironed out the factual errors which marred earlier editions (which Lonely Planet gleefully used to point out in its own books). It is important to point out that the guide differentiates what it knows from what it has been told. Also, new editions come out every year, although I would doubt that all the data could be checked annually, making the book far more up to date than its competitors. (Older editions also included Central America, but this region is now covered by a seperate title.)

South America on a Shoestring (Lonely Planet) is competing for the same market but includes far less detail and is essentially inferior in virtually every respect. Its only redeeming feature is the much greater number of maps (than SAH's three).

Travel Survival Kit, Bolivia (Lonely Planet) is the book from which the Bolivian section of Shoestring was condensed, and is a much more serious volume. Several locations covered here are not featured in SAH, but by this stage you're down to comparing which obscure village is mentioned in which book. Apart from its style, which may tend to irritate rather than amuse, another problem is the guide's unwillingness to elaborate on what the author has researched personally, as opposed to what he has been told. Also, as only one country is covered, anyone thinking of crossing the border briefly to Peru, say, would have to take either two books, or borrow someone else's while over there. New editions come out every few years.

In short SAH seemed to me the pick of the bunch, although twice the price of the others, while some may prefer the style of TSK. (Whichever you do take, you can easily borrow the other off someone else to occupy yourself on a long bus-ride.)

Coca

As the Bolivians say, "Coca no es la cocaine"; noone I spoke to knew the amount of processing required to make the one from the other, but a general concensus seems to be at around the 1000:1 mark, so don't worry about picking up an expensive habit (coca is completely non-addicitive, even after a lifetime's consumption.)

It is generally taken either as mate de coca (i.e. as a tea) or chewed with a little ash to extract the active ingredients (of which there are about twenty, although cocaine is by far the most important).

When chewing, put 30 or so leaves in the mouth with a little ash (usually sold mixed with potato starch) and form a quid in one cheek. The slightly bitter juice may be swallowed, but is more effective if retained in the mouth (stomach acids break down the active ingredients). Effects include a certain resistance to the effects of altitude, greater endurance, and a numb mouth.

Fiestas

Although I attended an even half-dozen fiestas in my time in Bolivia, I did not enjoy one of them: there seems to be little of Andean culture in them, and seem based more on the American Fourth of July parades, complete with marching bands and majorettes.

Flights

La Paz is the most expensive destination in South America for someone flying in from the Northern hemisphere, with return tickets going for around $1100. (The cheapest fare I found in London was with Varig for #638.) For those with a little more time, it might be preferable to fly into Caracas or Bogota, and continue overland.

Language

Some Spanish is a major asset as few Bolivians (even in the tourist trade) speak English; I did, however, meet solo travellers unable to even count to three who had few problems.

The major indigenous languages are Aymara and Quechua, but I met only a handful who could speak just these. (I never stayed in a place with a population of less than 5,000, but I suspect that there the situation is rather different.)

Major pronunciation differences:

never lisp
'v's are occasionally pronounced as in English

Major vocabulary differences:

aca, aha, alla frequently replace aqui, ahi, alli
indian = un campesino (never `un indio', which is an insult)
lunch = un almuerzo
ticket = un boleto

Money

The Boliviano (B) is split into one hundred centavos; the currency is relatively stable with annual inflation running at around 10-15%.

In cities and large towns, US dollars can be easily exchanged in many hotels and restaurants as well as Casas de Cambio (rather than banks); the current rate (Aug 93) is US$1 = 4.30 Bs, and about 1% less for travellers' cheques. (No currency other than US$ is of any use.) There is no black market.

In smaller towns, ask around (there seem to be no legal restrictions on forex transactions) although the rate may be 1-2% under the official rate, with TCs exchanged for up to 5% commission.

Several establishments in La Paz apparently convert TCs to cash dollars for a 1% commission (check out a guide book for addresses), and it might be worth asking around elsewhere. In addition, cash withdrawals on a credit card are reportedly possible in some cities.

Note that in some places (Potosi, for example), "damaged" dollar bills are extremely difficult to exchange - slight wear along the fold can be enough for a refusal. On the other hand, well-used Bolivianos with rips and tears are accepted universally; in addition, there seems to be little trouble with counterfeit money.

Getting change (especially from a 100B note) can be exceptionally difficult, so try to get rid of the higher denominations in your hotel or on a bus company.

Security

As mentioned in the introduction, this country is exceptionally safe - I regularly walked around town centres alone at 11 o'clock at night without feeling threatened.

The numerous tricks South Americans are reported to employed to separate gringos from their baggage seem to be rare in Bolivia, and the worst experience I had was an attempted bag snatch in Oruro station (the only incident I've heard about). In addition, the police now no longer 'discover' drugs on foreigners.

Weather

In the five weeks that I was there I experienced one rain-shower (La Paz), and one heavy snowfall (Uyuni).

If something is omitted here, it's because I either did not do it, or have no hard information on it either way.

La Paz

There are money-changing facilities in the airport now, so there is no need to take an expensive taxi to the centre of town. (There is a direct bus up to the airport for $1 which can be caught in San Francisco; ask in your hotel for where to catch it.)
Departure tax is $20.
There are no truly outstanding budget hotels in this city - I stayed in the Torino, which is not the most friendly of hotels, but supposedly no worse than the rest, but it does have left-luggage and book exchange facilities (but you can forget about approaching the manageress for either of these).
The Hotel Republica was frequently reccomended as excellent value, although it's not a true cheapy.
Reccomended restaurants: El Texano at Commercio 1381 has an excellent, cheap, four-couse lunch in very civilised surroundings; El Lobo at Illampu y Santa Cruz serves delicious Israeli meals.
The British Embassy has no reading room - just a collection of month-old Daily Telegraphs.

Rurrenabaque

Flota Yunguena are the main company plying this route (20 hrs - avoid the back row if at all possible as the seats don't recline), but Trans Amazonas also do it in minibuses (12 hrs, but more expensive).
Stay at El Tuichi (between the bus office and Santa Ana). The hotel only opened recently (so is in none of the books) and is far and away the nicest of the budget hotels in town - Eli, the manageress, is very friendly, and does a good deal on breakfast. Besides, any place with hammocks is definitely worth a couple of nights.
El Trapiche next to the bus office is an excellent cheap restaurant, and the owner speaks English and German.
A yellow house in the square was frequently reccomended for lunch by the locals, but I never actually visited it.
Tico, who runs the Agencia Fluvial (from a boat on the river) offers the standard four-day jungle tour for $50 and a three-day pampas tour for $60 (no haggling). (His tours are great, and no other agency in town is any cheaper; but don't believe what the guide books say about the quality of the food - it's little more than fuel food.) Those interested in animals such as river dolphin and cayman (sp???) will be better served by the latter trip. Getting a group together once in Rurre, or joining another one, should take about an hour unless you want to do something more original than stay in a much-visited tourist camp, so don't check into a hotel when the bus arrives in the morning if you want to go on a trip immediately (they leave at 9-10am).
Do walk up the hill behind the town on a bright day (a hard twenty-minute slog).
Those intending to visit the waterfall mentioned in TSK should note that it is a mile upstream on the opposite side of the river to what the book says, and (according to a local) the path from San Buenaventura is very tough. Much better to try and get a lift from one of the motorised dugouts going up and down the river. (Note that there are two waterfalls, the higher one being the more impressive, so don't spend a day at the 'wrong' one.) Try to be there for midday when the sun can get through the trees.
Do catch the stunning sunsets from one of the waterfront bars.

Coroico

If you arrive in Yolosa too late to head up for Coroico (for example on the bus from Rurrenabaque), you can roll out your sleeping bag in front of the police station.
Cheapest beds in town are in the Sol y Luna dormitory.
The artesania is massively overpriced.
For stunning views on the way back to La Paz, take a camioneta down to Yolosa and hitch a lift with a passing truck (note that this ride gets very cold in its later stages); the ride is truly exhilerating and really gets the adrenaline going. However, ensure that you arrive in Yolosa at a time when there will be passing traffic (ask in Coroico).

Sorata

Eduardo, the exceptionally odd German owner of the recently-relocated Hotel Copacabana will probably meet you at the bus-stop - it's definitely worth a look (although the excellent meals, even breakfast, are expensive), but I never had a chance to check out the competition.
In addition, he organises guided tours for $15pp/day (plus food) along any one of a dozen routes, and these are definitely reccomended. He also rents out all the equipment you might need. Your guide will take a full pack, so you don't need to carry too much yourself.
Those with more time would certainly find it much cheaper to base themselves in one of the hotels in town, and let the owner fix you up with a guide for the going rate of $5/day (plus food) - which means that Eduardo's cut for a group of four is over 90%, possibly explaining why he's such an unpopular boss - but I never met anyone who'd tried this.
For non-serious walkers, the three-day trip up to the glacier lake at the foot of Illampu and Ancohoma (over 5000m.) is highly reccomended for some stunning views.
On all hikes, note that you will be going to high altitude, so expect headaches - and don't stand up too quickly or the head-rush could make you keel over. (Don't forget some coca.) In addition, make sure that your tent, sleeping bag, and stove are up to the extreme conditions (I can at least vouch for the quality of Edward's sleeping bags).

Copacabana

Those heading to Copa from Sorata should note that you should catch the first bus to La Paz (paying full fare, unfortunately), get off at Huarina, and make your own way to Tiquina, cross the lake (there's an organised system for doing this), then complete the trip by camioneta (7 hrs total, and be prepared for a cold final leg as it will be getting dark by this stage).
No particular hotel/restaurant particularly stood out in Copacabana.
Note that the town fills up with Bolivians and Peruvians around the August 6th Independence Day celebrations (and simultaneously empties of gringos), causing room prices to soar.
A standard day-trip to the Isla del Sol can be organised at one of the travel agents in town for $8 (no particular reccomendation), but the trips tend to be highly disappointing with few definite sights, and more time spent in the boat than on the island. A much better idea is to overnight on the island, wander around the next day, then catch the boat back in the afternoon (usually free if returning with the same company). On the other hand, you might like to try walking all the way back.
Do walk up the fourteen stations of the cross above the town on a bright day.

Uyuni

Uyuni is most easily reached from La Paz by the 'Expreso del Sur' train which runs to Argentina on a Friday (the only Bolivian train I took, and reputedly the best in the country), other types of train daily, or from Potosi by bus.
If arriving by train, you will almost certainly arrive on a bitterly cold station platform at five or six o'clock in the morning, so consider getting a group together for a tour to leave at nine o'clock the same day (relatively easy as this is the only reason tourists go to Uyuni) rather than heading straight for a hotel.
The best hotel in town (and only a few cents more expensive than the rest) is the Avenida.
The tours on offer from the various travel agents are all more or less identical, with the standard one being a four-day trip for six or seven people for around $50pp (plus food), although you will certainly have to push hard to get down to this level. The only real difference between them is the age of the vehicle - whether your Toyota Land Cruiser is ten years old, or only nine - and if the four-wheel drive actually functions. This latter is only important as if the snow does fall (which it did in midAugust this year), as getting back to Uyuni can be extremely hard work (if you're not as unlucky as we were and get snowed in completely). The agency provides cooking equipment and gas, and also blankets if you feel that your sleeping bag won't be sufficient. (The Spanish for `to be four-wheel drive' is `tener roster'.)

Potosi

A very hectic, bustling city, whose pace might not be to everyone's taste.
Changing dollars in Potosi can be a challenge if none of your notes are in mint condition (millimetre-long tears along the fold of a note will get it refused everywhere).
The mines are, indeed, well worth a visit. All tours are the same, but guides named in a guide-book seem to charge $5 instead of $4. Note that because of the size of the passages, any group larger than five is too large; all groups seem to be larger than five.