Deep Down in the Valleys: Cochabamba

I find it hard to describe hotels, or at least to do so in an attractive way. The more hotels I visit – in different cities, countries and continents – the hardest it becomes to differentiate among them. A room with some furniture and washing facilities can summarize most of them. Of course, the details make the difference; sometimes the equipment is better, others it is worse. But few hotels manage to create a lasting memory; I found one of them in Cochabamba.

I had arrived there as an invitee of a local institution; being the country a poor one, I was placed in a tree stars hotel. Thanking my hosts, I approached the Regina Hotel – where a room was supposed to be waiting for me – and found that there were no free rooms. Before I had time to react, the receptionist apologized and told me not to worry. I was being upgraded to the four stars Apart Hotel Regina – around the corner – at no additional cost. Had I left South America without noticing? With some suspicions, I asked to see the apartment before deciding and was taken to a spacious one that seemed to be completely new.

The room was large, with a small lobby hosting a big refrigerator – the first sign it was an apartment designed for long stays. A comfortable coach and a telephone were placed next to a wide, massive, well-cared bed. A thick carpet ensured a cozy interior during the chilly evening. The television set was a bit oversized for the room and offered also English channels. Views of the mountains and a lovely plaza were available through a wide window. However, the best surprise was the bathroom, which had almost the size of the main room. By Bolivian standards it was extremely luxurious and included all the desired features in excellent working conditions and it irradiated comfort. Even the towels were folded in elaborate geometrical designs. Having packed light for a ten days visit, my backpack almost disappeared inside the massive set of closets.

The hotel serves a buffet breakfast at a dining room next to the lobby. The meal blends a Continental Breakfast with local dishes and fruits. Internet service is included; several computers are placed next to the reception for the guests’ use.

In front of the hotel is the enjoyable Plazuela Barba de Padilla and on the other side of the block is El Prado – Cochabamba’s main avenue and commercial center.

Embracing humanity from above, the Cristo de la Concordia in Cochabamba is the highest and tallest Christ statue in South America. Many Evangelical Christians find the very concept of such a statue offending; however, despite being one of them, I disagree. A statue erected as a symbol of peace and concord among humans – not within a temple – and in clear sight for everyone to see and get the message must be praised. Welcoming, outstretched arms are too rare in our world to be ignored.

A message of love for Quechuas and Aymaras, Guaranis and Gringos alike, this specific site is worth a visit also due to the awesome views of the city and the mountains – the Altiplano in fact – just next to it. A morning fog usually blocks the views; afterwards, the bright altitude sun would not allow taking good pictures. Hence, the best time for such a visit is the late afternoon.

How to reach it:
The statue is atop a hill, 265m above the city. It is possible to reach it by the cable car located at the end of the Heroinas Avenue, next to downtown. The trip takes four minutes and costs 3BOB (less than half a dollar). Another option is to climb the 1399 steps leading from the base to the summit along a gentle path that looks as the perfect appetizer before an afternoon’s picnic. However, the base is at 2575 meters above the sea level and the summit at 2840m. Most people do not experience altitude sickness at these altitudes – and that is especially true if descending to Cochabamba from La Paz – but it is recommended to make a preparatory walk along the city’s flat streets to check fitness. If dizziness and a shortness of breath appear, then it is better to skip the walk and use the cable car. A satisfactory compromise would be to climb with the cable car and to descend through the steps. Another point to consider is that at such altitude plants begin to grow shorter – until they completely disappear above the Altiplano – and that means that the views along the way are clear but also that there is no protection against the strong sun radiation. Taking a wide hat and plenty of water is necessary. Without a coffee shop at the top, the visit are usually short.

The Statue:
The statue was built between 1987 and 1994; it is 34.2m high, and with its base it reaches a final height of 40.44m. The height of the head is 4.64m and the arms are extended in a welcoming posture. Its design is surprisingly smart; barely more than an archetypal one, it manages in such a way to accurately impart the message of universality which would have been lost otherwise.

Wherever I stopped in South America, I could be confident to find one stable thing. More stable than governments, cultures and languages were the "empanadas," a turnover-like pastry that is consumed as a snack at all hours. Well, almost stable. The slight variations accounted for different ingredients and tastes; in some places it was hot and spicy while in others, chillies were considered a barbarian taste.

There are two methods of preparation, in the oven and fried. In Argentina the first are called "al horno" and the second are "fritas." The filling is usually of beef or ham and cheese, though variations exist with eggs, olives, chicken and vegetables. The name refers to the preparation method and has nothing to do with the filling, the last must be inquired. In nearby Chile, the empanadas are similar, though much bigger. There, a "pino" is an empanada filled with onions, an olive and half an egg. Paraguay adds to the list an "empanada de mandioca," (manioc).

However, the richest variations of this humble snack are in Bolivia, where it seems difficult to walk more than a block or two without finding one of its variants. The only version called empanada is a small, triangular or square turnover filled with cheese and sold at the stalls selling candies and sodas; it is eaten cold. The "Kukakapas" is very similar, but it is round in shape, served hot and it is stuffed with cheese and "aji," a paste prepared of chillies; it is not sold in the streets but it can be found in restaurants and fast food joints. During the mornings a giant empanada called "llaucha" (ee-aa-oo-cha) is sold by women carrying them in big baskets covered with a cloth to keep them warm. Within the monster is a strange mix of soft white cheese molten in water; it looks worse than it can be probably described in a non-rated site.

Until now everything made sense; it was just a matter of memorizing new names and tastes. But when I entered Bolivia for the first time – from Argentina – I was confused when I heard people talk about "Salteñas" and "Tucumanas." Technically, Salta and Tucuman are Argentinean provinces. For some strange reason, no Bolivian had managed to explain why they use the adjectives derived from those names to nickname the most popular empanadas in their repertoire. Eaten at all hours, the tucumana is the fried version, while the salteña is prepared in an oven. Shaped as a rugby ball they are more complex than any other item in this list. Eaten hot, they are stuffed mainly with a mix of beef (or chicken or egg), potatoes, onions and sometimes even olives, carrots, peas and other vegetables. All of them are peacefully swimming in a rich and spicy broth; care should be used while eating them so that the liquids won’t spill out and spoil clean clothes. Next to them are salads and sauces; by far, the most popular are the peanuts sauce and the "llajua" (ee-aa-hoo-aa) a fiercely hot, watery liquid prepared of a local variety of chilli.

Cochabamba is widely considered to be the home to the best empanadas in Bolivia and snacks joint selling "Empanadas Cochabambinas" can be spotted in all the major Bolivian cities.

Roughly circular, at first sight Bolivia looks as an easy country to plan a trip on it. The second sight reveals a more complex reality. A big part of the country is occupied by the Altiplano – the Andean Plateau –, which rises up to four kilometers above the sea level. The oriental part of the country is within the Amazonian Basin and is partly flooded during January and February. The third important zone is what the locals call the Valleys – the steep slopes connecting the Altiplano with the Amazonian Basin. Such a complex environment is an invitation for troubles.

Sadly, there are no good roads in the country. The only highway is a four lanes avenue (two in each direction) connecting downtown La Paz with El Alto and is only fifteen kilometers long. This reality transform any travel by car or bus into an almost Herculean task, even before taking into account the endless police control posts every few kilometers. Moreover, usually round-shaped countries offer several paths to reach a given location, but the roads and political situation in Bolivia do not allow doing so. For example, it makes sense for a tourist to begin the trip by visiting La Paz, then continuing to the Titicaca Lake and Copacabana and then reaching the southern Altiplano through Oruro… oops! There is no connection between Copacabana and Oruro since they belong to different political subdivisions of the country. The visitor needs to return to La Paz before continuing south. It is possible to travel between different "departamentos" only through the line connecting their capitals – and even that is not always possible.

Taking inland flights is only a partial solution. The flights are relatively cheap but they are also unreliable, schedules are problematic and recently problems with ticket payments have been widely reported. The "no-direct-connection" problem exists also here. Even many international flights are sarcastically called "milk-trucks" because they stop in all the major cities along the way - leaving from La Paz, the plane will stop in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz before leaving Bolivia.

Hence, it is essential to plan a trip to Bolivia carefully. Just "wandering-around" does not work here. Being the biggest city in the Valleys, Cochabamba offers a natural solution to the problem. It is possible to land in its international airport and then to explore the rest of the country following three axes connected at their beginning in this nexus city.

The first one connects Cochabamba with Sucre and Potosi. Sucre is the Bolivian official capital, though in reality it is a small town – the best preserved colonial one in the country. Potosi sits atop a silver mountain and offers a fascinating view into the silver mines of colonial times.

The second axis climbs the Altiplano to the north and reaches La Paz (the capital de facto), Copacabana and the Titicaca Lake. If enough time is available, it is possible to descend to the Amazonian Basin through the north and reach the trendy Rurrenabaque and the nearby Amazonian Natural Reserves.

The third axis advances eastwards to Santa Cruz, the second biggest city in the country: such a trip is recommended only during the dry seasons. The main attractions are the Jesuitical Missions. The area provides – when it is dry – comfortable exit points to brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

Such a trident-shaped approach would allow sampling the main sights of this amazingly varied and attractive country in a user-friendly fashion.

The fourth biggest city in Bolivia (with roughly half a million inhabitants) Cochabamba shares the basic design of Bolivian cities: a tiny downtown surrounded by endless shantytowns. However, its peculiarities make it well worth a visit: the main city in the Bolivian Valleys has the best climate and food in the country. Rich in extremes, Bolivia has few mild areas; in Cochabamba the proximity to the equator and the Amazonian Basin is balanced by the height since the city is well above the 2500m above the sea level. It is higher even than Santa Fe in New Mexico. Yet, most Bolivians refer to it as being "deep down in the valleys."

As in La Paz, the main avenue is nicknamed "El Prado," despite its official name being Avenida Ballivian. It runs from the Rocha River to the Plaza Colon. In this short avenue (just a few blocks long) is concentrated most of the town’s commercial life and the best restaurants. At its southern end, Plaza Colon and its surroundings are less colonial in style than their parallels in other Bolivian cities; its green splendor through fresh air into a visit to the country. Nearby, "Dumbo" may be infringing copyrights, but it is among the best restaurants in the country.

Five blocks to the south from Plaza Colon is another important plaza, Plaza 14 de Setiembre, which apparently was the town’s main plaza in the far past, before El Prado became the place to be seen. At its southern corner is the cathedral and at its kitty corner – across the plaza – is another interesting church called Compañia de Jesus.

Further south is the Avenida de las Heroinas, where many cheap restaurants offer some of the best Bolivian food. Following it eastwards, the cable car reaching the Cristo de la Concordia is reached. If walking the streets did not cause any symptoms of altitude sickness (80% of the people feel perfectly well at this altitude) then the hill may be climbed by foot.

At the southern edge of the downtown, there are two points of interest. Next to the San Sebastian Hill and the main bus terminal is an amazing food market. Being in such a central location in Bolivia, Cochabamba displays products from the various climates zones. Tropical fruits fight for space among the Altiplano’s potatoes and altitude fruits from the valleys. Beef from Santa Cruz is shown next to guinea pigs from the Altiplano. Nowhere in the country is this richness equaled. East of it is the northern shore of the Alalay Lake. Despite being undeveloped, the novelty of seeing a major Bolivian city next to a lake makes the visit well-worth.

If following the lakeshore to the south the shantytowns would be reached. I visited them extensively with my hosts and did not feel threatened at any moment, though unless in an official business there is nothing to do there.

Despite its humble size, there is no need to explore the town by foot. An extensive network of buses exists, but the excellent local taxis – charging less than half a dollar within downtown – are a better option.