Interface points between cultures are of special interest for travelers; in no other place the essence of travelling is so distilled, nowhere else the little local nuisances are so might and bold. When crossing from Mexico to the
US or from
Thailand to
Cambodia, the changes are obvious. Cultures, languages and sometimes even the alphabets are not the same. Other borders are subtler but not less real. That’s the case while crossing from Bolivia to
Argentina.
Roughly half the South American people – on the western and southern parts of the subcontinent – speak Spanish, and are divided into various countries. Spotting the differences there is trickier for the casual traveler and sometimes even dangerous. An Argentinean sign explaining how to open a door gets an obscene meaning meters away, across the Bolivian border.
La Quiaca, at the Argentinean side, and its counterpart Villazon at the Bolivian one, seat high on the Andean Plateau amid a barren landscape known in Argentina as the Puna Region. The towns are separated by the La Quiaca River, a semi-dry stream which forms the international border.
The native people are Coya – or Kolla in
Bolivia –
Aymara and Quechua people which were denizens of the Inca Empire’s southeastern corner. The typical awayo clothes used by the women to carry around food, merchandise and … babies, are a telltale of that ancestral link.
ClimateThe barren valley in which Villazon seats features extreme temperatures; its being three and half kilometers above the sea level means sweating during the day and freezing at night. Some people may suffer of mild altitude sickness if they arrive without an acclimatization period.
Reaching VillazonSeveral private bus companies reach Villazon from
Potosi,
Oruro,
El Alto and
La Paz. The prices can vary wildly between the companies and along the week, especially after the Sunday’s Feria, when many sellers return to their homes.
Buses to and from
La Paz can cost anything between 40 and 120 BOB, i.e. around six to fifteen dollars. The trip takes twenty hours if there are no problems; I recommend taking snacks, water and hot clothes as a protection from the cold nights. Buses connecting Tupiza and Villazon cost between 10 and 15 BOB; the trip longs a couple of hours.
See the railways article in this journal for more information on that option.
AccommodationsThere are many basic hotels around the main avenue; they offer basic rooms with shared bathrooms for a little more than one dollar. As usual in Bolivia, showers are an extra, and can be rented for a bit above sixty cents. A few better establishments surround the main square. Luxury hotels are not available in the area.
The TownVillazon is small and built around the axis connecting the railway station, the bus terminal, the central plaza and the border cross to Argentina. The many inactive buildings in town hint of the changes in the last decades; today, the main business is the commerce brought by the constant stream of tourists, Argentineans and backpackers from all over the world. The population is approaching rapidly the fifty thousand, making thus the town the size of Oruro, a town several hours north of there.
The town's centre is the wide Antofagasta Avenue, which has the railway at its centre and creates a great open surface for the strong winds to run on; adobe houses are spaciously scattered around it. If visiting during the cold months, hot clothes and some protection from the chilling, dusty winds are needed; the few puddles in the streets freeze up during this period. The grass at the avenue's median is surrounded by barbed wire, which is used as a base for a plastic cover put overnight to keep the delicate plants from the freezing temperatures. The avenue changes its name to Republica Argentina while approaching the border and along it are all the town's attractions: the main market, the plaza, the bus terminal, the railway station and the Feria.
Plaza 6 de Agosto is the central plaza and hosts a church, the municipality and several other public buildings. The bus terminal is at its northwestern kitty corner.
On Money and MarketsIn Argentina it is possible to pay only with local money, while in Bolivia both currencies are accepted; note that while the Bolivian currency is difficult to exchange outside the country, it is much more stable than the currencies of the other countries in the area. Thus, paying with it is wise since the vendors do not inflate the merchandise price to defend themselves from currency fluctuations. Argentinean pesos are notoriously unstable.
The largest markets are in the Bolivian side, hordes of Argentineans can be seen crossing the border to buy the cheaper merchandise. The money exchange services are concentrated on the Bolivian side, just before reaching the border cross.
The central market in Villazon, called Mercado Central Gilberto Cortez Millares, is within a two-story, covered structure behind the central plaza; it offers decent Bolivian meals at low prices, a tasty lunch costs there around half a dollar.
The most interesting food served here is the "Chicharron de Llama;" small chunks of llama meat fried in deep oil and served atop "mote," or huge corn grains boiled up and separated from the maize ears. The corn appears in a rainbow of colours; black, violet, and red grains can be seen. Tamales with "Charque Khan" are tamales filled with dehydrated and fried pork or llama meat.
Another market, the Mercado Municipal is in front of it and specializes in fruits, vegetables and flowers. On the street parallel to the central market toward Argentina there is a shoes and clothes market; the small Mercado San Martin at its end and sells general products.
Once a week, on Sundays, the town hosts a Feria, a huge open market at Calle Santa Cruz, between the bus terminal and the railway station, which attracts many households’ goods shoppers. Then all the markets in town seem to unify into one giant feast of shopping.
Crossing the BorderIf crossing to Argentina just for a couple of hours, there is no need to stop at the immigrations. However, beyond La Quiaca, the Argentinean authorities perform several checks, thus the passport should be stamped before leaving the town southwards. The checks include luggage inspection and may be performed even twice during a trip to Jujuy and once in the way to
Salta. On the Bolivian side the customs checks are rare, but identity checks are frequent and often are performed by heavily armed policeman.
Nearby AttractionsA couple of hours north from Villazon, Tupiza offers one of the best tourism infrastructures in Bolivia. A small town within a narrow valley surrounded by gorgeous red cliffs, it is a fantastic place to recover from the hardships of travelling in the area. Guesthouses, restaurants and travel agencies offering treks in the area are scattered among smiling, friendly locals. Its night market is fabulous, acting as a major gathering place for the denizens.
In the Argentinean mythology, La Quiaca is a synonym for the world’s end, rather than that, I found it to be a crossroads. Beyond being the entry point for that country, it has little to offer, beyond a coffee shop in the terminal which reminds of a typical coffee shop in
Buenos Aires. Long distance buses from here are expensive; the best approach is to take short rides to
Jujuyor
Salta the nearest province's capitals and continuing into
Argentina from there.