Bolivia's Bitter Valleys

Copa Moya Bolivian Bus Transport

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Attraction | "Copa Moya"

Altiplano Photo - Copa Moya Bolivian Bus Transport, Bolivia, South America

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After a long period of time spoiling myself, time was ripe for a trashy trip on a decrepit bus. As always, I got more than I had asked for.The beginning was promising. I arrived at the bus terminal and immediately spotted the booth (#29) of Copa Moya’s La Paz branch. They offered a ticket for the Tarija 5 PM bus at a reasonable price. Their bus was the best looking one in the whole terminal. Modern and solid looking. The last turned out critical.Fifteen minutes before departure I boarded the bus was an unusually large pack of snacks. After all Tarija is really far away....Read More

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on May 21, 2011

Copa Moya Bolivian Bus Transport
Bus Terminal, Tarija
Tarija, Bolivia

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Camargo

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Attraction | "Quince and Apples"

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Famous all over Bolivia, Camargo is so well known and advertised that I was truly surprised to find it was little more than a tiny village amidst reddish mountains. The landscape is spectacular, though the harsh altitude-lightning conditions make taking photographs difficult. Several streams cross the area making it fertile and suitable for the growing of several crops; after a while on the barren plateau, it looks like a modest version of paradise. It also added another colorful touch to the trip since it belongs to the Chuquisaca Department, where Sucre - Bolivia’s capital - is. If looking briefly...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 23, 2011

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Agustin Morales Alvarez Bus Terminal

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Attraction | "Argenlivia"

Tarija's Bus Terminal Photo - Agustin Morales Alvarez Bus Terminal, Tarija, Bolivia

Quote:

Due to the circumstances of the trip, the bus terminal of Tarija became one of the main destinations along it. Oddly, its first sight revealed much of the town’s character. "It’s Jujuy’s terminal" was my first thought while looking at the low structure. It was the setup of the shops on one of its corners and their nature that caused the effect. Eventually, the whole town displayed a mixed Bolivian-Argentinean ambience. The terminal is located in an area called El Tejar (actually, a Spanish variation on the outdated "Texas") just south of the main avenue and about ten blocks from t...Read More

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on May 23, 2011

Agustin Morales Alvarez Bus Terminal
El Tejar
Tarija, Bolivia

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Plaza de Armas Luis de Fuentes y Vargas

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Attraction | "This is not Tarija!"

Plaza de Armas Luis de Fuentes y Vargas Photo - Plaza de Armas Luis de Fuentes y Vargas, Tarija, Bolivia

Quote:

The map said "Plaza de Armas Luis de Fuentes y Vargas" (Weapons’ Plaza Luis de Fuentes y Vargas). It was the first time I saw the term "weapons’ plaza" used for naming the central plaza in a Bolivian town, though that's a common practice in many parts of this belligerent continent. Yet could Tarija be so different from mainstream Bolivia? I went to Tarija’s bus terminal information office and asked about the Plaza de Armas. The attendant seemed surprised and referred to it as plaza central. The same happened with the taxi driver. Since these two were supposed to know the popular name of main attracti...Read More

The map said "Plaza de Armas Luis de Fuentes y Vargas" (Weapons’ Plaza Luis de Fuentes y Vargas). It was the first time I saw the term "weapons’ plaza" used for naming the central plaza in a Bolivian town, though that's a common practice in many parts of this belligerent continent. Yet could Tarija be so different from mainstream Bolivia? I went to Tarija’s bus terminal information office and asked about the Plaza de Armas. The attendant seemed surprised and referred to it as plaza central. The same happened with the taxi driver. Since these two were supposed to know the popular name of main attractions I concluded after all Tarija wasn't so badly a warmonger. Tarija’s denizens being famous even among laidback Bolivians as being laidback people, that would have been strange.

Minutes later, at the plaza, the first thing I did was look at the dedication plate, they always put one. Attached to a solid column, it was easy to find. Unexpectedly I found this wasn’t Tarija, but Villa de San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa; many of the cities founded by the Spaniards feature very long names. This one also indicates it was founded a very long time ago since instead of "j" it uses "x" for Tarija. This change causes also the different pronunciation of "Mexico" by Mexicans and Americans (by the way none of them is right, the original Nahuatl is better transliterated as "Meshico," but the conquistadores Spanish had no "sh" sound). The long-named town was founded here on July 4, 1574 and since then heated debates are constantly held about the shortening of the name.

Once the excitement of having found myself on the wrong place was over, I took a long look around. To some extent it was the archetypal Spanish central plaza: rectangular with paths and gardens sharing the inner space and the town’s main institutions surrounding it. Yet, here there was something else. I had arrived at what was supposed to be the siesta time of the locals. They are famous for it. They were supposed to be asleep, yet the plaza was packed. More often than not, I try to take pictures of attractions without people obstructing them. Here that wasn’t possible. Another issue was the light. Downtown Tarija is just above 1800m above the sea level. The vast majority of humanity lives below that altitude, yet, in Bolivia it’s one of the lowest departments’ capital towns. So low, that I didn’t expect the altitude radiation to pose any problems. Yet, the sun was fierce.

Luckily, the sights were pretty standard. Spanish warriors posing for forgotten glories, a fountain which actually functioned, the foundation sign and plenty of greenery; all of them were blocked by a vast crowd. Walking slowly along the perimeter I managed to find a few interesting sights. A gorgeous pavilion, photographers using equipment from the late 19th century (the whole of South America seems to be culturally stuck in that period), and outsized pottery serving base to pretty flowers. Surrounding the plaza, the expected colonial buildings were well restored and painted in bright colors. The red and white flag of Tarija could be seen, the Bolivian one was nowhere to be seen.

"After all, not so bad," I told myself and thought of having a coffee; timing and setup being perfect for that. I couldn’t find a good one at the plaza; instead I decided visiting the central market. It was just two blocks of there...
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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 23, 2011

Plaza de Armas Luis de Fuentes y Vargas
La Madrid Corner Sucre
Tarija, Bolivia

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Mercado Central (Central Market)

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Bitter Bolivia"

Central Market Photo - Mercado Central (Central Market), Tarija, Bolivia

Quote:

The central plaza was behind me; only two blocks separated it from the city’s central market. Along the way I spotted a nice hotel and entered to check it out. The sumptuous lobby hid rooms with windows facing the staircase; I left through the window and found myself facing the market. A low structure which looked strangely orderly for a Bolivian market; you could even walk on the adjacent sidewalk. Snubbing the row of stalls by the entrance – a wise attitude as I was soon to find – I entered into the large inner space.In terms of its La Paz counterparts, this market was wasted space. You...Read More

The central plaza was behind me; only two blocks separated it from the city’s central market. Along the way I spotted a nice hotel and entered to check it out. The sumptuous lobby hid rooms with windows facing the staircase; I left through the window and found myself facing the market. A low structure which looked strangely orderly for a Bolivian market; you could even walk on the adjacent sidewalk. Snubbing the row of stalls by the entrance – a wise attitude as I was soon to find – I entered into the large inner space.

In terms of its La Paz counterparts, this market was wasted space. You could see the floor and even the shops at the other side of the structure; luxurious by all means. Wild dogs roaming the place reminded me I was still in Bolivia. Most of the space was occupied by shops selling raw products that by nature are of little interest for the traveler. I wanted to see the local food. What do they eat? In an adjacent room where concentrated all the food stalls. They featured signs saying what the day’s specials were. I was unlucky. Everything was ordinary Bolivian food. Recently, I had announced my quest to review the entire Bolivian cuisine was unachievable. I beg the readers not to send emails requesting its proper end since I won’t consume fried excrements. Seeing the choices in this market, another reason for the quest’s end became also evident: I have already covered most of this cuisine. I was about to leave – I had to find a room for tonight – when I saw a sign "arvejado" – peas’ stew -a dish I had heard of but never seen.

These type of market dishes are composed on the spot from ingredients kept hot in various pots. This dish was made primarily of a peas stew (peas with French fries to be exact) and rice. A fried egg and tomato chunks pretty much completed it. The stew was interesting, the rice - as almost always here – had been tortured to death, it was over-boiled and broken. There was another point of great interest; the local "llajua" was pretty different than in the rest of Bolivia. A hot sauce made of aji chilies, tomatoes and water – occasionally quirquiña leaves are added – llajua is ubiquitous in Bolivia. Here, fried onions had been added and the tomato was scarce; it was more a paste than the watery sauce llajua usually is. It was excellent and well worth the delay and maybe the entire trip.

Happy go lucky, I left the market, not before finding the choice of products and their price were pretty similar to the situation in most of Bolivia. Then I remembered the coffee. Also here I haven’t seen a shop. I was standing at the entrance of the market and something got my attention at the adjacent candy stalls. An unknown entity.

"What’s that?" I asked, again deep in my quest.

"Dulce de leche and coconut candies," I was told. "Dulce de leche" (this is the Argentinean term, it is known as "manjar" in the rest of Bolivia and Peru) is a sweet made of milk and sugar. The result resembled brown marshmallows covered with coconut. It was worth a try. I bought a little bag and put a candy into my mouth. Two new foods in one day!

The texture was soft, the flavor unclear, then I gave a small bit into the soft entity and my mouth was filled with the bitterest taste on earth. Luckily, a trash bin was nearby. I don’t know what happened there, but it is worth mentioning never to eat food which is not industrially packed or prepared in front of your eyes; local newspapers are full of stories of those who behaved differently.
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Member Rating 1 out of 5 on May 23, 2011

Mercado Central (Central Market)
Bolivar Corner Sucre
Tarija, Bolivia

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