Bolivia Journals

Back in Bethlehem-Bolivia

Best of IgoUgo

A travel journal to Bolivia by SeenThat

Foggy Day Photo - Bolivia, South America More Photos
Quote: Some journeys create more than a travelogue…

Reaching Bolivia

Best Of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Foggy Day Photo - Bolivia, South America
Quote:
Next day, with just over one hundred American dollars left in my wallet, I took a bus to the Pocitos–Yacuiba border cross. Later on I discovered this had been a lousy choice. This trip advanced on the lowlands surrounding the Andean High Plateau. Thus, the trip was long and inefficient; but worse than that, it was on the favorite path of drug smugglers. Crossing the border there was a slow and fastidious affair. An hour after the sunset, a Bolivian immigrations officer slowly explained to me how I could pay the entrance fee. I found then that the local currency was the "boliviano." This was a new name for me; silly as it looks, it gave me hopes of a new future. I slept that night in Yacuiba, the neare...Read More

Upwards

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Mt. Illampu Photo - Bolivia, South America
Quote:
This bus trip was long and complicated. Once we began climbing the narrow road to the Andean High Plateau—Altiplano in Spanish—it became a nightmare of stops. Stops for food, stops for police checks, stops for toilets, stops for fixing some pothole in the pressed earth below the bus; then there were stops when two vehicles coming from opposite directions needed to bypass each other. At least the high cliffs by the road held the promise of a quick end if we were to fall. In the small hours, we reached the plateau and from there the bus traveled faster, but it got so cold that ice formed on the inner side of the windows; the bus had no heating. The views were monotonous, with few indications of being in...Read More

Zombies

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Gran Poder 2012 - Rehearsal   Photo - Bolivia, South America
Quote:
At the hangar, the information booth was manned by a police officer; soon I would find them in every public building, often carrying large hunting guns."Where is the inexpensive guesthouses area?" I asked her with care. I still had difficulties pronouncing certain Spanish diphthongs."Go to Illampu Street; it’s nearby," she said handing me a photocopied map of the area. Later, I found she had sent me to a relatively expensive area, where international travelers made their informal headquarters.I left the hangar with my two backpacks; these few steps shifted my attention to the altitude issue. Walking here felt like running at sea level. I would need a few days walkin...Read More

Coffee and Coca

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Adobe Photo - Bolivia, South America
Quote:
"La Hoyada" (the hole)—as locals call La Paz—is almost entirely constructed of unsteady brick and adobe houses clinging to cliffs at the most unexpected and wild places, especially on the remote edges of the rim. Every year, houses fell down during the rainy season. Under these steep conditions, denizens tried walking around as little as possible. This was true also due to the violent reality; walking meant providing opportunities for an attack. I liked walking, and wasn’t ready to give up my daily exercise routines; yet, finding an easily accessible market where I would be able to eat near the dormitory was a sensible step.That wasn’t a difficult task. Central La Paz was one giant market ...Read More

Backpack

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The Face Photo - Bolivia, South America
Quote:
Holding my daypack with my left hand, I opened the door and left the building. Luis was waiting outside, with a posture reminiscent of a willing puppy. He was smiling and looking with interest at my small backpack."Let’s go," I said while making sure the door was locked.We began moving upwards and northwards along a slight slope. Luis moved in that slow pace that characterizes Bolivians; despite my not being totally acclimatized I could keep up with his pace easily. There was something wrong with his walk, but he was too close to me for me to analyze that properly. I would elucidate the secret of the Bolivian gait secret only a few days later, during the carnival. "...Read More

About the Writer

SeenThat

SeenThat
Tel Aviv, Israel

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