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A quick, week-long trip to Bolivia took me through La Paz to Santa Cruz and the Cochabamba areas.
La Paz's elevation at nearly 12,000 ft. takes some getting used to, and after a long flight, I felt even more tired!
Santa Cruz de la Sierra is Bolivia's commercial center and the capital city of the Santa Cruz department. It stands on the Pirai River in the tropical lowlands east of the Andes Mountains. Founded by the Spanish in the 1500s, today it's a cosmopolitan hub with museums, restaurants, and nightclubs.
I spent most of my time in Cochabamba and the areas on the Paraguay and Brazilian borders. Cochabamba is known as the flower city it has several other distinctions. Noted for being one of the top coca-producing areas in the world, the cocaine industry flourishes here.
Cochabamba is located in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is also known as the "City of Eternal Spring" and "The Garden City" because of its spring-like temperatures all year round.
I also learned that many things are made from the Coca leaf. I witnessed numerous people chewing the leaf for pleasure as well as a treatment for altitude sickness ( Sorojche ). The city sits over 8000 ft above sea level, and after a short walk, I realized that I was not at sea level! I tried tea made from the Coca leaf as well as a local candy, suffering no ill effects from the experience!
Inspired by a visit from Pope John Paul II, Cristo de la Concordia dominates the skyline of Cochabamba. Once known as the largest outdoor statue of Christ it is located on the east hill looking over the city of Cochabamba. Yes, a bit larger than the one in Rio, due to the curls on the head rising just enough to pass the Rio statue in height. It is one of the city's major tourist attractions and can be seen from just about anywhere in the valley.
Shopping in Bolivia was a wonderful experience. It was quite easy to find the major markets in both Santa Cruz and Cochabamba. Cochabamba has three major markets that compete and make the prices just fabulous!
The most authentic shopping experience is in the market known as La Cancha. You can stroll through the markets and find the locals shopping for their meats, fruits, and vegetables as well as household needs and clothes. Alpaca, handcrafted or loomed is everywhere as is leather. I was able to fill a suitcase full of great treasures ranging from authentic masks to sweaters. The people wearing the traditional clothing of the region were numerous and colorful. Colorful blankets, wraps, hats, and assorted jewelry decorated the city! A great place to shop and people-watch. Do be careful here, though, it is known as a bit of a "rough" area and it would be wise to keep a close watch on your valuables.
What a fun afternoon visiting and shopping here! Although this was supposed to be a dangerous area, I never found myself concerned that I was a target or that something bad would happen. On the contrary, as with most of my adventures, the people here were friendly, helpful, and treated me well. There are good bargains to be had here, however the people know what they have and get their fair price. If I visit Cochabamba again I will visit and shop in the La Cancha market.
Lit by a simple light bulb, this corner of the market is where fresh meat was sold. Something was interesting about this dimly lit area that made me want to capture it.
The market was very busy and had many unique items. As I turned the corner here I came up upon a handwoven Alpaca wool table runner that I thought was beautiful. After some hard bargaining and haggling, I realized that this was handmade by the woman's mother, and I made a final offer that was fair and accepted. I am proud to own the handmade piece for my home.
As in many of the South American countries and cities, Carnival is a major holiday and event in Bolivia. I was fortunate enough to visit several shops in the city that made and sold real Carnival costumes and masks. This one is a real beauty. I purchased several masks to add to my collection while in Bolivia, but this one was simply too large to bring back. My only regret about the visit here. Perhaps next time.
I was able to find these locally made masks while wandering through Santa Cruz.
Click on the site menu above, "More" then scroll down to "Mask Collection" to see a description of both.
I had the opportunity to visit a rural camp near Charaqua where the local Guarani ethnic group was preparing the land for eventual migration to it.
The Guarani are a large ethnic population that ranges from Uruguay to Bolivia and has suffered for generations. They shared with me their story of being enslaved by the large landowners who recognized them as only slaves with no rights. The Bolivian government and constitution now recognize this plight and have made major changes to empower the Guarani. I had a wonderful and simple lunch with the group in their camp as we discussed their past and their hopes for the future.
West of this camp, near the village of La Higuera, is the site where Che Guevara was captured and executed by the Bolivian Army and the C.I.A. I found that this area is known as the Che Guevara trail as this is the area where he and his followers spent much time.
Love his hat... notice mine? This trip marked a significant moment for my hat. I had set a goal to wear this cap on the five continents where I work... well Bolivia served as the South America piece. Now, on all five continents, Africa, North America, Europe, Asia, and South America, I had worn and now, worn out this hat. As you can see, the hat was in pretty bad shape and has now been officially retired.
Stopping in Cochabamba proved to be a great decision. It is surrounded by dry mountains similar to the mountains that surround Las Vegas in Nevada. Unlike Nevada though the mild climate here makes you feel like you are in Southern California!
The cottage in the photo was all mine for the time I spent here. I could not have asked for a better place to stay. It was located just north of downtown and surrounded by a beautiful park-like atmosphere.
My home for the week at Cabanas Tolavi
The biggest Poinsettias I have ever seen grow here!
Early one morning on the road to the small camp we had an unfortunate incident that earned us the name "Zumbaburro" or "donkey stunner". During our drive as we were having a stimulating conversation about Bolivian politics, I caught, out of the corner of my eye, a large horse jumping a fence on the driver's side. I yelled at the driver to "watch out" and he quickly hit the brakes and swerved to the left.
Unfortunately, the road was wet and we were driving at around 60 mph. Able to slow down and avoid hitting the horse head-on we could not avoid hitting the rear section of the horse whose hind side flipped over the hood of the vehicle.
As you can see from the photo the vehicle was damaged pretty badly but if you look above the passenger side headlight you will see the horse suffered more. The horse died a few minutes later... a bad start to an otherwise wonderful day.
The visit to Bolivia was only one leg of a long journey. After spending time in Bolivia I had to fly to Uganda. A difficult trip that eventually took me to four continents in less than 48 hours! Leaving South America, I flew overnight back to the States for a stopover in Miami and was back in North America for the night. The next morning I boarded a flight to Amsterdam, now in Europe, with a short stopover and then off to Uganda... Africa. Over 34,000 miles round trip in a very short time.
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