Bolivia Email

A photo copy of my passport, $135usd, a small green sticker, and a fresh stamp on my passport and i stumbled into Bolivia after 44 days in Argentina. Similar to many boarders i have crossed in the past year, life on the other side is a world of difference, a difference i was welcoming for some time. the beauty of Patagonia, the chance to visit a penguin colony of nearly a million, the opportunity to explore the most southern tip of the continent, and the pleasure of sipping some great Malbec wines and relaxing in the country side was not a bore, but a change was more than welcome.

The streets were dusty and covered in dirt, the women were dressed in thin soled shoes with a nice little 1/2 inch heel, pleaded skirts, layered woolen sweaters, a "bowler hat" sitting proud on top of their head, with the perceived mandatory Andean satchel strung across their backs woven in the bright color of pinks, reds, blues, and greens carrying anything from the local groceries to a new born baby. The men in their dark colored slacks and similarly woven thick woolen sweaters, their skin much darker, and stained by the high elevation and brutal strength of the high Andean sun. The integrated European roots which is ever so present in Argentina is nearly non existent as Bolivians seem to be shorter, wider, and fit to bear the hard life they have been dished out.

I booked the quickest bus out of Vilizon (the boarder town) I could, not because it didn´t hold Bolivian charm but because I was so excited to see what else this country had to offer. Each bus ride i was privileged with was yet another episode of National Geographic as i stared out the window at endlessly changing landscapes. Cactus studded parched earth, green river beds, canyons, lakes, salt lakes, salt flats, massive mountains, and glacier capped peaks. My naive perception of the Bolivia country side kept me plesantly surprised as each destination left me with another opportunity to be blown away with what this rural country has to offer.

The Solar del Uyuni, the worlds larges salt flats took my breath away. The town of Sucre was small but a lot of fun housing a fantastic food market minutes from my hostel, this was part of the town that i couldn´t get enough of, the new and exciting ingredients and the old women so willing to give you a taste of what they were offering, i loved it.

La Paz and it´s surroundings were a county in them selves, simply an area i couldn´t compare to any other i have visited. Set in a canyon, in the shadow of peaks screaming over 6,000 meter, holding a world famous prison (San Pedro), bursting with what i would consider one of the worlds largest water/foam fights (during Carnival), and offering the opportunity to bike down "the worlds most dangerous road," i had plenty to do and see here (more detail in the blog).

I finished Bolivia in typical Marc fashion... just relaxing. three hours outside La Paz just 30min. from the Peru boarder is the town of Copacabana and the island of the sun (Isla del Sol), a ancient Incan island with some pretty humble (forgettable) ruins. Staying in a rather basic accommodation perched high above the water, over looking the docks and set into the terraced hills, this was a beautiful way to relax after the madness of La Paz Carnival.

My vision of rural South America was far from fulfilled in my travels through Argentina, but the raw and constantly changing Bolivia country side was a sight i will never forget. Seventeen days seemed hardly enough to drink in the culture and landscape. Never having seen the Bolivian Amazon, not getting the opportunity to play and climb in the massive mountains of the Andes, i hope some day i get the chance to return.

Still in the Andes mountains and now in Peru my trip continues to bring me a closer to home. Even though i´m still a bit below the equator, central America is not too far away, and soon after Mexico and the USA.


Bolivian Photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/vaccaro.marc2424/MarcvaccaroBolivia?feat=directlink