We purchased the last two seats on the last tourist bus of the day into Bolivia – and at a 10 soles discount on the price just by asking (because clearly you should never accept the first price). I’d heard about many difficulties at the border, particularly for Americans – and the fact that we were the only nationality called out specifically by the bus driver, twice, to make sure we had our paperwork in order for the required visa, didn’t help. But we were pleasantly surprised to find it quite easy! Taking the tourist bus helped – they give you very specific instructions and wait (they really do wait) for all passengers to successfully cross over. The Bolivian officials even joked with us as we shelled over $135 (an exorbitant amount of money in Bolivia) for visa fees. And an hour later we were in the lakeside town of Copacabana, Bolivia – and promptly bought a few beers to celebrate making it through this long day.
Forgetting the time change, we missed the morning boat to Isla del Sol – but, as often happens while traveling, it was a worthwhile mistake – allowing us to explore what turned out to be a fairly charming little city. After lunch we made the afternoon boat, a cramped 3 hour ride that got us there just in time to hike from the north to the south side of the island, a 4 hour trek, before dark. And what an amazing hike it was – with absolutely breathtaking views. There were few other people on the island, and most did the trek in the morning, so we only shared the trail with a few sheep herders. And arrived just in time to enjoy a bottle of wine and watch one of the most amazing sunsets that I have ever seen.
Completely impressed with what I had seen of Bolivia so far, we caught a bus down to La Paz the next day. I went back and forth from being absolutely terrified of the steep drop-offs, to mesmerized by the beautiful views. And this only continued as we entered La Paz. Despite it’s dangerous and rundown reputation (which I am not denying to be true), I was entirely surprised by how much I liked La Paz! The city sits inside steep cliffs, filled with beautiful architecture and a lot of character. I only stayed one night, but look forward to returning later in my trip as I make my way back up north to Peru.
The next day I flew to Santa Cruz, a city on the eastern end of the country, to meet up with Mariana – a good friend from DC who grew up there. She was in town for just a week on vacation, and kindly extended an offer for me to stay with her family. The opportunity to see a good friend, and experience a city with locals, was too good to pass up. I was immediately struck by the differences between eastern and western Bolivia. Unlike La Paz, Santa Cruz is at a much lower altitude, flat, and filled with palm trees. Except for a few immigrants form the west, you don’t see any indigenous women in the long braids and pleated skirts that are common in Peru and La Paz – and the local speak Spanish like Argentinians, setting me back significantly in my comprehension skills.
In Santa Cruz I had the opportunity to meet Mariana’s wonderful family, explore the city, and experience the best of Santa Cruz clubs – followed by a late night burger of chicken hearts – something I was very much looking forward to after my discovery of anticuchos in Peru! I visited Nelore, a farm owned by good family friends, and spent a couple days in the beautiful mountain town of Samiapata, a few hours from the city. I would have more to say about Samiapata, but alas I was there during two of only about 7 days a year that it rains, spoiling many of the best sights and activities there. And most of all, I ate incredibly well!
My whirlwind week was a great introduction to Bolivia. I decided to immediately fly to Buenos Aires, to catch the tail end of warm summer weather and avoid the rest of the rainy season farther north, but very much look forward to returning to Bolivia later on in my trip.
