Backpacking South America

We made a little visit to Copacabana, just for two days, in order to catch an early morning boat to Isla del Sol, where, according to the Incas, life began with the birth of the sun and the moon. It was both a very long bus ride to Copacabana and a seemingly longer boat ride across Lake Titicaca to the island for an afternoon. But, we made it.

Our trip to Copacabana happened to take 3 hours longer than we had anticipated because, apparently, there was a national celebration going on in this tiny little port town (one of the only naval bases in Bolivia) where we had to catch a little boat across the bay in order to continue on in our bus. It just so happened that this celebration lasted 3 hours and we were stuck in the hot intense sun at 14,000 feet above sea level.

So, there we sat on the dock, along with all the other tourists, waiting for a boat to take us across the bay (I think I could have swam faster than the amount of time it took for us to get across).

So life has certainly been an adventure for us over these past few months and I feel even more so since we arrived to Bolivia. We spent so much time in Argentina and Chile that it started to feel extremely comfortable and very familiar. Bolivia – well, that’s a whole new world.

Bolivia has been, in most ways, less developed. We have had a wonderful time visiting this country and getting a better understanding of this culture, but things don’t seem to be as simple or straightforward. Life is a bit harder here. One way that this is evident is that it always takes a little bit longer to get from point A to point B, mostly because there are very few paved roads. The roads are never straight because they pass through mountains and are made much more dangerous by the fact that they are about 1.5 car-widths wide. So going around any corner means risking your life.

Before entering this country, we heard so many different stories about the transportation system: it’s dangerous; don’t travel at night; people will try to steal from you; the buses break down for hours; they drive out of control; and just the other week there was a 4 day strike by bus drivers and truck drivers for the mere fact that new legislation had been passed that if they were stopped and found driving under the influence, their license would be revoked for life.

We had been pleasantly surprised by Bolivia in our first two weeks, but Sucre was truly a treat.

Bolivia is one of twelve countries in the world that has more than one capital city. La Paz is home to the administration while Sucre has the legislative and judicial branches. Besides that little factoid, Sucre is full of white, colonial buildings, giving the town a distinct European, colonial feel.

Also, it has a wide selection of delicious restaurants. Our favorite meal, however, was not traditional Bolivian food – though the saltenas at El Patio are amazing – but steaks at La Taverne, a French restaurant. This may be sacrilege, but I think the best steak dinner I’ve had in South America is not in Argentina, but in Bolivia… I cringe when I say this, but it’s true.

Argentina has the best beef, but in our experience (budget options), anytime they try to add anything, it actually depreciates the steak. What we had at La Taverne was phenomenal. The sauces were delicious. Suffice it to say, France got it down when it comes to sauces.

While visiting Cafayate, Argentina in October, we shared a delicious lunch that included two bottles of wine and picadas at a bodega with a British guy. The time flew by and fortunately, we remembered some of his recommendations. He told us about a cute little town in Bolivia, Tarija, which happens to be the center of their wine producing region. Did somebody say wine? But, in Bolivia? Really? When was the last time you had a Bolivian wine? Well, we had to see for ourselves.

So, after the Uyuni Salt Flat tour, we decided we needed a little wine and relaxation. So, we headed south for Tarija, this “little” city at the heart of a wine producing region. Little is a bit of an understatement. Tarija is a bit bigger than expected, about 120,000 people, but it definitely has a small town feel. The center of town is a bit hectic at times, but its plazas are clean and always full of people young and old passing the day (or night).

Tarija has been called the Andalucia of Bolivia and was once an independent republic before it joined Bolivia (rather than Argentina).

The must-do trip for nearly all travelers to Bolivia is Salar de Uyuni. We decided to explore the region with a 4-day jeep tour starting in Tupiza. Accompanying us were our driver, cook, a Swede and an Israeli. We loaded our gear up around 8:30am and were on the road shortly thereafter.

Our first day took us up to the altiplano and we stayed above 4000 meters for the rest of the trip. We drove up and down mountains, across open plains and through valleys. It was a beautiful landscape.

We stayed the night in a traditional house made of mud/clay walls. All electricity was provided by small solar panels in the central courtyard. Our room was a bit tight for 4 people, but we stayed warm and had the coolest sheets!

Our second day started a 4:30am. We were starting day one of laguna visits. Bolivia is rich in minerals, so when it rains, water collects in the low points, and with no escape path for the water, mineral rich lagunas are created. The more amazing part though is that the color of the lake depends on which minerals get trapped in the laguna.