5/10: 21-Hours to Bolivia's Low-Cost Gems π π§π΄ π
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Following our adventurous spirit, we left Asuncion by bus towards Bolivia's most populous city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. We didn't know anything about Santa Cruz and we really had not particular reason to go there. We simply went there because it was kind of in the direction of other spots we wanted to visit.
This time, I was prepared for the coldest it could get. I had my ski merino underwear, winter hat, gloves, socks, and Patagonia jacket....I was ready! And of course as it normally happens when one is prepared, what you prepare for doesn't happen. To our surpise, this time, it was not cold at all. The air conditioning was barely working, and in multiple cases I even got pretty warm. Anyways, the ride was very tiring for me. 20+ hours in a bus is not fun... We only stopped twice β once for a random narcotics check and a second time at the border. I still wonder how big the fuel tank of this bus was to endure a 21-hour drive.
The moment we entered Bolivia, the jungle became even more dense and lush. Also, the villages became super poor. Like third-world poor. Looking at the poverty and borderline misery, I was wondering if we should spend much time in this country. We finally arrived at the bus station.
It was cloudy, dirty, poor and drizzling. I was wondering what the hell were we doing there... Our Uber finally arrived and took us to downtown Santa Cruz, which looked just a little bit better. Fortunately, the place where we stayed was clean and reasonably nice.
We went out to see the city center, where we saw some more poverty, along with a very nice city square where the a large church and a lush park.
This was really the only beautiful and overall pleasant area in central Santa Cruz. As we went to exchange USD to BOB (Bolivian pesos) we faced a typical tragic reality of third world countries. The local BOB currency is traded at two conversion rates: the official rate and the real rate :) Of course the official rate was 30% worse than the real rate.
[!Warning!!!] How to save 30% on your trip to Bolivia! Using your Revolut, Wise or any other bank card would automatically convert your USD or EUR at the official rate (essentially you paying 30% more for everything). So if you want to save on your Bolivian travel, bring USD in cash and exchange it locally for BOBs ;)
The nice weather, the supremely delicious strawberries, good steaks, latin dance clubs, and a few new acquaintances kept us in Santa Cruz for a week. We liked it :)
While not a particularly impressive city, I found Santa Cruz to be a pretty appealing destination due to its low cost, good weather and high quality services - especially in the Equipetrol neighbourhood, where all the expats are. If you are looking for a low-budget, high-quality place to live, Equipetrol in Santa Cruz is a place I recommend you to investigate.
There are regular direct flights from Madrid to Santa Cruz. And once you are there, you are only $60 and a 60-minute flight away from Bolivia's capital cities - La Paz or Sucre (yes, they have two capital cities...I know, it is weird).
2800 m: Getting high to Sucre - the white, secure, affordable, and beautiful city
The white city of Sucre secured a special place in my heart. Unlike the tropical hot Paraguay (in February/March), the warm Santa Cruz, Sucre's weather was just perfect for me:
- π€οΈπ pleasantly warm days
- ποΈβ¨ beautiful architecture
- πβοΈ brisk mornings thanks to the 2800 m altitude
- βπ½οΈπΈ some nice western cafes, restaurants and bars
- π₯π₯ποΈ amazing local market with super affordable fruit and vegetables
- πͺπΈπ£οΈ Spanish dialect that was very easy for me to understand
And last but not least, locals and internationals kept stressing how secure the city is. No crimes, no issues whatsoever. In all other Bolivia cities, things could get sketchy... especially if you go in the wrong areas at dark. But not in Sucre.
[! Absolute Gem!] If you want to escape expensive Europe and/or if you want to dive deep in a Spanish-speaking environment, Sucre is easily one of the cheapest, safest, and nicest places to do that. Don't trust me? Just google the cost of accommodation there :)
It is also kind of affordable and easy to reach by plane: Madrid -> Santa Cruz -> Sucre.
3700 m: for the most magical sunset at Salar Uyuni
From Sucre we took the bus to Potosi (a super ugly mining city in the desert where supposedly huge quantities of platinum have been mined). Then almost immediately took the next bus to Uyuni. Both of these buses sucked. They were dirty, slow, packed, and also very late. In general Bolivian buses suck a lot, but most of the times there was simply no alternative trasportation.
After 8 hours of travel we arrived at the cold and super dusty Uyuni . Like very dusty! Normally I can't stand dust... But hey! We didn't come for Uyuni, we came to see the world's largest salt lake next to Uyuni. We instantly bumped into the countless travel agencies offering tours to the lake. We checked a few and booked the classic full day trip for the next day. Paid about 25 EUR per person, which included: a driver taking us to various sights around the lake in an oldish Toyota Land Cruiser from 10 AM till 7:30 PM (lunch included). I am sharing this so you understand how affordable everything is in Bolivia.
As we headed to our hotel, it got really cold. We had moved to 3700 meters altitude and temperatues easily dropped to 3-5Β°C during the night. In general, the weather was a weird mixture of cold and hot in the 3000 to 4000 meters range as we travelled in Bolivia and Peru. You could easily sweat like hell during the day. Then the moment the sun goes behind clouds, you need a sweater. And in the evening you need at least a good jacket and in some cases you might really enjoy merino underwear:)
All the shitty buses and the dust was worth the day at Salar Uyuni!
- Massive 10,000 square kilometers surface area
- Up to 50 meters depth of salt
- Unforgettable sunsets
- And SPA treatment for my bare feet :)
Walking with shoes at Salar Uyuni is like having sex with 5 condoms. You can absolutely do it, but it is just 100x nicer and more real drop the condoms and the shoes ;)
The following day, we were in a hurry to leave dusty Uyuni for our next destination: La Paz (Bolivia's second capital city). We did another long day of shitty traveling with local buses. But at least we got to experience some of the local idiosyncracies.
My favorites were the typical local ethnic babasitas :))) I found these ladies to be cute, hilarious, beautiful, and at the same time.
My companion, on the other hand, was especially impressed (and annoyed) with Bolivia's bus discovery methods. Unlike the modern part of the world, where we have a unified timetable listing all arriving & departing buses, in Bolivia (and Peru) there is no timetable. Instead, you have sales agents constantly screaming the destination they are selling tickets for. It was idiotic, annoying, but also very hilarious! Here is a small except for you to hear a lady casually shouting "Lima Lima Limaaaa":
3650 m in the hilariously ugly, yet scenic La Paz
I didn't like this city at all. However, I highly recommend visiting it to experience the extremes it offers:
- Hot days vs cold nights
- Obnoxiously dirty air in vs the expansive views to 6000 m mountain peaks
- The misery on the ground vs the squeaky clean Telefericos (the city's German-made network of public transport "ski" lifts connecting almost every neighbourhood). It is impressive how clear and well-maintained these lifts are. Much cleaner than most lifts in European ski resorts. All while there were not even cameras in many of the Teleferico lift cabins!!! It seemed people just have the culture to preserve this public good.
The way Bolivians treat the Teleferico network reminds me of my childhood - being pretty poor, having basic shitty items, and then once we got a shiny German toaster I would treat it like a precious item that needs preserving its outloook at all costs. So cool!
Anyways, if you ever visit La Paz, you absolutely must travel the whole city by the Teleferico lines. It will take you 3-5 hours. The tickets are dirt cheap (like 50 cents or something) and you will have a ton of fun and WOW moments observing the messiness of La Paz.
For the adventurous minded, you can also go on nearby breathtaking bike rides and 6000 meter peak climbs. Again all of this at very attractive prices compared to the developed part of the world.
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