23 Days in Bolivia - an Overview

Our stay in Bolivia was rather relaxing - we didn't hit too many cities or do a lot of activities. We had to deal with getting our transportation letter from the US embassy, which was needed to enter the US as our Green cards were stolen. This required a lot of documentation and as a result we spent a lot of time at internet cafes getting everything together (our laptop was stolen too).

Itinerary

- Booked three day Salar De Uyuni tour from San Pedro De Atacama. Cross the Bolivia border on day 1 and ended the tour at Uyuni, Bolivia on Day 3 after visiting the salt flats of Uyuni.

Tupiza

- Got the 2 AM train from Uyuni to Tupiza @ 71 Bs/perso. Stayed @ Tupiza for 3 nights. Did a jeep tour; a bicycle adventure trip and a horse riding trip. Used Tupiza Tours for Jeep tour, Alexander tours for the bicycle. Met with a fellow traveler we met way back in Salento and enjoyed a few hours with him.

- From Tupiza, took a but to Potosi, an old colonial city known for its silver mines. I didnt want to go exploring a mine, but Swami did. Really enjoyed walking around plaza major and market.

- Next stop, Sucre. Loved Sucre! Sucre is lower (2800 masl only!), the climate is warmer (relatively), the city is lovely and old and there is very good veg food to be found. The market is a treasure trove! We were in constant email contact with the US embassy and getting documents ready, so no sightseeing, only internet cafes. :D Split our stay between forrestero and hostal colon. Colon was so cute!

- From Sucre, boarded a very comfortable overnight bus to La Paz. Wandered around La Paz's hilly streets while awaiting our appointment at the US embassy. Once that got through, we headed out to Copacabana to spend some time at Lago Titicaca.

- Isla Del Sol, the island on Lake Titicaca can only be reached via boat from Copacabana. Spent a peaceful night there.

- It was back to La Paz where we started unwinding and getting ready for the trip back to California.

Highlights:

- Salar De Uyuni is not to be missed! Its an otherwordly experience out there on the Altiplano.

- Sucre is a beautiful town and one can easily spend a few days here.

- La Paz is a big, modern city, but there is so much to see and do. Just walk around town and maybe do a trek in the nearby mountains. The food is great and hotels are really cheap.

- Isla del sol is cold and really isolated. A great place to unwind or write, but the food leaves a lot to be desired, especially for veg folks.

- Bolivians are unfailingly polite. Everyone says por favor and gracias to EVERYONE, irrespective of social status. Even the cops are incredibly patient during traffic bottlenecks.

- No Hare Krishna restaurants anywhere in the country!

Check out:

- La Paz: plaza murillo and plaza san francisco

- Shop  @ calle sagarnaga and linares

- Calle mercadores just off plaza murillo

- For B 2.50, try api at Mercado Lanza. Dont miss - we only found this in Bolivia.

- Really tasty tofu sandwiches at Namaste Restaurant

- Hitch a ride on one of those shared van-taxis with barely any leg room.

- Museums in La Paz are really cheap and nice way to spend an afternoon.

- Cholita wrestling