My Travel Diaries of
Bolivia
Summary
Currency: Boliviano
Capital: La Paz/Sucre
Dink like a local: Chicha (fermented corn drink)
Special Facts:
- The Bolivian police are incredibly corrupt. The country is full of checkpoints where officials collect their own “fees”.
- Bolivia is the only country in the world that has two capitals: La Paz and Sucre
- The coca producer lobby is extremely powerful and will shut down the country if there are laws they don’t like.
- Petrol and diesel are three times more expensive for foreigners. However, there is little problem in obtaining a national ID from a Bolivian in order to avoid this price difference.
- Nature is ruthlessly plundered in the country. The clearing of the rainforest is actually punishable by law, but everyone does it and the police do nothing because they are corrupt.
- Today’s Bolivia is the birthplace of the Incas. The Isla del Sol and the Isla de la Luna are considered the legendary cradles of the Inca culture and are located on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca.
- Part of the Andean culture are the women with the long skirts and the round hats: the cholitas! In La Paz you can get to know these women from a completely different side, namely fighting each other in the ring!
- The infamous Death Road climbs 10,000 feet from the jungle to the top of the Andean Altiplano.
Language
Without Spanish you are in a fix in the country. Even in the big cities and the tourist strongholds you hardly find people who speak English. But many people still speak the Quechua of the Incas. The most important vocabulary is:
- Guten Tag – Buenos dias
- Hallo – Hola
- Prost – Salud
- Du bist verrückt – Eres loco
- Ich bin wahnsinnig verliebt – Estoy camote
- Ich trinke (Alkohol) – Chupo
- Einen Kater haben – Ch’aqui
- Idiot – Cojudo
- Super! – Qué chala!
Currency
In Peru you pay with a deeply inflationary boliviano. Of course you can pay bills with US dollars everywhere, but of course you will have to pay extra. It is best to always have enough cash with you, as card payment is rarely available.
My Lesson:
Bolivia is not for the faint of heart
Travel Diaries
Bolivia has many things in it. The country is very poor, corrupt, ruled by the coca lobby and in the process of destroying its unique nature. I really hope this stops soon. Because there is a lot to discover.
The Amazon rainforest with its biodiversity, the high Andes, the salt flats of Uyuni, the dry desert of Atacama and beautiful colonial-style cities such as Sucre characterize the image of Bolivia.
