BOLIVIA
Copacabana
La Paz
Potosi
Santa Cruz
Sucre
Copacabana
Lisa Taschenberger (4/01)
*Hostal Cupula - double room $24. Great view, nice
rooms, restaurant, movies every night, kitchen to cook in.
Leslie and I rated this our Favorite Accommodation of the entire
trip!
John Johnson
What a nice little town in a majestic, accessible setting!
The smell of raw sewage as you get off the bus is a little off-putting,
but don't be put off. It's a good base for trips to Isla del
Sol and beyond, mountain biking, trekking, and plenty of handicrafts.
Pack air with you, as the O2 found there is rather thin at 4,000
meters. La Cupula is the place to stay if you don't mind
a short climb on rough city streets. Very reasonable prices,
good vegetarian food, bizarre décor, friendly service,
and low prices. http://www.andeantravelweb.com/bolivia/hotels/copacabana/lacupula.asp
That said, we didn't stay there! With our elderly companions,
we opted for the more up-market Rosario del Lago http://travelperubolivia.com/rosariohotels/index.htm
Very comfortable, good food, friendly (the desk clerk helped us
arrange a private boat to Isla del Sol at a reasonable price),
but without the charm (and climb) of La Cupula.
La Paz
Bette Vote (3/02)
La Paz, Bolivia, is a short one hour and 40-minute flight from
Lima. It sits in a spectacular setting. My entrance
was even more dramatic as the riot police were out in full force,
uniform, and armament preparing for a possibly ugly demonstration.
Occasionally the campesinos blockade roads, but I never experienced
anything to cause any concern.
I stayed at the Hotel Presidente, which calls itself the
world's highest 5-star hotel. It is hardly a budget traveler's
first choice, but my 10th floor room provided a fabulous view
as well as great comfort, security, and a breakfast buffet that
fueled the uphill climbs. (Sooner or later, every trip in
La Paz involves an uphill climb, and at 3,632, some huffing and
puffing.)
For artensania shopping, head for Sagaranaga Street.
A side street leads to a tiny, upstairs Museo del Arte Textil,
featuring old weavings, and to the Museo de Coca, a cubby-hole
museum devoted to the coca leaf. A visit involves standing
in front of some not terribly exciting displays while reading
from a frayed notebook of English translations, including a few
rather biased comments. The nearby Angelo
Colonia is a cheap and rustic stop for lunch. You'll
know you're there when you see the big white dog on a long leash.
The cathedral and Plaza Pedro D. Murrilo are worth
a visit, but I found the iglesia San Francisco dark and gloomy.
I was there during Carnaval when museums were shut for several
days so everyone can go out and throw water at each other.
In February Bolivia is green and beautiful because of the rainy
season. That's the good news. The really good news
is that I got out of La Paz just three days before their devastating,
killer floods.
Lisa Taschenberger (4/01)
*Residencial rosario - Calle Illampu - double room = $30
(without breakfast-- $36 with breakfast) HOT showers! Close
to markets.
*Saramaga Fruit restaurant - Excellent
fruit and salads, good music, comfortable atmosphere.
*Mongo's restaurant - You'll have
to ask anyone where it is, but everyone knows it. It's a
great place for a warm fireplace, good hamburgers, and an excellent
place to meet other travelers and fun people.
John Johnson
We stayed at the Hostal Republica http://www.angelfire.com/wv/hostalrepublica/
and found it a reasonably-priced venue for exploring this unique
city. The whole city is a swamp with street markets of various
sorts, but one not often mentioned in guidebooks is the district
where hardware "ferreterias" are located - browse the tools and
other implements, and pick up that drain trap you've been hunting
for.
Potosi
Bette Vote (3/02)
Potosi is a good day, or one-night trip from Sucre. Accommodations
appear somewhat basic, and it's not an especially pretty city.
However, the "rich hill of Potosi" is historically important,
having supplied great wealth to Spain for hundreds of years at
the cost of millions of indigenous workers. Mine tours are
available, but probably not advisable for anyone mildly claustrophobic.
I gave it a miss. Just being in the "miner's market" near
the mine is depressing enough.
Recommended sights: The Museo and Convento de Santa
Teresa has been beautifully restored by a highly-talented
nun/architect. The Casa Real de la Moneda (mint)
where silver was turned into coins will fascinate people who love
machines. There are places you can climb for a view, but
Potosi is at 4090 meters.
A beautiful new airport sits adjacent to the old, but no flights
go to Potosi (except when the president decides to pay a call).
It's not the only "white elephant" in the area, built at considerable
expense and then never used.
The cheapest way (other than hitching? hiking? biking?) to get
to Potosi is by bus. You could probably also hire a regular,
Sucre taxi driver. (You might want to make sure all the
car parts are firmly attached to each other.) The road is
good, but there *are* accidents. A luxury-loving wimp, I
hired a late-model van, driver, and English-speaking guide (Lizbeth
Rojas) for the day for $80. It was worth every penny, as
the trip was safe and comfortable and my companion was enjoyable
and informative.
Santa Cruz
Jackie Petrosky (08/01)
Bolivia is a fascinating country, and like Peru, can boast of
many different, intriguing regions. If you desire a combination
of jungle, lowlands, and sierra, try going to Santa Cruz and using
it as a base for your excursions. Aerocontinente flys twice
a week to Santa Cruz, around $272 roundtrip. The taxi from
the airport to the center of the city is about 30 bolivianos.
The exchange rate is about 5.5 bolivianos to 1 U.S. dollar.
Hotel de la Sierra is located on Salvatierra 474; (00591-3)342566;
$25 single breakfast included. You can visit the plaza,
the main cathedral, and artesenia shops. The Museo de
Arte contains only 1 room with only modern art; admission
free. The Museo de la Carnaval is not at the location stated
in a recent guidebook; if you find it, pass on the address!
Restaurant Vegetariano Buffet, Calle
Pari 228, has good, reasonable lunches, cafeteria-style.
At Chuy, you can order pollo, pescado
frito, yucca frita, Coca-Cola, and Ducal, one of the local Bolivian
beers.
Excursions: Parque Amboro (jungle, lowlands, and
sierra). Take a taxi to Buena Vista, 1 ? hrs. from Santa
Cruz. Hotel Flora and Fauna (591-1-943706) offers
hiking, birdwatching, monkeys, butterflies, and stargazing.
The owner is named Robin who can entertain you with stories of
his life in Africa, Europe, and South America. Group rates
are better than single rates (over $100 a night for complete outdoor/meal/room
package). Next, spend a whole day visiting Samaipata,
where there is a pre-Incan site named El Fuerte,
in the sierra, 3 hrs. from Santa Cruz. Good restaurant,
El Descanso en Las Alturas; $4 museum
in town; souvenir shopping. The local travel agency, Explora
and Aventura, (5913)45-2773, rnav-gbadrutt@cotas.com.bo
can make your trip more comfortable and secure yet costlier; they
only accept American Express. 6 hours from Santa Cruz are
the Jesuit Missions like San Jose de Chiquitos and
towns through which Che Guevara passed.
Good travel agent to work with here in Lima is Tullio Sanchez,
Ayllu Viajes y Turismo, Chiclayo 562-B, Miraflores (near Angamos
and Espinard/Ovalo Gutierrez), 445-9639, aylluviajt@amauta.rcp.net.pe.
Sucre
Bette Vote (3/02)
Sucre is a nice, laid-back city (except during Carnaval, and
even then it's small town compared to the glitzier destinations)
in a beautiful setting. I stayed at the Hotel Real Audencia,
the only place, I was told, that had a pool if that is important
to you. For $40 a night I had a huge room, but I was told
the Hostal de Su Merced is even nicer and cheaper.
Highly recommended places to visit:
1) The cathedral and adjacent museum. The
guide spoke only Spanish, but so clearly and slowly that I was
able to understand much of what she said. Some beautiful
silver and gemstone pieces are on display.
2) The university museums on Bolivar street.
(Archaelogy, anthropology, colonia art and furniture, and modern
art)
3) Casa de la Libertad for Bolivian history
4) La Glorieta on the outskirts of Sucre is a "castle"
built by some self-proclaimed "royal" around, I think, the turn
of the century. It's a hodgepodge of architectural styles.
Don't assume it will be open. It wasn't when I went.
Other places of moderate interest: Museum and Convent
of Santa Clara and Dr. Alfredo Valenzuela Museum.
The Museo de la Recoleta was closed for Carnval, but the view
from the top of the hill is nice.
In Sucre I made arrangements for a day trip to Potosi
through Lizbeth Rojas of Candelaria Tours (her mother owns the
company.) I highly recommend this company; English is spoken
by some of the workers; and they are friendly, competent and helpful
E-mail: catur@mata.scr.enteinet.bo
Lisa Taschenberger (4/01)
*Grand Hotel -- is not all that grand..... double room
+ $17.50; some rooms (ours did) smell like sewage; 1/2 block from
the plaza. But it has cable TV in most rooms. Old
hacienda style hotel.
*Hotel Sucre - $22.00 double, TV (no cable), beautiful
garden.
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