Still in Sucre

One of the most popular songs in Bolivia right now is called Bailan Rochas y Chetas, it's so catchy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7GoofKA2VA

The band is called Nene Malo and I randomly walked into a concert they were giving on a rooftop club. Good night!

Sucre is the tiny capital city of Bolivia. There are not that many people here, only about 300,000. The city is very walkable but also very lovely. It is another white city that I've encountered here on my travels. It seems that every country has one. This city isn't done in the colonial architectural style but is a mix of styles resulting from the money that came out of the silver mines from the city of Potosi a few hours away.

I took a taxi up to the mirador to check out the view of the city. It was fantastic, check out the video above. Sucre literally is the white city. All of the buildings are painted white with orange tiles on the roofs. I think one of the best pictures I've taken so far is this one below where I captured some kids playing soccer at the top of this mountain in the Bolivian capital. It was cool to just watch them go at it with such intensity. It's not just kids either, when I've watched grown men play, they go at it just as hard. You can see the hallway with all those arches in the background, that's the main lookout spot.

After this, I headed to the cemetery. A lot of Bolivia's past presidents and richest families are buried here. There are massive family tombs where these families have laid their dead to rest since the 1800s. There is a beautifully manicured garden and entranceway in the front. This is where Bolivia's richest are buried. As in real life, the further in you go, the less cared-for it is, and there are just massive graves for the less affluent people of Sucre. There is one spot where they didn't even leave spaces between the people who are buried, the markers are all clustered together.

Beautiful landscaping

Family tombs

Stacked tombs for the middle class

Shared plots for the poorest

At night, they light up the centre with beautiful lights and the Bolivian Casa de la Libertad becomes a living monument to their struggle for independence. I really like how they've done it up, it's really nice. This place is the main historical centre of Bolivia holding their constitution and several other important documents from waaaay back. 

Below are just some more examples of the beauty of this city. Even though it gets freezing cold at night. I really like it here. Tomorrow I head to a castle and the Eiffel Tower. 

Sucre

As soon as I stepped off the plane, I knew I was in the right place. There was a cool breeze blowing and the sun was shining brightly. Perfect Spring weather. I love Spring weather.

I got to the hostel and within ten minutes of talking to the owner I was set up with Spanish classes for the next two weeks that will be cheaper than going to a school, but with a teacher who works at one of the best schools here. I went out for a walk and there was a rally race going on.

The race was happening on a pretty major street and people were just crossing in between these cars blazing by at 70-90kmph. Check out the videos.

So I stayed and watched the cars zip by. It was cool. There were lots of people out. Probably because the soccer season is over. I walked around the main square for a bit. The rally cars were parked all around the plaza and I found this guy selling chorizo. I had to buy some because I love chorizo, but nothing compares to the chorizo in Colombia. This was close though.

I like the vibe of this place. It seems really chilled out. I'm going to be calling this place home for at least the next two weeks. Taking classes and exploring. Hopefully I can update a little more often because this city has more to offer.

 This was the soccer game in Santa Cruz. Amazing atmosphere.

Santa Cruz

Hot. Hot. Heat.

Low humidity.

Thirsty all the time.

This is Santa Cruz. It's such a change from the mountain towns I've been in the last little while. I'm actually close to sea level and I don't get out of breath climbing a few steps. The jungle seems so long ago. I start with the complaints, but I actually enjoy the weather. The city shuts down for siesta time 12 to 2pm. The real party starts when the sun goes down. Lovers are out for strolls. Families go out for ice cream. Kids are playing in the streets. Vendors are packing up for the night. There is so much life in this city after the sun goes down. The highs easily hit 30+ everyday, and this is wintertime. Seasons are opposite in the southern hemisphere.

The square is very nice. There are old guys playing chess all day on the tables which have boards in them. There are families just enjoying the heat. There are lovers holding hands and making out. And there are people begging. Sometimes the harsh reality of life hits you when you see a little kid begging for some change or selling gum to make money. They probably don't want to be doing that, they have to, so their families can eat.

I went to a soccer game finally. It was only a two local Bolivian teams, but it was still pretty good. The visiting team won. I wanted to be in the stands with the home crowd, but I had inadvertently bought tickets in the visiting side. So I just cheered for the visiting team. I wore a white t-shirt, just to be safe. I didn't want to wear the wrong team's colour, haha.

While I was in a local market here with my friend and one other guy, some "policemen" stopped us and asked for our documents. I didn't really believe they were police because they weren't wearing the uniform. Their car was not marked in any way. They wouldn't show me their badges. And they just had t-shirts that said "Bolivia Interpol" on them. No way in hell were these guys real in my mind. So I started making a commotion and a scene. They wanted me to get in the back of the car. That's when I really started raising a fuss. They finally just let me go after asking when I came into the country. But seriously, that was scary. The sun was going down. There were 8 of them and 3 of us. It was not a good place to be. I've gotten complacent and a little too comfortable. This was an easy reminder to be on my toes. I'm off to the next town tomorrow. It's called Sucre and the weather should be more temperate and less tropical, which will be nice for me. I love spring weather. I'll also get to do some cheap Spanish lessons.

Hasta luego.

Cochabamba

The gastronomic capital of Bolivia.

There were a lot of food options in this city, but I didn't make it out to a lot of them. I was sick the whole time and didn't want to risk introducing anything unknown to my system. It was not a fun time internally.

But outside it was lovely. I was no longer in the cold mountaintop city of La Paz. I was in a pleasant valley in a town whose slogan is "the city of eternal spring". The hostel I was staying at was also extremely nice and not anywhere close to the town. It was on a ranch about 20 minutes outside of town. All around were mountains and clean fresh air and beautiful sunshine. It was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of a gigantic city.

There is a massive market in this city called La Cancha. There are so many beautiful textiles on offer here. I've seriously considered sending home a container and selling the items. They would easily sell. Scarves, purses, dresses, jewelry, knick-knacks and assorted odds and ends. They would sell themselves.

It was interesting to see the way this city values it's colonial architecture. It really doesn't. The plazas are all falling apart. The paint is peeling and the balconies are dilapidated. There are electric wires hanging up on the ceilings creating a real eyesore for pictures. I decided not to take any. It wasn't really worth it.

I've been flying all over this beautiful country. It is so cheap at approximately $50 for a 45 minute flight. The alternative to flying is a long 7-17 hour bus ride through mountain roads, depending on the location. The buses are very cheap at about $5 for the same destination as the flights. But I can't do that to myself. It's just so much easier to fly. High life!

Jesus

This city has a huge Jesus Christ statue at the top of a hill overlooking the city. There is a cable car that goes to the top, but of course, it wasn't working when I went there. On the last night, my stomach was finally capable of handling some foreign food and I went straight to the bbq houses. I had passed by a row of bbq places the first night I was in town and the smells were haunting my dreams the whole time. I ordered a rack of short ribs and a Coke. It was amazing. The best meat I've had in a while.