Andean Flamingos (Phoenicopterus Andinus), Laguna Colorada, South West Bolivia, South America
We simply fell in love with Bolivia … We planned to stay four weeks and spent almost seven there, which forced us to completely change the route for the rest of the trip! We visited Copacabana & Lake Titicaca; La Paz; Rurrenabaque, Madidi National Park & La Pampa; Death Road & Coroico; Sucre; Potosi; Tupiza; Uyuni & the Southwest Loop to the Salar de Uyuni.
Discovering The Working Conditions Of The “Devil’s Miners”
The Mineros del Diabolo or “Devils’ Minors”, inside the Cerro Rico, “The mountain that eats men alive”, Potosi, Bolivia, South America
Already in 1545, the Spanish were aware of the enormous wealth inside of Cerro Rico and forced thousands of Indigenous to work in the mines extracting the huge deposits of silver. To increase production, the “Ley de Mita” was passed that forced Indigenous and later African slaves to work 16 hour shifts. They were kept underground for 4 months. The working conditions were beyond description and an estimated 8 to 10 million died of the forced labor over the three century of Spanish rule! Continue Reading →
The Laguna Colorada, Southwest Bolivia, South America
The so-called “Salar de Uyuni” tour actually covers a much larger area than the Salar de Uyuni itself … On a four day tour, we only spent half a day in the Salar de Uyuni, the biggest salt lake in the world. Truly, this is the highlight of the tour. But nevertheless, the other 3.5 days took us through absolutely amazing sceneries. Continue Reading →
Traditional “Indigenous” Sunday Market in Tarabuco, Bolivia, South America
Tarabuco is a village about 65 kilometers from Sucre, known for its highly developed weaving techniques and quality textiles and especially for its very genuine “Indigenous” Sunday market. We decided to book a tour, which actually was only a bus provided to take the “Gringos” the 1.5 hour from Sucre to Tarabuco and back for 25 Bolivianos or 3.2 USD. Continue Reading →
La Carratera de la Muerte or Death Road, going down from 4.650 meter to 1.250 Meter in only 64 Kilometer, between La Paz & Coroico, Bolivia
Most people may have heard of this road which starts in La Paz descending 3.450 meters down into the Yungas, within only 64km. Only until you see it for yourself, does the name “Death Road” sound extreme. It is an unpaved gravel road that was wedged out of the mountain in the 1930s by Paraguayan prisoners of war. Continue Reading →
Laguna Colorada, South West Bolivia, South America
We simply fell in love with Bolivia … We planned to stay four weeks and spent almost seven there, which forced us to completely change the route for the rest of the trip! Continue Reading →
Many tourists and locals use hammocks to escape the incredible afternoon heat, while pool addicts like us dish out the 20 Bolivanos or 2 Euros to use the swimming pool at the Hotel Ambaibo, Rurrenabaque
Bolivia is a cheap country, surely the cheapest we have ever been. But instead of saving, we rather decided to significantly upgrade our standard of living for the time we spent there: we chose more comfortable hotels, always with heating on the Altiplano and with a much higher level of comfort; we did not bother to cook and hardly ever frequented cheap food stalls but more often pleasant, even at times fancy restaurants; we booked many tours and chose the more expensive ones to optimize our comfort and experience; … Continue Reading →
The Cerro Rico, “The mountain that eats men alive”, Potosi, Bolivia, South America
After 10 days traveling on our own, Heidi studying Spanish in Sucre and Gilles discovering the South of Bolivia, we met as planed on Wednesday, November 21st in Potosí, the highest city in the world at 4.070 meters. Continue Reading →
Near Huaca Huanusca: here died “Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid”, South West Bolivia, South America
“Kid, the next time I say let’s go to someplace like Bolivia, let’s go to someplace like Bolivia”, Paul Newman to Robert Redford in the film Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. There starts a legend! The outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker and Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, better known as Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, came to southern Bolivia in August 1908 and started robbing banks there. But they soon learned of a far more interesting target: the payroll of a mine-company, 480.000 USD, was to be transported by mule from Tupiza to Quechisla, and poorly guarded at that! Continue Reading →
The Salar de Uyuni, the biggest Salt Lake in the world, as big as half of Switzerland! Southwest Bolivia, South America
The Salar de Uyuni or salt flats near the small town of Uyuni are surely one of the highlights when visiting Bolivia, if not South America. At 3.653 meters, with a surface of 12.106 square kilometers, this is the largest salt lake in the world. It covers as much as half of Switzerland! It is 40 meters deep in its centers and the most fascinating fact is that this salt lake grows every year: 2 to 3 centimeters in depth and also in surface. Continue Reading →
