Oruro is a pretty gritty mining town but there's something about it that had some charm. Dani and I were keen to find somewhere close to the bus station to sleep as we knew we wanted to head off early the next morning. After checking out a few places we found Hotel Grand Bolivia about 2 blocks away. We were pleased to find they had double rooms for 110BS ($20.80 AUD/16 USD). After getting our key we realised we'd been given twin beds instead of a double. As we'd had a bad experience in Italy some years before, when demanding the room we'd asked for from the heavily religious owner, I made the decision just to lump the twin beds for the night and get a double in our next destination, as the Jesus paraphernalia in this place was fairly abundant. All ready to chalk this up to non acceptance Dani suddenly realised that she had asked for a "doble habitacione"... in Spanish this is a twin room and a "matrimonial" is actually a double. Since this mistake there have been no more twin beds. We walked back to the bus station to grab some food (multiple places laughed when I asked for vegetarian food) and then settled in for the night. Early the next morning we got up ready for what we assumed would be a pretty hateful journey. The first leg was a bus to La Paz costing 20BS ($3.80 AUD/2.90 USD) . We had already made the decision that we were going to arrive in La Paz and head straight to Coroico instead of stopping. The bus was a little slower than expected but as we'd got on the bus at 7.30am we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived in La Paz by 11am. The main bus terminal caters to all main destinations in Bolivia and international departures to Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Perù but is not where you catch transport to either the Amazon or smaller locations around La Paz. For Coroico we headed, by taxi (necessary despite what anyone else says... it's a 20 minute taxi ride uphill) to Terminal Terrestre Minasa (20BS/3.80 AUD/2.90 USD). I'm not sure when this terminal was established but all information both online and in travel guides say to head to Villa Fatima and that it is not a proper bus station. Either this information is no longer correct or this is an alternative, either way, there are multiple forms of transport leaving from here for Coroico as soon as they're full. Hopping into the next available minivan (35BS/5.65 AUD/4.35 USD) we were off within minutes of arriving at the terminal. The joy of being on our 3rd leg by 11.30 was quickly quashed once we started to descend down the hill. This road was completed in 2007 to replace the well-known Death Road but does still traverse the very steep mountains and has the sheer drops on the other side. Now those who know me (Riv) will know I'm not the best passenger at the best of the times, but I tell you, speeding down a mountainside at 120km in rain and mist that would occasionally clear to allow views of sheer drops, while overtaking on blind corners was enough to make anyone (except apparently my wife) uncomfortable. It was like a 2 hour rollercoaster that you couldn't get off. Im not sure which part of the journey it was exactly, but at some point we hit a bump and I burst into tears. Crying solidly for the rest of the journey was certainly not a highlight and I felt sorry for the kind gentleman who was sat next to the snivelling snotty gringo. Coroico was lucky that it made up for the horrific journey by being absolutely stunning and worth the terror. Just a quick tip if your a scaredy cat like me...take the larger minibuses rather that the minivans as they descend slower. Our plan in Coroico was to chill for a few days as we had been traveling around Bolivia at a slightly faster pace than usual and despite adoring our new found "travel kids" they were 22 and sometimes we just couldn't keep up with their energy. The perfect spot for this was the guesthouse we found, Hostal Balcon Danny (100BS/18.90 AUD/14.55 USD for a double room). The hostel is on the side of the mountain about 100 metres up from the bus station. This is slightly further out of town than other guesthouses but this means that it has a completely uninterrupted views of the cloud forest and you avoid having to climb the epic hill up into the centre of town with you bags! We spent the afternoon perusing the market and grabbing some delicious market food for dinner. This included the amazing humidas (a South American staple) which are a slightly sweet cornbread steamed in cornhusks. These we discovered are delicious with avocado and tomato... South Americans may think we're heathens for that but I'm telling you these gringos loved the combination. We decided the next day we would look in to the La Senda Verde wildlife refuge that was a small distance away from Coroico. Checking with a tour company in town it turns out that this must be booked online. As our hostel did not have any wifi (nor do many others in town we understand) we checked out the Internet cafe. It cost us 3BS ($0.55 AUD/0.45 USD) for an hour of dialup speed internet to establish that should you want to visit the refuge for an overnight visit this should be arranged before arriving in Coroico. You could always take the risk and just show up but it could be a very expensive round trip if they are full. As we weren't able to have any communication with them outside of our hour at the cafe we decided that costing it up it wasn't worth the price. The 45 minute tour of the refuge was 100BS ($18.90 AUD/14.55 USD) and the cheapest overnight was 320BS ($60.45 AUD/46.50 USD) for a double room, which did not include a visit to the bears (that would be an extra 30 \BS/5.65 AUD/4.35 USD) or an evening meal which would cost 50BS ($9.45 AUD/7.25 USD) (you can't bring in your own food and you aren't near anywhere to eat). These prices seem pretty unreasonable when you consider that Uyuni had only cost 300BS ($56.70 AUD/43.60 USD) for 2 nights accommodation and a tour. With that decided we settled into a brilliant day of doing nothing. We were happy to wile away a few days here but our hostel owner had other plans. It turned out that he was going to be shutting the guesthouse the next day and we'd have to be out by 9am. Facing the decision of packing up to move hostels or just moving on to our next destination was a hard one. In the end we decided that we would be doing an equally as complicated journey to Copacabana the next day. As much as there is very little to do in Coroico it is a beautiful place to relax so it was with sadness that we left out lovely spot the next morning at 7.30am and headed back to La Paz (minivan was 30BS on the return to La Paz). Now despite the fact that the driver on the return journey must have been going at a similar pace to his counterpart the journey back felt much gentler. Taking only 2 hours we were back in the outskirts of La Paz and quickly hailed a taxi and which got us back at the main bus station by 10am. The final leg saw us on another bus (30BS) to Copacabana by 10.30. This price does not include the slightly unusual ferry crossing at San Pedro to San Pablo (which takes about 15mins) before reaching Copacabana. This costs 2BS and involves you getting off the bus walking to the ticket booth, getting on a small passenger ferry, being taken across to San Pablo and then waiting for the bus to be brought across on what appear to be a little engine-powered floating platform. Also if you're into whitebait you can buy a cheap snack of these on the way for 10BS. On arrival to Copacabana we were extremely lucky that the first guesthouse Dani checked out happened to be perfect. The Hostal Colonial (80BS for what was essentially a triple room) right by the bus station was pure luxury. Not only did our room have a beautiful view of Lake Titicaca but we had an extra bed, private bathroom, hot water, towels, a light breakfast and above all else...toilet paper included. Those who've traveled a lot will know that this isn't always available or you have to pay for your own. It's a good idea to have your own supply at all times, just incase. As this was to be our last stop in Bolivia and we decided we'd be staying for a while. This was an easy decision due to the quality of our room and beautiful location. Logging into the wifi shortly after arriving we discovered that our travel kids were also staying in Copacabana that night. They'd arrived slightly after us and as we'd all had a long day we decided to meet up the next day for a drink. Something to note about Lake Titicaca...it's the highest lake in the world which means that some people can suffer from severe altitude sickness and others (like us) will just be a little uncomfortable. This can have an impact on your ability to sleep or even move around without getting out of breath. Due to this it's important to keep hydrated and if you need to drink coca tea and/or suck on coca candy that's available everywhere in Bolivia. Tip: For those who want to do it local style coca leaves are also readily available. A beginner should use about 15 leaves (minus the stalks) and chew them into a ball. Once they're truly masticated park them between your teeth and gums so that you can slowly swallow and absorb the juices. One clump should last you about 2-4hours. It is cool to try this once, but if you aren't used to chewing them the experience of holding a masticated ball of leaves in the side of your mouth can be marginally unpleasant and they are no more effective then their brewed or candied counterparts. We woke up early the next morning ready to explore. We wandered down to the lake and along side all the paddle boats, taking in all the beauty the lake had to offer. We really weren't that interested in doing much other than relaxing so we sat by the water and soaked up the sunshine until the kids were ready to meet up. We met at one of the rooftop restaurants overlooking the lake for its amazing views. A good thing to note is that the "happy hour" beer is the same price as it is at the more local restaurant shacks along the waterfront if you're wanting a more comfortable drinking spot with a little wifi (maybe, this is Bolivia). These shacks however, have the best food in Copacabana! 25BS ($4.70AUD/3.65USD) will get you rice, salad, fries and a whole fried trout (cooked one of about 10 different ways) or an omelette if your a vegetarian. These are a much better option than the restaurants along the main strip which serve overpriced tasteless food (unfortunately this is even true of the local set menus in the area). One thing we hadn't really taken into consideration was drinking at altitude. Not only do you get drunker a lot quicker but it also increases the effects of altitude once you start to sober up. Dani ended up in bed at 7pm after two beers, and I wasn't far behind her after meeting back up with the girls to continue the night but instead opting for coffee and an early one. Although the hangover the next day was bearable we never did adjust to the altitude and have realised our limit is around the 3,500m mark rather than above 4,000m. After 5 gorgeous days lazing by the lake and taking out the pedal boats it was time to head to Perù. Now you can do this independently by taking a shared taxi to the border and then continuing by taxi or bus to your next destination however when costing up ease and expense the direct bus to Puno was as cheap and seemed far easier. The bus cost 30BS ($5.70AUD/4.35USD) and takes you to the border and then on to Puno in Perù where you can stop or change to go to Cusco or Arequipa. The border crossing is super easy and lucky for us it was quick. You're dropped off on the Bolivian side and then you walk the couple of hundred metres to Perù, enter their customs office and jump back onto the bus. The whole process took about 45 minutes. You can also change any left over bolivianos on either side at very decent rates. Just one word of warning, if you travel with the Titicaca bus company there is a tour agent that joins you called Julio. Avoid him at all costs!! He is the owner of Lago Tours and if you decide to engage with him but choose another tour company he turns nasty and even tried to sabotage the tour we booked once we were in Puno. It's better just to smile politely and not engage. He is also associated with Samaya Adventure Tours who are equally as bad. Overall we had an amazing time in Bolivia. It has definitely been our favourite country so far in South America and it will be very hard to beat. Although we only spent 19 days in Bolivia this felt like a good amount of time. There are plenty of other places we could have explored but we feel we saw a great cross section of what Bolivia has to offer. In honour of our travel kids "Bolivia is F#*%ken cool man"! Budget Time $$$What it actually cost: 19 days = $972.22 (AUD) Accomodation: $282.36 Transport: $208.61 Food: $161.58 Entertainment: $140.03 Miscellaneous: $61.68 Drinks: $58.18 Souvenirs: $56.89 Bribes: $2.87 This is a daily average of $25.55 per person. Bolivia proved to be a fairly easy country to keep to a reasonable budget in. Despite being the poorest nation in South America it has a very well organised and maintained tourist infrastructure meaning that prices for services like transportation, accomodation and tours are reasonable while also being competitive. This often means you get what you pay for which cannot be said for the whole of South America. It's definitely worth shopping around when seeking to utilise any service and also worth discussing discounts, but in Bolivia, budget often means basic, whether that is transport, accomodation or tours so make sure you know what you should be getting! Sometimes it's worth making the saving and sometimes it's worth paying the bit extra! One thing we did discover is that travelling in a larger group and during low season gives you huge negotiating power. As a couple, Riv and I can often get slightly better deals that solo travellers, but as a group of 5/6 (as we often were in Bolivia) we often saw prices per person fall astronomically! The price of food in Bolivia is some of the cheapest we found anywhere in South America with an average set menu meal (soup and main dish) setting us back no more than 15BS ($2.80AUD/2.20USD) per person. Fresh produce at markets was always of really good quality and also a very budget friendly option when coupled with a few street snacks for a meal. LGBT:
Bolivia and Bolivians overall were wonderful. We never experienced any problems as a couple however we did travel for most of Bolivia as a group in dorms rather than just the 2 of us. Bolivia was also the most conservative country we had been in since arriving in South America but we did not find this was an issue. There is currently a bill that has been introduced in government to legalise same sex unions and it is legal to change your gender on documentation in Bolivia so things are progressing. There is also strong anti-discrimination legislation. We did also notice that in smaller towns such as Samaipata there was open acceptance of Transpeople that were welcomed by locals and tourists alike.
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