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Italiano (Italian)
Encounters during the tour, on a trip, can sometimes prove to be decisive in making sense of the trip itself. This did not happen to me in Bolivia, where I generally did not make many acquaintances, and in any case not in depth.
Part of the reason for this is that already Bolivia is not particularly touristy; with my itinerary, I did not meet many travelers, and Bolivians are not very open.In addition, there was always the security issue, which made me rather shy.
Andean plateau tour
It is not possible to visit the Salar de Uyuni on your own, you have to join a tour, which can start or go as far as Chile, a country that inspires me so much, but to which I will devote another trip in its own right.With our friendly guide Edwin and the drivers of 3 off-roaders there were as many as 10 Englishmen, 2 Germans, and one particularly quiet Brazilian.
In the car with me he was only Londoners. A young traveler made me realize how much of an old traveler I am. Me equipped with boots, constantly open-mouthed turned toward the window. She with those slippers that are all the rage now, constantly on her cell phone, despite the fact that there was not even a line at those heights (we arrived over 5,000 meters).
Between highlighter-colored lagoons; passes between 6,000-meter-high mountains and encounters with llamas and alpacas; while his son always slept,the adult companion drank whiskey and occasionally incited the driver to overtake other cars.
We arrived at a boiling natural thermal water pool, among geysers and in minus 20 degrees outside; I took one of the most incredible baths of my life, while the three of them stayed in the car to sleep; who knows what good memories they took home with them. For me, this part of the trip will remain unforgettable.
Not just meetings during the Andean plateau tour
I am often, even in Italy, taken for a Northerner, and since there are more U.S. travelers than Europeans in South America, there for a Yankee, as well as a Gringo. But only one has held the American defeat in Vietnam against me, yelling at me for precisely Vietnam!
I was in Cochabamba, a city considered quite dangerous, especially near the station and at night. I had already crossed paths with this guy a couple of times that day. He was not Indian, but of European descent, scruffy among the scruffy, evidently a very loud lurcher as well.
The center is also nice, but small and it was one of those places where I was the only Westerner or almost the only one. To get to the evening I experienced the thrill of going to the movies and saw a movie with Wolverine, the plot of which I found understandable despite my basic Spanish. Of course, the price of admission was ridiculously low and the theater was quite vintage.
I ate at one of the widespread fried chicken places. It was next door to my hotel and I returned before dark. In the morning I was supposed to catch a bus before dawn, and although the station was a couple of blocks away, at the front desk they booked me a cab and recommended that it drop me off right in front of the entrance
Women of the Andean plateau
Also in Cochabamba I saw a girl come out of a dumpster. In Sucre I casually walked past 3 guys handcuffed and kneeling on the sidewalk; they had just been arrested and severely beaten.
To close the roundup of images, perhaps more than encounters, that give the idea that the world can be very diverse and difficult in some places, a stunning scene for us Westerners happened to me in Santa Cruz. Sunday morning, fairly early, so few people around, but in the middle of downtown. The city is not even 500 meters above sea level, so the sun is beating down. The downtown streets are almost all arcaded. In front of me, still walking, was a lady, who wisely crossed the street to move to the shady side of the street.
When she was exactly halfway down the road, no cars were passing at that time, she squatted down, pulled up her skirt, and peed.
Home trip Tour of Bolivia by the lone gringo
Previous stop In the Salar de Uyuni, also the salt hotel.
Next stop Eating in Bolivia, panned by novuelle cousine
Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent
Countries visited in my travel stories
Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives
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