Goodbye to Chuquisaca
Sucre Accommodation: Hostels and Hotels
After a month in Bolivia’s constitutional capital, the time had come to move on. Sucre was an incredible temporary home, but Bolivia is huge and diverse, and we didn’t want to miss out on the treasures of its other regions. So, after a detour through the Salar de Uyuni and Bolivia’s barren southwest, we relocated to La Paz for a few weeks.
We were sad to leave Sucre, which had demonstrated a side of Bolivia which we weren’t expecting at all. Clean, historic, largely affluent and relaxed, it was almost the opposite of our preconceived notions. The people were friendly, both the locals who seemed happy to engage us in conversation, and the huge number of gringos who flock there for Spanish courses.
(… though, has anyone else noticed what we’ve dubbed “The Gringo Stare”? When you enter a bar, and there’s a solitary westerner sitting there, probably on his laptop, probably on Facebook. He will almost always look up at you with a look somewhere between disgust and disappointment. This was his bar. Your very presence is infringing on his foreign experience! Making it less authentic!)
(… and the worst part is that I’ve caught myself doing the Gringo Stare! Just when I’d finally found a bar full of Bolivians, after I’ve sat down and ordered in Spanish, so proud of my language mastery and cultural aptitude, here comes a chatty group of blonde Dutch people. Grrr. I had felt special, and so I shoot them a malicious look. I can’t help it.)
Anyway, we would miss Sucre a lot. Such a gorgeous, tranquil place to live, and though we didn’t get to explore the area nearly as much as we wanted, our 91 days was ticking down fast. La Paz promised a big shift. Messy, noisy, hectic and huge.
I would be curious to hear your comparison of this city to Cuzco…
We haven’t been to Cuzco yet but let me ask our friends on social media.
We thoroughly enjoy your fotos. My wife would like to know what kind of camera(s) you have been using. We are going back to Cochabamba in July and were wondering if you guys will be spending some time in that beautiful, wonderful city?
PS My 16-year old son Michael works for Radio International Netherlands and would really like to meet you when we get “home”. Thanks for the fotos of Sucre. I have chaperoned classes to Sucre and it is truly a gem of Bolivia. Buffy G.
William,
Thank you so much for the comment. I only carry around my 7D. Using the this kit: http://t.co/BolIwlD and the 50mm fixed focal for low light situation.
We are actually going to be in Cochabamba in July (not really sure when) but we are planning to spend 2 weeks there. We would love to meet up (possible give an interview for Radio International NL 🙂 )
Do you happen to know of someone who rents apartments short term in Chochabamba?
If you contact Mike West in Cochabamba at westbol@yahoo.
com you should
be able to secure a room at Boliviahouse.com
m. It is centrally located. He is my wife’s uncle. You may be able to see us there as we are planning on going to CBBA in less than two weeks!
Pingback: Found on the Web » Hey Hey Kids!
Pingback: The Rankly Palindromist » Blog Archive » Photo of the Day: Hamburguesas Krusty in Bolivia
Pingback: Where is The Springfield of The Simpsons?
Pingback: Wo liegt das Springfield von den Simpsons?
Pingback: Den Krusty-Burger aus den Simpsons gibt es jetzt auch in der Realität | GESICHTET.net
The pictures are really great! 🙂
Ahh the gringo. Try any bar more than a few blocks away from the main plaza and you’ll surely avoid this problem 🙂