Let's go for a Walk with the Brazilian Backpackers

The night arrived and we decided to look around with the two Brazilian girls. After walking for a while we went to a travel agency to check schedules of buses to travel to Copacabana early the next morning. We bought our tickets, got all the information and from there went to have dinner.

After that we kept on walking until we reached right in the center of the city the main market full of tents and small shops selling all kind of products and typical food. From there we went to an Internet Cafe to give proof of life from this two Backpackers in Bolivia that pretty much since they had left their home back country Argentina barely send any messages to their families.

After Internet we return to the Hostel and said goodbye to these Backpacker Girls. We didn't know that we would meet them later....

We got to the Hostel, and went to sleep very early because we were supposed to wake up the next day around 5 in morning to take the bus to Copacabana.

Saying Good Bye to Coroico, we have to return to La Paz

As all the good things in life this also arrived to an end, so we packed everything grab some last looks of the landscape, close our Backpacks, ang got ready to leave.

First we took a taxi down to the town that was like a 25 min walk through the mountain..and from there all the way back through the mountain valley in 3 hours ride up to La Paz. Once there we found a place where to sleep, left our Backpacks and went for a walk around the Capital city of Bolivia.

We visited the Witches Market, and after that we met two Brazilian girls whom we walked around the city while the day was falling down into darkness

Barbecue on call, rain about to fall - Backpackers do not care at all

We woke up, and just hang out in our cabin all morning long until we felt hungry. So we cook something for lunch, in the kitchen of our cabin.

After that just relaxed for a couple of hours because that night we had to make a barbecue for our friends so after looking for some pieces of wood we started to get ready for the fire.

While we were in the middle of the fire with all the meat getting cooked it started to rain..... but it didn't last for long., so anyway we look for some shelter in the kitchen, we kept on talking drinking and eating....

After some hours some people showed up at our places and we stay awake until late there a group of backpacker from all over the world, in a small town in Bolivia, just sharing one magical night.

Here is one good picture of us while we were having dinner.

What's next.. o yes another day in Paradise

We woke up, and the only thing that we could do was stare at the landscape that we had right in fron of our eyes in our cabin in Coroico. I remember staying there just in silence admiring the beauty of nature. Damian was also like mute just looking everywhere.

After some long hours of this, we decided that it could be a good idea to go for a walk just to justify that we were in Bolivia in such a far away place that we could visit and discover better.

So we got out of the Hostel, and went for a walk to th town also to buy some basics such as drinks, and snack to make it up for next few days. Also we bought some meat to make a barbecue the next day.

Here you can see our crew holding the pieces of meat we bought in a very filthy and non refrigerated Market - Bolivian Style.

We thought that maybe we could by enough stuff so as to be able to stay as long as possible just in there without living that place where we were staying.

We returned right before the sunset.... it was one of the most beautiful sunsets I ever had.

Let's go for Dinner is Christamas and we made new friends

So basically we went for a walk, looking for a place where to have dinner. The whole city of Coroico was celebrating the festivity and we were a group of five Backpackers from all over the world two from Argentina Damian and I, Jan and Shorty from Germany and David from Israel.

We walked around the city, few lights on and lot's of backpacker whose ways lead them to Coroico walking around the small town. We met a big group of people and tried to find a place where to have dinner, but after one big failure we decided to go on our way and ended up eating after 12 in a pizza place with some Mariachi singers.... I guess the place tried to be like a Mexican Restaurant with few success, this was our crew.

The Stress in Coroico, Bolivia is killing this Backpackers

We arrived to Coroico the night of the 24 of December, and after meeting shorty and spending some time in our amazing cabin we decided to go for a walk around the hostel to see what was going on, and then we found the bar of the place.

In there we met again with Shorty and he introduced us his friend Jan, also from Germany... we talk for a while and agree to go for dinner in the town, because that night was Christmas eve, and all the places to buy food and even the bar of the hostel were closing...

Then we went to swim a little bit... got dress and left the places to walk around the beautiful town of Coroico.

Check the swiming pool of the backpackers in Bolivia... not bad hum???

First Minutes chillin out and making new friends.

So we were there in the Hostel, I was lying in the Hamak, and Damian was siting in a chair, both of us in complete silence almost confused for the beautiful view we had right there in the place where we were living... when somebody comes with his camera taking some pictures right next to our cabin.

His name was Shorty he was Backpacking for some months by then and he was from Germany. We talk for a while, Backpacker's conversation about places, transportation, hostels, prices etc.... for a while. he was a really nice guy, and he told us that he was now traveling with another german guy that was sharing one of the bedrooms in the Hostel...

"you are lucky people" he said, apparently all this cabins where only available through reserve, but somehow we ended up getting it.

So he stay for a while, we talk, he took some pictures and then left.

Hostel "Sol y Luna" the place where to be in Cororico..

We got to this Hostel called "Sol y Luna"... actually this place was the one of the reasons why we travel to this little place called Coroico in the middle of nowhere, one of our friends told us that spend her last summer on this Hostel and out of her stories and descriptions of this place that she used to call Paradise, we decided to see it with our own eyes.

So there we were, we got in, ask for a a room and the lady asked as, if we wouldn't mind to sleep in a cabin instead of a bunk beds on a share bedroom....

And there we were, this two Backpackers in the middle of all the beauty of nature in Coroico Bolivia, in our Cabin with 3 walls...

Just paradise, check some of the pictures.
This picture was taken from the our beds and as u can see we had a courtain instead of a wall... just like in a dream.

Paradise = Coroico, Bolivia..

So we got there, to this beautiful town called Coroico really close to la Paz but really distant because of the strange location of it. We got down in the center of the city where the main square is. We took one of the few taxis that were there in the city straight to the Hostel Sol y Luna to leave our Backpacks, because this small town was way to high to be explore by Backpackers carrying heavy weight.

Backpacker in Bolivia Arriving to Coroico, through the Road of Death

We traveled around 3 hours through one of the most amazing landscapes I've ever seen in my life, saying this after Backpacking around Europe, South America, Central America, and Asia). We were around 8 people in the track that only went up for the 3 hours around beautiful jungle and huge trees.The interesting thing about this "Highway" besides how dangerous it was back then. before they increased the wide of the road... was the way they charged buses for transiting through it.
After 2 hours of ride we felt that the bus was slowing down and the driver was pulling down his window... One minute later we saw through the window this little Bolivian peasant with a swimming pool net (those long sticks with a net, to clean the swimming pools), and our driver through some money on it, to keep on moving!!! Hey ya!! this is technology, this Backpackers are totally amazed.

Finally after a very very long ride.... we were there!!!

Goodbye to Uyuni this Backpacker want to visit other places in BOLIVIA

From Uyuni we took a bus straight to la Paz, the capital city of Bolivia. The center of this town is at 3,650 meters above sea level, so you can imagine how hard it is to walk around the city with a huge Backpack in your back... and as soon as we arrived there we took another bus straight to Coroico, which a small town at around 70 km from la Paz but because of the place where it is located it takes around 3 hours to get there,,..
Here is a picture of the "bus station " where we took the small bus to start our 3 hours adventure.One of those cars took us all the way up into the valleys inside the mountains... close to La Paz.

Bolivia, Uyuni there is a Hostel made of Salt and two curious Backpackers.

Even though we heard about, the Salt Hostel is something that has to be seen to be believed, the mandatory stop for any Backpacker around Bolivia. This beautifull place is all made of salt and people say that you can see from there at night one of the most amazing sky full of stars of the world. Imagine, no pollution, no civilization salt that makes your lips taste funny, dessert all around, and a Hostel in the middle of nowhere.!!
The spell of that amazing destination for Backpackers of all over the world did not last long because unfortunatelly we couldn't find a room to stay so we had the chance to walk around for a while and we got into the car again to start our way back to the civilization after the beautiful ride around the dessert of salt in Uyuni, Bolivia. Definetly one of the most amazing places I've seen in my life as a backpacker.

We are visiting the Salar of Uyuni, Damian is almost dying!!

After breakfast we took a car with a guide that took us to visit the Salar of Uyuni which is the biggest salt dessert of the world. We travel around one hour until we found ourselves in a big white dessert where all the floor, and the only thing we could see through the window was WHITE.
Salt Salt and more Salt,,,, nothing else.
As you can see all we could see was salt and more salt, we travel for around 2 hours, I fall asleep and when I woke up we still were surrounded by this white beauty. We drove until we got to "La Isla del Pescado" where we had lunch,,, here is a picture with the sick Backpacker almost dying, in that beautiful mountain standing in the middle of all the with salt.


They call it Island, because during the rainy season, the water covers all the dessert of salt with up to 1,5 meters... so in those days this mountain standing in the middle of the withe dessert becomes into an island in the middle of the crystal water.
So there we were two backpackers visiting one of the biggest wonder of Bolivia, El Salar de Uyuni...

The sun rises in Uyuni, Bolivia,,, I am feeling well but..

I woke up really fresh and ready to visit the "El salar de Uyuni" that was one of the most amazing things we saw while we were Backpacking in Bolivia. We had breakfast (it was included in the hostel tea and a loaf of bread with jam), Damian only looked at me with face of dissgusted....

Here I am a hungry Backpacker, against a sick one.... he was feeling really really bad...
Here is a picture of him Waking up after his looooooooooong night!

Don't leave me my Friend do not want to be a lonely Backpacker

4 Am, I am sleeping and suddenly I wake up because of some weird noise.... and I turn around to see my Friend Damian throwing out really bad in the trash can....
Man what's going on how are you what's going on....He just gave me look in between rounds of......
So when he got a little bit better, he gave a daring look and yield at me..... WHY YOU ARE NOT TAKING PICTURES!!!!... wow what a brave Backpacker I found... so here is the picture I took of him after the great idea of drinking a creamy drink in Uyuni Bolivia.

Brave Backpacker YES... SMART??? not that much!!.

Let's rock the night in Bolivia

The night arrived and Damian and I decided to go for a walk to see how was the crazy life around the town of Uyuni. We walked for a while searching for an open bar, or some lights in the total darkness..
After around ten minutes we heard some music coming out from a small place and we
We sat there and order some drinks, I order a Kaipiroshka, and Damian had the smart idea to order an Alexander....

Alexander Cocktail recipe
1 oz
1 oz white creme de cacao
1 oz light cream
nutmeg

As you can see in this recipe one of the components of this drink is light cream!!!... and we WERE in UYUNI, BOLIVIA where we only saw 1 refrigerator in the town.

We stayed there for a while, we talk or even more heard all the funny stories of this guy about his Skydiving anecdotes, and then we returned to the hostel.

When we took this picture we didn't know what was going to happen to my Friend.

Uyuni we arrived!!!!

Anyway nothing was going to stop this two backpackers discovering Bolivia, so there we were after a loooooooong and packed trip we arrived to Uyuni. We got off the bus, and went straight to leave our Backpacks in the Hostel named "Hostal Marith". This hostel was really nice with a big patio in the middle as you can see on the picture below.

So we decided to go for a walk and look around what Uyuni had to offer to this Backpackers around Bolivia. First we walked through the main street , up to we reach the fruits and vegetables Market where we bought a really nice whatermelon!!!. Then we kept on walking around the town until we made a break to enjoy our little friend...
That little kid on the back of picture after being shy for a while joined us in the feast!!!

Do you think we fit there???

Tupiza to Uyuni, bus is ready... all set!!!

Anyway after some time we started getting inside the bus, that had capacity for around 6 people but to our surprise once we sat there more and more and more people were getting in until we got literally totally packed. That was it, we were in this tiny bus with complete families sitting next to us, there was no room at all, for 6 or 7 hours, no complains, just eye contact with my friend, also amazed about this place called Bolivia. You can see in this picture people over people!!!

Bolivia, Tupiza's bus station !! ---Don't spit in the bus!! -

HAHAHA yes exactly what you read, while we were at the bus station in Tupiza, Bolivia and the
bus that would take us to Uyuni arrived it had an interesting sign inside of it!!. DO NOT SPIT, amazing definetly there is no better way to start backpacking than this...

Bolivia was definitely going to show to this two backpackers a new reality!!

Early wake up Backpackers in Bolivia have to take a Bus

We woke up around 700 because we were supposed to take an early bus around 8 at the "Main Bus Station" of Tupiza in Bolivia. So we woke up, grab our Backpacks and stuff and left the Hostel. We walked to the bus station but first we stopped in a small shop where we bought some crackers for breakfast.

So there we were right on time at the bus station at 8 in the morning, backpacks in our backs, sunglasses to welcome the new rising morning in Bolivia...

That was the first lesson we learn, schedules and timetables in Bolivia are only an estimation of what could be good.... because we wait for the bus that would take us Uyuni for more than two hours, sweating like pigs, under the burning sun... mosquitos all around strong smells and lot's of dust...
Welcoming us to Bolivia.


So there we were waiting and waiting at the main bus station that as you can see had nothing but a big parking lot where the buses would stop for some hours.
It was a sunny and beautiful day, and as you can see on this pictures desolation was the only guest that morning, so we wait and wait and wait.

The bus from Tupiza to Uyuni was supposed to last 7 or 8 hours...

Backpacking in Bolivia ,Tupiza first Day

We woke up and there we were our small backpack full of candy's and cookies as u can see in the picture, and we were ready to start walking around the small town of Tupiza in the beautiful Bolivia. So we grab our important things, such as passport and Money, we put it all in our safety belts (You can see more information about this in my Backpacking around Europe Blog), and we left the Hostel.

We started walked around the town trying to see what it had to offer, starting from the Market that had lot's of stands at both sides of the road with different products to buy and later we went to check at the bus station at what time we were supposed to take the bus that would take us to Uyuni in the south of Bolivia at 3670 meters above the sea level. We wanted to start big, visiting the Salar of Uyuni that it's the biggest Salar of the world!!! so this Backpackers deserved to see it with their own eyes.

Villazon to Tupiza, we are here now what!??

We got to Tupiza at night, it was a really small town out of what we could see around ourselves. It was a Sunday night, the weather was nice the ride was over and we were supoused to find a hostel where to sleep. So we started walking with our backpacks around the small town checking for a place where to pass the night.


Damian and I walked for around 30 minutes without finding a hostel so we decided to swallow our backpacker's pride and we asked to some girls that where walking around there. They told us they knew a place, so we just followed them without doubting because we were starving and we definitely needed a hostel where to sleep.

Finally walking through some of the narrow streets we got to the Hostel, we left our stuff in the room, the girls waited for us, and they took us to a place where we could eat something...

Two Backpackers in Bolivia passed out in a bus!!

As soon as we crossed the bridge carrying our heavy Backpacks in Bolivian territory, we met again with the little boys that offered to guide us to cross the border, asking for some money for their "service"... No way we are Backpackers we replied!!.

Then we asked where was the bus station to which we had like a 200 meters to walk till we got there. We arrived to the place and we asked to one bus driver at what time was the next bus going to Villazon (Our first city to visit in Bolivia), and he replied us right now!!!!,,,,, SO WHERE DO WE BUY THE TICKETS.... and he pointed us a small window at a 10 meter distance....

We started running, to get get our tickets (we paid with argentinian pesos), and returned running with our Backpacks... We made it!!, we got in the bus....and suddenly!!!! I start feeling really really sick, like fading away in slow motion.... I was about to pass out (we were running in a very very high altitude city with heavy backpacks as if we were in the flat Bs As almost at the see altitude), and started saying to myself in mi head Why here why like this.... and I passed out and Damian did as well, one next to the other....

Really bad experience, that's what I wrote in my Backpacker Diary afterwards....
Like 10 minutes later we woke up and decided that whatever havened Bolivia wasn't the right place to run with heavy Backpacks..... not even for backpackers like us!!

Let's pass from Argentinia to Bolivia, Customs??.. NO what for??

After a 24 hours exhausting trip, we got to the border between Argentina And Bolivia. We grabbed our Backpacks and we realize that we didn't have a clue where to go or how to do become backpackers in Bolivia.

So we were there waiting and asking around until 4 little kids, very little (not more than 7 years old), came to us asking for money or candy.

We asked them how to get to the other side and one of them pointed to us a cement bridge around two hundred meters from the place where we were. He offered to guide us for some money to which we replied NO!!, we are Backpackers we don't pay for directions.... and we started walking with our heavy Backpacks towards the border.

While we were walking one of them offered to us to pass whatever we might need from one side to the other... wich then made me realize how easy was to pass whatever you might want from one country to the other (by that I mean Whatever!!). We got to the bridge and we saw a small door at the right really crowded which we of course didn't want to check because we were with our big backpacks.... so we kept on walking and suddenly I looked behind the bridge our little guides crossing to the other side through their shortcut...

When we reached the end of the bridge we read a sign saying "WELCOME TO BOLIVIA", so I looked to Damian, a little bit confused because somehow we were on the other side, YES we passed from Argentina to Bolivia without going through any checkpoint customs or whatever...

So then this guys in a big hurry comes out from the little door yielding at us that we are supposed to make customs in that small crowded office!!.

We got there SORRY!! SORRY!! SORRY!!, yes Backpackers at the beginning hit people with their backpacks all the time.... it's was full of people and no place at all.

We wait there around an hour, then they call our names, we got our Tourist stamp on our Argentinian passports... and that was it.

We got back to our old road, and finish crossing the bridge. Walla Backpackers in Bolivia... this is true.

In the bus...Backpackers, tourists, residents on their way to Bolivia

Next stop in 12 hours, somewhere deep in the center of Argentina, by then I would be probable starving or sleeping so neither the two of them would make me have little or non interest in our stop.
We slept pretty much all the way there stoping only once to grab something to eat.

The good thing is that long distance buses in Argentina are very comfortable so you can almost sleep as if you were traveling in a rolling bed. But imagine that after 24 hours of ride even though you slept a lot you are exhausted.

Here is I think the firs picture we took during the bus ride where you can see clearly how wasted I look...even before starting to Backpack in BoliviaJAJAJA yes I look wasted on the right, and that was only the beginning, before the fat lip, and some other interesting things.

All set, Bolivian Backpackers going there..

The day was on, I woke up took a shower and put my last things in my Backpack. Damian's mother was picking me up at 11 in the morning because our bus was expected to leave at 1:00 in the afternoon...

Got it all done, grab my backpack said goodbye to my Cat, and went downstairs to wait for them.

We drove up to the bus station, got down... big backpacks in our backs and tickets to Bolivia in our pockets.

That was it, me and my friend Damian waiting for the bus that would drive us for 24 hours to Jujuy province and from there walking with our Backpacks through the border crossing to the other side of the bridge Bolivia was waiting for us.

5 Tips before Backpacking to Bolivia

Now thinking backwards I can easily make a TOP 5, on the must things you should do Before Backpacking to Bolivia.

1. Visit a Doctor and take all the precautions he tells you.
2. Buy alcohol in Gel, this little thing is useful to wash your hands, knives and even dishes if necessary.
3. Mosquito repellent, some areas specially in suburban areas mosquitoes can be really annoying and in some areas even dangerous.
4. A book to write some Backpacking memories, because the things that you will see in Bolivia are unique and incredible.
5. Lip Stick, the sun gets really strong specially during summer time. I got a burn lip and it was really bad...

Backpacker needs to find his Backpack and stuff

So there I was waiting just for the nights to pass, getting ready for my Backpacking trip to Bolivia but for that I needed to find My Backpack, wash it up, and check if it was ready to roll on a new Backpacking adventure.

Last time I got to use it, was on my Backpacking around Europe with my best 3 friends. So I looked for it, and I got it all set right there next to my bed, just a couple of nights before starting packing for my Backpacking experience to Bolivia.

I also went to the Doctor to get some of the vaccines I was told to take, plus some interesting things that I needed to gather to be properly equipped for the days to come.

So time was running fast, and I needed to be ready I even bought a Diary with the goal to make a Backpacker Diary during my trip.

Visit a Doctor to Backpack to Bolivia???

When you decide to go Backpacking to Bolivia or to any other under developed country, or better said to third word countries there are some recommendations and advices to take into a count for a safe trip.

In the case of Bolivia I personally visited a Doctor in a travel health clinic so as to see which were the things that I needed to do to have a Safe Backpacking experience.

This is a small Summary (Please if you are planning your own Backpacking trip- YOU MUST see a doctor by your own this list is not enough)

1. Hepatitis A Vaccine - It always recommendable to have this Vaccine Applied, even more if you are Backpacking.
2. Typhoid Vaccine - You must take this dose as well if you are willing to have a REAL backpacking experience. If you plan to eat and sleep outside 4 or 5 stars hotels it's a must.
3. Yellow Fever, it's recommendable to all travelers older than 1 year of age.
4. Rabies, It's always good to have this one, just in case any lost animal bites you in the middle of nowhere. I didn't have this one, because you need some time to get the whole protection working, and I remembered to late.
5. Tetanus, This one lasts for ten years, after this time you should re vaccinate.
6. Malaria, depending on the doctor and country you might be advised to take this one as well, and it comes as pills, that you have to take one week before you reach the area of danger, then once a week and on more one week after you left the danger zone. We decided we wanted to visit Coroico, 70 Km of La Paz (Bolivia), and we were advised to take this on.
   

All this tips are Important but more important is that you visit a doctor as I said before If you are planning to go Backpacking to Bolivia or a similar place.

I have friend that already Backpacked in Bolivia

Ok let's call her, we arranged everything and one week later we were having dinner with Damian's friend Sabrina. We were all talking about the excitement of going Backpacker, in my case after 4 years of my last Backpacking experience.... and she started to enumerate all the things she did on her trip while backpacking around Bolivia.

Then she told us about the need to visit a doctor to get some advices, medicines and Vaccines applied because of the dangers for travelers, specially to backpackers for the type of hostels and transportations that they use.

We finished dinner I went back home, only thinking about this new backpacking trip that seemed to be so different to my backpacking trip around Europe, where everything was clean and tidy... and now I had to visit a doctor and get prepared to face this new place right there, in the north of the country where I lived almost all my life.

Let's get the bus ticket to Bolivia

Two day later Damian calls me, and asks me when can we go to buy the tickets, to my answer "this afternoon is good for me", so he picked me up from my job and we went straight to "Retiro Bus Station". That is the main bus and Train Station in Argentina, from there buses going all over the country leaving every minute....
So we go to Retiro park the car and get in, looking for our bus tickets, without really knowing even to where should we travel to cross the border (walking with our backpPublish Postacks) to Bolivia.
We asked in some of the companies until one girl from the other side of the window explained to us that we had to buy a ticket to La Quiaca in the Jujuy Province(see map) and from there take our backpacks and cross the border to the first city in Bolivia called Villazón through a concrete bridge where you can make customs and migrations.
So let's do it, we bought our tickets (one way, because backpackers never schedule!!), we paid around $125(around 40 US dollars) and that was it!!.
Then I looked to Damian and he looked at me right in the moment when internally I was asking to myself if this was a good idea, and I knew he was asking himself the same question.. two backpackers that barely know each other going on a two months trip...
Anyway we had our tickets, so there was nothing else to be done.... or maybe lot's of things...

Phone Call, Where do you Say??... aaa yes Bolivia

Two weeks or so I was working when I received a Phone Call from my friend: "Let's do it" he says!!, Do what?, I asked.. "The Bolivia trip, can you meet me today in the afternoon at the bus station to buy the tickets??",,, ee Of course, let's do it!!

When we hang up the phone I kept on working like nothing happened but in a corner of my head the word Bolivia was bouncing, and I started to remember 3 before when for the first time I went Backpacking to Europe with my 3 best friends at the age of 19, and now I was about to start a new Journey with this guy now... right next to the country where I lived. No long flights or expensive rates... just backpacks, some money, buses... and this guy..

Is this a Good Idea??

Bolivia here I go, even though I haven't planed it!

Backpacker looking for a travel mate

Everything started at my friend's car on our way to school we were listening to some music, talking about some random things, when I told to my good friend Damian that I wanted to go backpacking to Bolivia.
Then he looked at me, and said. "Bolivia...", "maybe I can join you!!" and that was it, I knew he wasn't serious about it. First cuse he already had planned his holidays, and we were reaching the end of November and our summer was about to start....and second because we were good friends back then, but honestly we did not know one to the other enough as to decide to travel together as backpackers.

Anyway, I kept thinking about Bolivia, all the places I heard about it as the Salar the Uyuni (the biggest salt flat IN THE WORLD), Coroico at 70 Km from La Paz thorough the Death Path!!, the Titi Kaka, etc.

Maybe I ll do it alone... OR NOT??