Scenic Riding in Southern Bolivia
Update 20 (February 2023)
Tarija to Tupiza, Bolivia
I stayed for three nights in Tarija and didn’t do much really, just the usual chores. I would eat out for lunch, then my apartment had a little kitchenette, so I made a couple of stir fries for dinner. And there was a laundry service almost next door.
One thing that is nice about Bolivia is the range of groceries, at times. I came across a fantastic mini supermercardo in Tarija, that had a global range of foods.
The fresh fruit and vegetables are definitely the best so far. I think it is the small scale of the economy. Everything is freshly grown and brought to market. Often it is straight from the grower to the consumer. No hypermarket approach here. And it is just beautiful to buy from a lady dressed in wonderful Bolivian clothes, when you know your money is going straight to her family.
It was a Sunday morning when I left. It was easy going until I hit the market district which was chaos. This has happened a few times now. You need to have your wits about you, with cars, buses and pedestrians all getting too close for comfort. But it is always fascinating and so alive. It’s a classic market economy, where everyone is trying to sell something. But it is polite, not pushy. If I was organised and well balanced, I could be buying roasted chick peas, fresh squeezed juices, empanadas and all sorts of things, as I ride through the city traffic.
Tupiza was at about 1,900m and I soon began to climb higher. I took a side track and found a nice view looking down on Bordo La Calama. And had some happy people pass by.
A small village by the UE Chaupiuno Church
Back to the colours of the Andes. How does such a range of colours and textures even happen?
I had now left the sealed road. One thing I was starting to notice in Bolivia, was the lower car ownership. Many local people rely on buses or mini vans to get around which in this area can be a 50-100km trip. On this road I saw a few cars but I saw just as many buses. And it seems the drivers have only one thing in mind, get there as fast as possible, so they can turn around and get more passengers.
Entering the village of Impora.
Looking down on someone’s old farmhouse. The new one is out of the picture to the right. Still in the same style.
Getting higher.
I was now back up at about 4,000 metres. I was saying earlier about locals relying on buses, just after taking this photo with nobody around, I came across a young family, beautfully dressed in traditional Bolivian clothes. They presumably lived nearby and were waiting for the local bus to go visiting, somewhere.
It was just a nice day. Nothing too demanding but still enough variation to make it a memorable day. And what’s a trip to Bolivia, without a photo of a Llama (double L is pronounced as a Y in Spanish, so Ya ma).
Entering Bolivia from Paraguay
Update 19 (February 2023)
Tupiza to Uyini, Bolivia
Update 21 (February 2023)