Bolivia
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Picture of the desert in South-East Bolivia, near Chilean border.
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General Information about Bolivia
Bolivia is a geographically diverse and multiethnic country. From the high altiplanos to the lowlands, from beautiful (salt) lakes to lush green jungle, from ancient ruins to colonial towns there is a very varied offer for tourists. Bolivia is surrounded by Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Paraguay.
Language
Spanish is the official and main language. But there are about 39 languages spoken in total, mostly Quechua and Aymara. Examples of other native languages include Chiquitano, Chiriguano, Yuracaré... About 50% of the population have an indigenous language as their mother tongue and in rural areas many of them don´t speak Spanish. Most of the people don't speak any English or any other foreign language at all, so as a traveler you should be able to speak at least some basic Spanish. Bolivia is probably one of the best places to learn Spanish because the accent is very clear.
Transportation
The public transportation is very good in relation to frequency and routes, but not very good talking about comfort. The main mean of transportation are buses, usually old buses. It is common to see busses with broken windows (or sometimes no windows at all). But as a traveler you have the choice: for long distances you can usually choose between a regular bus, and a bus "cama" which are usually more modern and comfortable since the seats are fully reclinable. Due to the high altitude it can get very cold at night, and busses don't have heating, so it is advisable to always bring your sleeping bag or a blanket on board, as otherwise you might freeze!
Roadblocks (bloqueos) are unfortunately a common way of protest in Bolivia, so try to keep up to date to local circumstances. Many of these only last a day or two and it is recommended to wait rather then try to pass the blockade.
Bus travel is very cheap, estimate about 1 USD per hour maximum. Prices are variable and do change based on supply and demand, so ask around at the terminals!
There are also still a few railway lines in Bolivia as well. It is especially good for trips to the Salar de Uyuni and the Pantanal:
- Oruro - Uyuni - Tupiza - Villazon (boarder to Argentina)
- Santa Cruz - San José de Chiquitos - Quijarro (boarder to Brazil / Pantanal)
Couchsurfing in Bolivia
You can find couchsurfers in any bigger city in Bolivia. In small towns many people do not speak andy foreign language and therefor don't know about CS. In La Paz there are CS meetings, also sometimes in Santa Cruz or Cochbamba. Check the different groups for everything that might be going on.
Safety
Due to the political and social situation manifestations are quite common. Keep away from them whenever possible. If you encounter a roadblock (bloqueo), it is wise to avoid it if at all possible and never try to breach it.
Visitors should be vigilant at all times. Pick-pocketing on buses or in crowded areas is common and baggage theft occurs at stations. Many thieves work in teams to distract their victims. Also be aware of the street-kids who are begging for money in groups. Usually it is better to give them some coins in order to get rid of them. They can get violent and use knives or broken glass bottles if you try to resist.
Also try to follow those general rules:
- don't carry a lot of valuables with you
- leave your passport at the hotel (or your couchsurfer's place) but always carry a copy with you (main page & entry stamp / visa)
Be aware of scams like the following:
- People might let drop some coins or keys behind your seat in a bus. They ask you to help them, and while you do so, the person sitting next to you opens your bag to grab your things. They work in groups, so when you notice (if you do at all) the person sitting next to you will already have passed the things on to the other thieves. So when someting like this happens, hold thightly to your belongings!
- Whenever a policeman asks you on the street to show your papers, insist on going to the nearest police station walking. Do not accept to take a taxi! There are many false policemen around and before you notice they will be gone away with your passport and belongings!
Altitude Sickness
We will give you enough resources to deal with it easily, cheaply and in a realistic way (and not the classical doctor’s approach).
Symptoms: The majority of people feel ill on arrival in La Paz. This is commonly called sorojchi. Common symptoms of mild altitude sickness include breathlessness, a racing pulse, lethargy, tiredness, inability to sleep, loss of appetite, headache, and dehydration. These symptoms normally last for a couple of days.
If you feel any symptom we recommend: If you get to like the taste, drink Mate de Coca (is not a drug). This is the first thing offered everywhere, hotels, hostels, restaurants.
If you feel bad/sick we highly recommended taking oxygen between 5 to 15 mins of it. That should get you back to feeling ok. Oxygen bottles are available in every major hotel or in places like Praxair, not to mention the hospitals (please consider that some of this places would charge a fee for the oxygen use). If it doesn’t work (most of the time does) then u should try something harder. If the headache is to strong and annoying take Acetminophen 500mg or Tylenol. A good advice for acclimatize its drink a lot of water when you arrive to Bolivia 1 liter per every 1000m that you climb, light food and don do to much effort in the first 2 days, after that you should be 100 %.
If you are tired or get short breathed easily, slow down, rest, catch your breath and then continue, don’t push your self just take it easy, if this happens at night, it most likely will, just sit down in the bed, catch your breath back, have some water and then go back to sleep. DON’T PANIC, its just going to cause you to require more air.
Diamox: Only take in case ok Pulmonary Edema. High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE). This condition occurs when the blood-gas barrier in the lungs starts breaking up because of the difference in pressure between the pulmonary artery and the air inside the lungs. If untreated, the victim will drown. Symptoms include the need to sit upright in order to breathe, pink frothy sputum, blue lips, severe breathlessness, and gargling in the lungs. Treatment is immediate descent and nefedepine.
Sorojchi pills: This is a medication created here, its meant to help the altitude sickness, and it does but you have to be aware of how it does it. Sorojchi pills IS NOT equivalent to DIAMOX. DIAMOX its a Strong Diuretic (Acetadiazol) specially design to edemas. The Sorojchi pills (Acid Acetilsalicílico (aspirin) 325 mg Salófeno 160 mg Caffeine 15 mg) its use for the headache and it’s a stimulant so they are completely different.
Other than that...just enjoy and forget about altitude!
Visa issues
Countries that don't need visa to come to Bolivia
ALEMANIA ANDORRA ARGENTINA AUSTRALIA AUSTRIA BÉLGICA BRASIL CANADÁ CHILE COLOMBIA COSTA RICA CROACIA DINAMARCA ECUADOR ESLOVENIA ESLOVAQUIA ESPAÑA ESTONIA FILIPINAS FINLANDIA FRANCIA GRECIA HUNGRÍA IRLANDA ISLANDIA ISRAEL ITALIA JAPÓN LETONIA LIECHTENSTEIN LITUANIA LUXEMBURGO MÉXICO MÓNACO NORUEGA NUEVA ZELANDIA PAÍSES BAJOS PANAMÁ PARAGUAY PERÚ POLONIA PORTUGAL REINO UNIDO DE GRAN BRETAÑA E IRLANDA DEL NORTE REPÚBLICA CHECA SUECIA SUIZA TURQUÍA URUGUAY VATICANO VENEZUELA
Countries that requiere Visa to come to Bolivia (USA and Puerto Rico can pay in the border for the Visa):
AFGANISTÁN ALBANIA ANGOLA ANTIGUA Y BARBUDA ARABIA SAUDITA ARGELIA ARMENIA AZERBAYAN BAHAMAS BAHREIN BANGLADESH BARBADOS BELARUS BELICE BENIN BHUTAN BOSNIA -HERZEGOVINA BOTSWANA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM BULGARIA BURKINA FASO BURUNDI CABO VERDE CAMBOYA CAMERÚN CHAD CHIPRE COMORAS COSTA DE MARFIL CUBA DJIBOUTI DOMINICA EGIPTO EL SALVADOR EMIRATOS ÁRABES UNIDOS ERITREA ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA (incluye PUERTO RICO) ETIOPÍA FEDERACION DE RUSIA FIJI GABON GAMBIA GEORGIA GHANA GRANADA GUATEMALA GUINEA GUINEA -BISSAU GUINEA ECUATORIAL GUYANA HAITÍ HONDURAS INDIA INDONESIA IRAQ ISLAS MARSHALL ISLAS SALOMÓN JAMAHIRIYA ARABE LIBIA JAMAICA JORDANIA KAZAJASTAN KENIA KIRGUISTÁN KIRIBATI KUWAIT LESOTHO LÍBANO LIBERIA MACEDONIA MADAGASCAR MALASIA MALAWI MALDIVAS MALÍ MALTA MARRUECOS MAURICIO MAURITANIA MICRONESIA MOLDOVA MONGOLIA MONTENEGRO MOZAMBIQUE MYANMAR NAMIBIA NAURU NEPAL NICARAGUA NIGER NIGERIA OCEANIA OMÁN PAKISTÁN PALAU PALESTINA PAPUA NUEVA GUINEA QATAR REPUBLICA ARABE SIRIA REPÚBLICA CENTRO AFRICANA REPUBLICA DE COREA REPUBLICA DEMOCRATICA DEL CONGO REPUBLICA DOMINICANA REPÚBLICA ISLÁMICA DE IRÁN REPÚBLICA POPULAR CHINA (incluye TAIWÁN) REPUBLICA POPULAR DEMOCRATICA DE COREA REPUBLICA POPULAR DEMOCRATICA DE LAOS REPUBLICA UNIDA DE TANZANIA RUANDA RUMANIA SAINT KITTS Y NEVIS SAMOA SAN MARINO SAN VICENTE Y LAS GRANADINAS SANTA LUCÍA SANTO TOMÉ Y PRINCIPE SENEGAL SERBIA SEYCHELLES SIERRA LEONA SINGAPUR SIRIA SOMALIA SRI LANKA SUDÁFRICA SUDAN SURINAM SWAZILANDIA TAILANDIA TAYIKISTAN TIMOR LESTE TOGO TONGA TRINIDAD Y TOBAGO TÚNEZ TURKMENISTAN TUVALU UCRANIA UGANDA UZBEKISTAN VANUATU VIETNAM YEMEN ZAMBIA ZIMBABWE
