Locked

Bolivia is one of only two countries in South America without the access to the ocean. Not only however Bolivia is land-locked, but despite its very central location and borders with Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Peru, it also seems to be very inward-looking, sort of mentality-locked.

In mid-May I got stuck for a few hours in Quijarro, Bolivia’s main border town with Brazil. I was unfortunate to get there in the middle of the strike affecting local immigration office and was refused an exit stamp in my passport. No exit stamp by Bolivians means no entry stamp from Brazilians. I was accompanied in my misfortune by two young English lads (hilariously dressed in a style resembling messieurs John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson in the final scenes of Pulp Fiction), who had by then visited most of the countries in the Amazon basin. The guys were not particularly bright, but made an interesting observation – the only two countries they had visited where there was “something seriously wrong” were Venezuela and Bolivia.

I took a liberty of interpreting their observation as a critique towards political system in both countries, which are embodied by populist leaders (Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales) claiming to be political heirs of South America’s greatest independence hero Simon Bolivar. Neither of them believes in market economy and both try to promote home-grown forms of socialist utopia.

Chavez can finance his ideas with money from oil, but Evo is in a much worse position. Although Bolivia apparently has a lot of valuable mineral resources which could contribute to the economic growth of the country, the government’s ideological lack of trust towards foreign investors makes any extraction on large scale quite a difficult task - the country lacks financial resources and know-how to make use of what it has. The other potential source of income for Bolivians could be tourism. It seems to have it all – really high mountains, large part of the country in Amazon basin, picturesque salt flats, lake Titicaca and most importantly – it is really cheap. I have not however noticed any effort from the authorities to invest in touristy areas and make travelling a good experience, like they do quite well in Peru. Backpackers will always come, but they are not the ones who are the most valuable tourists (in money terms).

The Bolivian government promotes co-operatives as the best form of enterprise. This is the case in such industries as mining and transportation. It gives people job security but does not encourage growth neither leads to improvements in standards, efficiency or service levels. Bolivia’s largest border is with the biggest regional economic success story – Brazil, which until recently was run by a very socialist in his youth Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva. Current Bolivian president Evo Morales used to be a coca grower and local trade union leader, just like Lula. This is where the similarities end - the Brazilian president led his country from one success to another, the Bolivian is not giving his country even the slightest chance. 

Travelling routines

I think a large number of readers of this blog know what it means to travel independently, but for those who are not familiar with the experience (i.e. who do not travel too much or prefer to buy organised trips) I will try to explain what it entails, based on my average day in a new place (basically every 2-3 days).

 Arrival

I travel mainly by bus – it is the cheapest way and the bonus is that I get to see nice, sometimes spectacular, views. South America is however a huge continent and a journey from one place to another often takes more than 12 hours. The solution is an overnight bus – a very pleasant and affordable option in Argentina and Chile (flat beds in Flecha bus below – 10 hours from Cordoba to Tucuman), a cheap and painful one in Bolivia, which has a lot of unpaved roads (e.g. 12 hours of bumps between Sucre and Santa Cruz). In the last six weeks I spent at least 150 hours just travelling.

Accommodation

Before the arrival I check hotels recommended by Lonely Planet and pick one in the centre. If the price is OK (max 30 pounds, usually much less, a few times more) and the room looks good value for money (I always see the room before deciding), I take it. I am not too picky – just need a clean place with a bathroom and some daylight; I usually don’t stay much in the room anyway. Also, I do not need to feel that I got the best possible deal in town – I am on holidays and not in a competition for the most efficient traveller.

I usually choose hostels (best are family run) or B&Bs, but opt for single room rather than a dorm shared with other 3-20 (depending on the hostel) random people. I need my space. The difference in price is often quite significant in local currency (threefold), but counting in pounds it is not that great. However, if I was travelling longer I would be definitely spending my time in dorms, particularly in more expensive countries.

Since I travel in low season there is no need to book anything in advance. Haggling unfortunately is not a custom in South America, but I would do that (have done) in Asia and Africa.

Sometimes the accommodation is not a hotel, as I use Couch Surfing. I will write more about this in a separate post.

Daily activities

So far I have spent most of my time in the Andes and tried to avoid cities. I like doing adventure based activities such as mountain biking, trekking, rock climbing, rafting, etc. These however usually require a guide, proper equipment and as a result need to be organised by an agency. I usually check 2-3 agencies and if the price and itinerary are fairly similar, I decide on the one looking the most professional. Sometimes it is more of a hunch, but it has not let me down so far. If I have a good experience I book with them again in the evening (in most places the offer in agencies is very similar and the choice is too great for me to bother looking for the absolutely best deal).

Obviously I use agencies only when it is absolutely necessary. Otherwise I would e.g. take a map from local tourist office, rent a bike or take a walk to a nearby mountain, lake, vineyard, visit a city, take pictures, etc.

Eating

I don’t use kitchen facilities in hostels to cook, because eating out is for me a part of a cultural experience in a country. Basically, I would rather have a terrible cheap room than a terrible cheap meal. Having said that, there are ways to have good meal at reasonable price - that would be empanadas in Argentina or going for menu of the day in Chile. Following the locals and not the tourists (I avoid eating near main squares) is the way to go. The highlight for me has been Bolivia, where I always visit local market to have a home-type made meal cooked by local women. It is seriously basic stuff, but genuine and tasty. I rarely see gringos eating there as opposed to many locals, which is a great recommendation and adds to the cultural experience.

Departure

The most efficient way is to buy the next ticket upon the arrival, but I usually do not know how long I will stay in each place. I am quite flexible with my plans and have e.g. spent three more days than initially predicted in Villa La Angostura and two fewer in Cordoba or Salta. All depends on my mood, weather, activities on offer, etc. One time I had to shorten my stay because of heavy pollution (Sucre, Bolivia), which gave me headaches. Anyway, most of places I visit are fairly small, so walking to the bus terminal is an easy option during the day. In bigger places you can often buy a ticket in the city centre via a travel company – it does not cost much more and saves a lot of hassle.

For the journeys up to seven hours I prefer to take morning buses (usually they depart at 6-7am), for longer ones I would take an overnight bus. My longest journey so far was 22 hours from Buenos Aires to Bariloche. However, with almost flat bed it was also the most comfortable. The worst one was from Uyuni to Tupiza (both in Bolivia) – bumpy ride in very high mountains in a small bus older than myself, three hours late and crammed with crying babies, lots of stuff that did not fit into the trunk and three drunken miners.

If the departure is late, I usually ask in my hostel if I can check-out a bit later. Usually it works and I was always able to leave my backpack, use internet, a toilet (sometimes a shower) and spend some time in a common room before the departure.

To sum it up, travelling independently (and even more – solo) is often a lot of work, takes an effort, lots of planning and requires good organisation skills (these improve with experience). It is however very rewarding, a great learning experience and I cannot imagine travelling in a different way.  

Of dogs and men

Choosing a dog is often a statement, but its behaviour can tell you much more about the owner - this reflection occurred to me while wandering the hills of Valparaiso, Chile. In the previous post I state my observations about Chilean psyche in comparison to their Argentinian neighbours. I think my dog/men theory only reinforces them.

Dogs in Argentina are as friendly as one can imagine and the sample I base my observation on goes in hundreds. Parks in Buenos Aires during the day are full of dog walkers – each of them with at least four dogs, but often with as many as nine. In my three months in the city I never saw any fight between the dogs; on the contrary – they walk in harmony and enjoy the day together. Same goes for homeless dogs – they approach people in a very friendly and trustful way, without fear and almost always wagging their tails. I will write a separate post about Argentinians, but safe to say for now that they are the most relaxed and easy-going people I have ever met in my travels. However, on a related topic, here you can read why I think Buenos Aires is the coolest city on planet Earth.

My observations of Chilean dogs (in Santiago and Valparaiso) are based on a much smaller sample, but the difference was striking. I was usually barked at or approached cautiously. I have also seen dogs chasing and barking at cars and cyclists – not something happening much across the Andes. I do not intend to draw any far-fetched conclusions from these, only, observations. Neither I am suggesting that Chileans are unfriendly or not to be trusted – dogs in Poland behave much more like dogs in Valparaiso, if not worse. I just think that the life of Chileans is more stressful than that of their eastern neighbours and the dogs end up affected.

To explore my dog/men theory further I reminded myself my experiences with the homeless dogs in Athens, which were roaming the parks in visible numbers before the Olympics. They were largely harmless and cautiously friendly but I was never quite sure how they might react – there seemed to be a dark side to them waiting to be unleashed in response to improper behaviour. Greeks, likewise, are really friendly people, but also very impulsive. At first, their way of speaking (voice and gestures) gave me the impression that they were always arguing and the exchange of punches was never far away. That made me feel uneasy, until I realised that this was just the way they converse. Coming back to Poland; it is mandatory to keep the dogs on leash and homeless dogs are captured and put in dog pounds – quite fitting for a country where the majority of people declare that a person they don't know should generally not be trusted.