Traveling lite series part four: Tarija , Bolivia

Sometimes you find adventures in more places than the destination. How you get some where when traveling as a back packer can be as exciting as visiting different sites. We’re on our way to Tarija, Bolivia at this point and we catch a morning bus. Now if you have never ridden a bus in a third world country before, you are in for quite a treat. 

Typically you meet at the kiosk where you purchased your ticket and load your back pack under the bus. They staple a ticket to your bag and hand you the other half for collection of your pack later. Then you wait around until you depart. Without fail there is always a drunk guy who is insisting on engaging a conversation. He is unavoidable and the locals are simply relieved he’s bothering you instead of them. But do not worry even if you do speak Spanish he is not making any sense anyway. Then all the sudden when it is time to depart the driver hops on closes the door and rides off with out any passengers. Then you figure out on your own accord I guess he is going to the terminal. You make your way there and low and behold he is there waiting for you to board. There you will have to pay a terminal fee before your allow to enter the bus. Nice! Only in Bolivia.

So now we are on our way. We leave the terminal and journey all the way to the next corner where we stop to pick up more passengers. This is not without a bit of drama as a little old lady climbs her way up the steps onto the bus blistering about how horrible her life is and how she is dying and maybe she would be better off because she has no friends or family to care for her. But since she is not dead yet I guess she decides to go with us to Tarija. She then proceeds to harass everyone already in seats asking them to give their seat to her. When her pleading does not work she sits in the seat that was assigned to her on the ticket. But the drama does not end there. This lonely lady, with no one to care for her refuses to let the bus leave because there is a friend that is on her way. We wait for several minutes with many disgruntled passengers screaming to the driver, “Vamos!” When the young girl who appears to be the grand daughter of the lonely old lady with no one to care for her finally arrives we are off again. But don’t get too excited because we make it about one more block before the driver decides he needs to stop to buy some groceries. Of course what would a six hour journey across winding mountain roads be with out some food and coca leaves for the journey. We are about an hour into our trip and we haven’t even left the city yet. 

The roads in Bolivia are definitely nothing to be desired. The only paved roads are in the major cities. The main highway system if you can call it that is a long winding dirt road stretch around a never ending mountain range. It is a white knuckle bumpy ride to say the least. So here we are rising higher and higher on this gravel road. There is a mountain wall on one side and a straight drop to a bottom you can’t see on the other.  Now rest assured these drivers know this road like the back of their hands, at least that is what you are telling yourself while this guy is speeding around the corners like a NASCAR driver. The tires are inches from the edge as rocks go flying off into the wild blue yonder. He has one hand on the wheel and another in a bag of coca leaves filling his mouth until his cheek looks like he ate a golf ball. 

We are so high the clouds are an arms length away. You are finding it difficult to breathe and your questioning whether it’s the altitude or sheer fear. The only thing keeping you from having a heart attack is the fact you keep intensely looking but there is no sign of any wreckage from another bus? 

Now remember when buying bus tickets try to get them in advance so you have the option to choose your seats. The best seats are the ones directly behind the driver for more leg space and better viewing of the driver’s incredible skills. Otherwise if there is a Bolivian sitting in front of you they will without a doubt recline until they are laying in your lap. 

This all sounds entertaining but the view alone of the breath taking landscape is enough to get your adrenaline flowing even without the added antics. There are jagged rock formations reaching to the sun and llamas climbing rugged terrain. You can watch the lone shepherd herding his flock through a land that most only dream about. While sitting on top of the world as close to the sky as you can get it makes you realize how small we all really are in the scheme of things. 

We finally arrive and Tarija is not like you would expect. It’s a modern but callused city. It has a unique melting pot very unfamiliar to Bolivia . The streets are clean of debris but littered with people strolling from one square to another. They obviously take great pride in the appearance of their city with potted plants and flowers lining the plazas. Every garden is filled with children walking their dogs and licking on ice scream. 

The surrounding regions have many activities for the restless back packer. There are vineyards, Inca trails and fossilized regions. It is the home to a diverse range of habitats. The area has a more Argentine feel to it rather than Bolivian. All these areas can be reached by a shared taxi from Tarija for about 4 Bolivianos (.60 cents USD) per person. The taxis are readily available but there may be a short wait until there are four people to fill the car. 

Now we had so much fun riding on the last bus we decided to take an overnight bus to Tupiza. The departure from Tarija went a lot smoother than from the border town and left promptly at 8:30 pm. We are back on the winding roads with a driver no less confident than the one from the night before. It is dark and you can’t see five feet ahead of you but he has the peddle to the metal. At these speeds the bumps keep you in the air more often than on your seat. Do not worry about your driver falling asleep he has a trusty pal there to help keep him awake through the night. Only this buddy keeps falling asleep himself. The driver remedies this problem by squirting him with a water bottle. The partner is dishevelled and unaware where the water is coming from he twitches and wipes the water from his face as he continues to snore. 

Most likely you’ll be awake to see the sun rise behind the majestic mountains. It may be the prettiest pink sunrise you will ever witness. By morning the gravel road has disappeared and we are driving down the center of a river bed about tire deep in water. At this point your wondering if the driver did fall asleep and lost the road somewhere along the way. When we’re finally out of the water there is no vivid trail of anything resembling a road for several miles. The only reassurance you have that you might be on the right track is an occasional vehiclezooming past coming from the opposite direction. Almost instantly a paved road appears the muddy tires make a 90 degree turn and WALAH, there is a huge sign that says, “Bienvenidos a Tupiza!”

For More Information: For questions or comments you can contact Rebecca Hosking. If you would like to read other entries from the Traveling lite series please visit. All photos taken by Rebecca Hosking. All rights reserved. Copyright 2009.