Bolivia

  • Bolivia

    Copacabana and Isla del Sol

    May 31, 2015 - By 

    I write this after having visited Lake Titicaca on both Bolivian and Peruvian sides. Whereas the Peruvian side stirs the fascination for indigenous culture, the Bolivian side captivates the eyes with its picturesque scenery.  Lake Titicaca is a popular resort town for both locals and internationals, and getting there from La Paz couldn’t be easier. At ~3,800 meters in elevation, Lake Titicaca is dubbed as “the highest navigable lake in the world”…whatever that means.  We had just hiked around Lake Chungara, Chile at 4,500 meters.  There were no boats at Lake Chungara, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t bring a small boat and navigate…

  • Bolivia

    Yungas Road

    May 26, 2015 - By 

    One outdoor adventure excursion offered daily from numerous tourist companies in La Paz is advertised as “Biking Down The Most Dangerous Road In The World.”  This road, Yungas Road, is located in the town of Coroico approximately 60 kilometers northeast of La Paz. Despite its technical terrain, steep downhill curves, lack of guardrails, narrow single lane, high cliffs, fog, and water runoff from the rainforest, it’s really not as dangerous as it sounds.  With common sense (and maybe a little cycling experience) and the capacity to clutch onto your brakes for a couple of hours at a time, the bike ride…

  • Bolivia

    La Paz

    May 25, 2015 - By 

    After 2 months in modern Chile and Argentina, I was excited for some culture (despite the long and unnecessarily tedious visa process for Americans).  Research on Bolivia made me assume there were similarities to Southeast Asia with regard to street food, lifestyle, and cost of living…excluding the high altitude. Prior to arriving I knew La Paz was the highest metropolis and administrative capital in the world at ~3,650 meters; however, I had no knowledge that it was a bowl-shaped supercity with sharp, rugged mountains in its surroundings. With its rolling hills in every turn plus the extreme altitude, it made walking in…

  • Bolivia

    Off-Roading To Uyuni

    May 18, 2015 - By 

    One of the many highlights of South America is the 3-day/2-night or 4-day/3-night off-roading adventure from San Pedro de Atacama, Chile to Uyuni, Bolivia.  The days are filled with incredible panoramas of deserts, volcanoes, lagoons, salt flats, geysers, wild animals, fauna, and more…all between the altitude of 3,500 meters and 5,000 meters!  Tack on the high altitude, freezing temperatures, and heatless nights, and you get an amazing and memorable adventure that is not for the faint of heart. There is no shortage of tour companies in San Pedro selling excursions to Uyuni, but after reading numerous nightmare stories about drunk guides, shitty…