Bolivia: Exploring the South Lipez by Self-Drive (page 18 of 21)

19.10. Rio Grande – Tupiza, Mitru Hotel

We wake up at six o’clock—it was much warmer last night than the previous nights. A few cows cross the riverbed from Argentina to graze on the grass in Bolivia. The sky is overcast; the sunrise is a miss.

We want to empty our 60-liter gas can into the car’s tank. Benoît follows the instructions from the forum and Biz to the letter, but this time, he can’t get it to work. After several attempts, we decide to leave and ask for help along the way. The track follows the Rio Grande and climbs to Mojinete. We stop in the village square, and a man comes over to talk to us. We take the opportunity to ask for his help emptying the gas can, but he can’t do it either. He asks us to detach the can and place it on the trunk in the bed of the pickup. Finally, the gas starts flowing, and we can empty the can completely. Several young guys come to see what’s going on. They’re completely wasted—it’s pretty sad at eight in the morning.

The track follows the Rio Grande

Between Mojinete and Villa Candelaria, the track winds through the mountains. A young guy is hitchhiking, so we pick him up. The track climbs a dizzying pass. The many tight turns offer an extraordinary view of the valley and the Rio Grande. We drop the guy off at a crossroads—he’s not far from his village now. After passing the dizzying pass and until the pass that descends to Cucho, the landscape isn’t very interesting. The track goes up and down, with yellow and green hills stretching on. Fortunately, there are plenty of llamas and vicuñas to observe. The small lake and stream at Mina Candelaria seem polluted—the water has a strange color.



One of the many cacti in bloom

The landscape isn’t as interesting around here

The descent to Cucho is beautiful—cacti are everywhere, and the rocks have a lovely color. It feels like Arizona. In Cucho, we drive in the riverbed for a little while. It’s best not to take this track during the rainy season. After leaving the riverbed, the track climbs again before joining the main road connecting San Pedro de Lipez to Tupiza.





The El Sillar rock formations are below us, but the sky is still cloudy, so the colors aren’t very vibrant. Since we’ve been on the main track, we’ve encountered corrugated iron-like bumps. Just before Tupiza, we turn left onto a tiny track to reach the El Sillar formations from below. There are many small farms in this valley. At the end of the track, we stop and go for a walk in the canyon.









At 3 PM, we arrive at the Mitru Hotel in Tupiza. Being in a town—even a small one—feels strange. We can park the car in the courtyard, so it’ll be safe for the next two days. After a good shower, we go for a walk in town and grab a pizza.

The rest is here: https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=10028586;a=10028586

Hi Carmen. It’s still just as fascinating to follow—thanks, Bernard.

20.10. Tupiza, Mitru Hotel

Today is presidential election day. During elections, driving is banned—buses are stopped, and planes are grounded. Basically, the whole city has become pedestrian-only. After breakfast, we book a horseback ride in the Tupiza canyon for this afternoon. Then, we wander around the city center. It’s really nice without cars. Families are strolling, elderly folks are chatting, sitting on the sidewalks or public benches.







On the street where the electoral building is, there’s a small market. People are sitting at tables, eating dishes prepared at the little stalls. The meat and fish left out in the sun don’t exactly tempt us to do the same. We head to a restaurant to eat grilled meat with potatoes and rice. There’s also a salad buffet, but we skip it. We haven’t gotten sick so far—it’d be a shame to take risks at the end of the trip.







At 2 PM, a young woman comes to pick us up and walk us to the stables, which are twenty minutes from the Mitru Hotel. Yep—with the driving ban, everyone’s on foot. Lucky for us, we’ll have this ride all to ourselves with a young guide.

Our horses seem to know the route by heart. We pass near the dump, where some kids are rummaging through the trash. First stop at the Devil’s Gate. We dismount to explore the area and climb a bit higher.





The Devil’s Gate

The second stop is at the bottom of the canyon, where there are some pretty rock formations. Back at the stable, we walk back to the hotel. Along the way, we pass quite a few people. One of the many stray dogs in the street comes toward us and nips Benoît’s calf. 😮 He yelps, the dog lets go and runs off. His pants are damp with the dog’s saliva, but luckily, the injury isn’t too bad. A fang pierced the skin, and the small wound is bleeding a little. Back at the hotel, Benoît cleans the wound and applies disinfectant. Since we’ll be in Switzerland in three days, we skip looking for a hospital to get the rabies treatment.



















In the evening, we go to an Italian restaurant right next to the hotel. The vegetable lasagna we ordered is disgusting. 🏴‍☠️ We add salt and pepper to try to improve the taste, but it’s no use—the lasagna is inedible. So, for the first time in our lives, we leave a restaurant without eating. We head back to the pizzeria from the night before and order an extra-large pizza to go. We settle into the hotel lounge and watch the election results on TV. Not all the ballots have been counted yet, but based on the early results, a runoff should happen. Good—we’ll likely have fewer issues getting back to Sucre.

It’s still so exciting to follow—thanks!

Thanks Bernard, it’s great to have such a dedicated reader. 🙂

It's nice to have taken this little horseback ride 😎

Hi Carmen,

I never imagined that stray dogs in South America could be aggressive!! I’ll be careful from now on. So far, I’ve always had the dog that follows me in a friendly way!

Why is there a ban on vehicle and plane circulation in Bolivia on election day? Weird, right?

Anyway, that horseback ride sounds great. I wanted to do one in Tupiza, but Jf was really sick all night before, so my ride fell through.

Thanks for this nice feedback.

Hi Carmen, Thanks for this follow-up. I imagined Tupiza as less spread out and, without being pejorative, less equipped. I’ve never ridden a horse, but apparently, their docility should suit beginners like me. I hope there won’t be any consequences from that bite. I’ve always been wary of dogs—some are calm and often obedient, especially when faced with authority and respect for the hand that feeds them—but I have my doubts about what they consider "kindness." Thanks again for this story that makes me dream and helps me plan my own trip. I’m unsure if I’ll be able to leave as planned in early November, with the elections being postponed and the pandemic spreading more and more in South America, especially with the arrival of the austral winter. Things are starting to look dicey. For now, I’m just working on my itinerary—time will tell. Bernard.

Nice to have done this little horseback ride 😎

Yeah, three hours of a relaxed ride. A bit too relaxed for my taste.[;]

Hi there, 🙂

I never imagined that stray dogs in South America could be aggressive!! I’ll be careful from now on. So far, I’ve always had dogs following me in a friendly way!

We saw a lot of stray dogs during our trip and didn’t have any problems with them. Still, as a precaution, we didn’t pet them. The one that bit Benoît seemed to belong to a family, so you’d think it would be vaccinated against rabies. But you can never be sure—rabies is unfortunately still quite common in Bolivia. When Benoît started screaming, the family didn’t come over to get the dog. They just called it and left. Another man came up to us; he seemed sorry, but there wasn’t much more he could do.

Why is there a ban on vehicle and airplane circulation in Bolivia on election day? Weird, right?

I don’t know. All Peruvians have to vote—could that be one of the reasons? You can ask them on your next trip.

Anyway, that horseback ride looks fun. I wanted to do one in Tupiza, but Jf was super sick all night before, so my ride fell through.

I remember your travel journal. You really didn’t have luck with those recurring stomach issues.🙁 You’ve just got to go back...😉

Carmen

Hi Bernard,

Thanks for this follow-up. I imagined Tupiza as less spread out and, without being pejorative, less equipped.

Tupiza has everything—hotels, shops, several offices to book excursions, a market, a hospital... but no rabies vaccine.

I’ve never ridden a horse, but apparently, the docility of these ones should suit beginners like me.

Ours were calm but a bit too hungry at times. When they found grass, it was hard to get them moving. Worse than donkeys... 😄

I hope there won’t be any consequences from this bite.

No serious consequences. We went to the emergency room when we got back to Switzerland—several shots and the vaccination. I’ll talk about it more in the next part of the travel journal. Rabies is still a deadly disease; once the first symptoms appear, you’re done for. We found information on the Lausanne travel medicine service’s website. The incubation period is at least 4 days. We were told it’s hard to find a hospital for the vaccine in Bolivia—you have to go to a big city like Santa Cruz or La Paz... Luckily, he wasn’t bitten in the middle of nowhere, like in the South Lipez—it would’ve been complicated to handle. Still, our travel insurance would’ve taken care of things: finding a hospital for treatment, even sending medication by plane if needed, and in the worst case, repatriation. But it still ruins your trip.

I have doubts about being able to leave as planned in early November, with the elections postponed and the pandemic spreading more and more in South America, especially with the arrival of the austral winter. It’s all starting to feel risky. For now, I’m just working on my itinerary—we’ll see what happens.

Yes, it’s hard to plan trips this year. For us, Peru is off the table—we were supposed to leave in mid-May. You still have time for November, though. I hope you can go.

Carmen

Hi Carmen,

What a beautiful travel journal that makes me want to head straight to Bolivia! Your photos are just stunning.

I’ve been following your trip updates for several years (discovered on another forum), and it’s always such a pleasure.

Thanks, and happy Easter to everyone!

Why is there a ban on vehicle and airplane circulation in Bolivia on election day? Weird, right?

I don’t know. All Peruvians have to go vote—is that one of the reasons? You can ask them on your next trip.

Don’t Bolivians have to as well?😛

Anyway, your travel journal is amazing—such beautiful photos that bring back great memories of the start of my trip!

I don’t know. All Peruvians have to go vote—is that one of the reasons? You can ask them on your next trip.

Don’t Bolivians?😛

I think Carmen already left for Peru

Hi Carmen

I remember your travel journal. You weren’t lucky with your recurring stomach issues.

Having recurring diarrhea is called having stomach problems. And that’s exactly what happened in Ladakh. I’ve never experienced that in South America, even after eating salads.

In Bolivia, what we had was food poisoning from highly alcoholic drinks at high altitude!! In that case, it’s not diarrhea you get—you’re vomiting your guts out, over and over, until the poison is expelled, with chills and everything!! It’s way more painful and debilitating!

The dog that bit Benoît seemed to belong to a family, so you’d think it would be vaccinated against rabies. But you can never be sure—rabies is still quite common in Bolivia. When Benoît started screaming, the family didn’t come closer to get the dog. They just called it and left.

So it wasn’t a stray dog. That’s a relief. The family that owned the dog was really awful—they didn’t even come to apologize. What jerks!

I don’t know. All Peruvians have to vote—is that one of the reasons? You can ask them on your next trip.

Seriously, Carmen, Peru is *obsessing* you!!! When we can travel again one day, I’ll think about planning another trip to Bolivia, not Peru. But for now, I can’t even imagine the future—the situation is just too uncertain.

See you soon

I don’t know. All Peruvians have to go vote—is that one of the reasons? You can ask them on your next trip.

Don’t Bolivians?😛

I think Carmen already left for Peru

Looks like it

The Bolivians, no?😛

Oops, of course, I’ll correct that.

Anyway, your travel journal is gorgeous; such beautiful photos that remind me of a great start to a trip!

Thanks! Since I can’t travel right now, the journal lets me relive that last trip.

😄 😄 😄 I think Carmen already left for Peru 😮

Unfortunately, not yet... but I’m in the process of canceling some things.

So it wasn’t a stray dog after all. That makes me feel better. The family that owned this dog was really out of line: they didn’t even come to apologize. What losers!

True, the family could’ve come to get their dog and said sorry.

Carmen, you’re really obsessed with Peru!!! 😏

Yep... 😄

When you’ve been planning a trip for months, it’s disappointing when you can’t go. But we’re definitely not the only ones in this situation, and things could be worse.

When we can travel again one day, I’ll think about planning another trip to Bolivia, not Peru. But for now, I can’t even imagine the future—the situation is just too uncertain.

I’m struggling to picture the future too, and I don’t like planning trips years in advance. For 2021, I’m hoping to go to Peru. Next autumn, we were supposed to go to Croatia and Montenegro, but we haven’t made any bookings. In May, instead of Peru, we’re hoping to take a trip to Switzerland. Anyway, for now, we’re just walking our dog. Luckily, we don’t have a total lockdown like in some countries.

I don’t know. All the Peruvians have to go vote—is that one of the reasons? You can ask them on your next trip.

Bolivians too, no?😛

😄 😄 😄 I think Carmen already left for Peru 😮

Looks like it 😄

Unfortunately not, but it’s only postponed.😛

Hi Carmen! 🙂

This region around Tupiza is absolutely stunning. I really regret not having seen it! 😕 Bolivia is definitely a beautiful country with such varied landscapes.