Bolivia: Exploring the South Lipez by Self-Drive (page 19 of 21)

Hi Anne-Claire, 🙂

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

Yes, the Tupiza region is gorgeous, especially the stretch from Guadalupe through Rio Seco.

Gotta go back sometime...😉

Carmen

21.10. Tupiza – Sucre, Selenita

After an early breakfast, we load up the car and fill up on gas. When I ask, the attendant says there’s no blockade in Potosí today, so we won’t need to take the alternative routes to reach Sucre. That’s a relief, because it would’ve added quite a bit of time to the drive.

At the toll booth, the woman confirms we can go through Potosí, but that won’t be the case tomorrow. We reach Potosí without any issues and drive a few more kilometers before stopping to eat.

Cerro Rico and its mine



After two weeks in the South Lipez, we overlook the city of Potosí. It’s in these streets that we got blocked several times.

Just before entering Sucre, we fill up on gas one last time. Maps.me guides us straight to Biz’s place. Alejandra is chatting with a French couple. We quickly realize it’s Jean-Louis, a forum member, and his wife. We arrange to meet up tonight for dinner together.

The car is inspected down to the smallest detail. No issues—everything seems in order. But it’s so dirty they’re going to wash it and do a second check afterward. Alejandra will send us a message to let us know if everything’s okay. It was. We’ve driven 2,243 kilometers with an average consumption of 12 liters/100 km. You could say the Hilux’s fuel efficiency is pretty good on this kind of terrain.

When we arrive in Sucre, we see smoke in the city. Alejandra explains that the electoral tribunal was set on fire and many streets are blocked. She talks about fraud and thinks Morales will do anything to win the elections. We chat a bit more with Alejandra and the agency owner. They don’t know the Rio Seco–Guadalupe area at all and are happy to see the photos. We ask Alejandra to call the Sun Hotel in Santa Cruz for us to book a room. Before our international flight, we’d rather spend a night near Santa Cruz’s airport to avoid the risk of missing it.

We take a taxi back to Selenita. As when we arrived, Emilie’s welcome is warm, and Tina, the Labrador, is overjoyed to see us again. We settle in and go meet Jean-Louis and Domi. We eat together at La Taverne restaurant. The meal is delicious, and we have a great evening with them. It’s almost 11 p.m. when we walk back up to Selenita.

The rest is here: https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=10121598;a=10121598

Hi Pascale, 🙂

I missed your message, sorry.

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

Thanks! The landscapes are exceptional, so it’s easy to take great photos.

I’ve been following your travel updates for several years (discovered on another forum) and it’s always with the same pleasure.

It’s been a while since I’ve been on the other forum—we haven’t had the US on the itinerary since 2014. Thanks for stopping by this travel journal. 🙂

See you soon, Carmen

22.10. Sucre, Selenita

We wake up at seven o’clock—last night was restless in Sucre and in many other cities across the country. We heard firecrackers all night, and this morning, smoke is still rising from the electoral tribunal.

We head downtown, but the roads are blocked, and no cars are moving in the city center. Protesters are in the streets, waving small Bolivian flags. Schools and the university are closed, and everything seems to be moving in slow motion. For us, though, it’s actually quite nice—we can get around without worrying about traffic. Several times, we have to pass through barricades, but the protesters let us through without any issues.

The Casa de la Libertad is closed due to the protest. We visit the cathedral and its museum. Today, the tour is self-guided, which doesn’t bother us at all—we prefer exploring at our own pace. A police officer unlocks the different rooms for us and locks them again once we’ve passed through.





At the Charcas Museum, we check out the anthropological section. You can see pottery, weapons, and everyday objects from all the major pre-Columbian cultures. In the back room, a few mummies and skulls are on display.





Next, we head to the Museum of Ethnography and Folklore, MUSEF. We wanted to see the collection of ritual masks, but they’re no longer in Sucre—you have to go to La Paz to see them. Too bad, but the section on women from the pre-Hispanic era is interesting. Like in the other museums, the guard seems happy to welcome tourists. He gives us explanations in English and asks if we’d like to watch a film about Bolivia. The film isn’t great quality, but the guard is thrilled when we thank him for the "beautiful" film. As in the other museums, MUSEF has lovely inner courtyards with fountains and columns.







We eat at La Taverne again. After two weeks in the South Lipez, it’s really nice to eat at a good restaurant with well-prepared dishes. The daily menu is 58 bolivianos. We can choose from different starters, two main courses, and three desserts. As usual, the food is delicious and the plates are beautifully presented.

We stroll through the streets and head to the Mercado Central. Wandering around this market is so much fun—we never get tired of it. The spice section is wonderfully fragrant and tickles your nose. A little further on, huge, colorful cakes are on display. Bolivians seem to love sweets. Many are sitting on the ground, eating their lunch. We settle in to have a glass of fruit juice—orange-mango for Benoît and pineapple-mango for me. The juices are amazing! The lady seems happy to see we like her juices and refills half a glass for each of us. Bolivians are really lovely.

A beautiful courtyard we visit along the way The Mercado Central



The Museo del Tesoro opens at 3 PM, so we leave the market. This small museum, with guided tours in English, Spanish, or French, is really beautiful and interesting. It was funded by a family of jewelers. You learn a lot about mining, gemstones, silver, and gold. The display cases are stunning, and our young guide’s explanations are fascinating. A model of a mine is on display, and the guide turns on little lights as she explains things to show us what she’s talking about. Unfortunately, photography isn’t allowed.

There are a lot more people in the streets now than before. Protesters are everywhere, and tires are burning in the middle of intersections. To avoid the protesters, we go around the Plaza de Mayo from the back and buy some chocolate made with Bolivian cocoa beans at a chocolatier. Then, we decide to head up to Selenita.

Amazonas Airlines tried to reach us and eventually sent an email. Our flight tomorrow afternoon is canceled, and they’ve rebooked us on the evening flight. Emilie tries to contact Amazonas for us, but they end up calling Benoît’s phone. I answer, and the lady transfers me to someone who speaks English. I explain that we have an international flight to catch and don’t want to take any risks. She offers us a flight tomorrow morning—perfect. With the general strike announced for tomorrow, it’s safer to leave the city as early as possible. We chat with Emilie a bit more before heading back downtown to have dinner at La Taverne. My Roquefort steak is delicious, and Benoît’s steak with caramel-whisky sauce is just as good.

The rest is here: https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=10124136;a=10124136

Looks like you made it back just in time.... Muriel

Looks like you made it back just in time.... Muriel

Yeah, definitely, but the trip isn’t quite over yet.

23.10. Sucre – Santa Cruz, Sun Hotel

The alarm goes off at six, we finish loading our bags and head for breakfast. Felix, our driver, is early, and Emilie comes to get us, saying it’d be best to leave right away. Felix drives fast—he wants to get back to the city as quickly as possible. A few kilometers from the airport, the road is blocked. Felix launches into a long explanation, telling them we’re only going to the airport, and luckily, we’re allowed through.

In the airport hall, on the departures board, our flight is listed as “delayed.” That’s a great start. Finally, at check-in, we’re told the flight will leave on time. The announcement on the board was wrong. When we see our plane arriving from Santa Cruz, we’re relieved. The plane is half-empty, so we can spread out.



In Santa Cruz, we pick up our luggage quickly and take a taxi to the Sun Hotel. The road to the hotel is blocked, the driver talks to the protesters, and they finally let us through. A little further on, he cuts across a grassy strip and takes the highway the wrong way.

Once at the hotel, we check in and settle into our room. It’s on the ground floor with direct access to the pool. The room is huge, the bed is enormous, there’s also a sitting area and a lovely bathroom. We’re not used to such comfort anymore. The pool is massive, with plenty of sun loungers around it, and the park is beautifully landscaped with flowers.



We spend a quiet day between the pool and our room. In the evening, we dine at the hotel restaurant. The food is delicious—we really enjoy it.

24.10. Santa Cruz – São Paulo - Zurich

Breakfast is served in a windowless room, so we ask if we can sit on the terrace by the pool. No problem—they even bring us a tray so we don’t have to make too many trips back and forth. 🙂 The buffet is huge, with lots of options.

The hotel shuttle is supposed to take us to the airport, but the road is still blocked. We have to walk a short distance, cross the highway, and catch the shuttle on the other side. Since yesterday afternoon, no cars have been able to reach the hotel.

Our flight with GOL leaves on time, and just like on the way there, we get a sandwich and something to drink. Our layover is really short—only an hour. The flight attendant moves us to the front so we can exit the plane quickly.

There are a lot of people at São Paulo airport, but we make it to our gate without any issues. The flight to Zurich with Swiss is pleasant. However, the flight time is longer than expected because Spanish air traffic controllers are on strike, so the plane has to take a more northerly route. For the night, the cabin crew sets up a small buffet with drinks, apples, savory biscuits, Linz tarts, and Appenzell Biberlis. For those who don’t know, the Appenzell Biberli is a kind of honey biscuit filled with marzipan.

25.10. Zurich - home

We arrive in Zurich at 10:40. We have to go through customs before changing terminals to catch our final flight to Geneva. After collecting our luggage, we hurry to take the train.

We go to pick up our dog, and Benoît has to go to the emergency room in Lausanne to get vaccinated against rabies. They give him six injections around the bite and one in his shoulder. 😮 He’ll have to go back for booster shots. Luckily, he wasn’t bitten at the start of the trip, because it’s hard to find this vaccine in Bolivia. Fortunately, he could wait and get it done in Switzerland.

That’s it—the travel journal is finished! I hope I’ve inspired you to discover the beautiful South Lipez region.

Hi Carmen,

Thanks for this lovely travel journal and congratulations again on the stunning photos.

There you go, the travel journal is finished—I hope I’ve inspired you to discover the beautiful South Lipez region.

Thanks, Carmen, for this amazing journal 🙂 Oh, absolutely! It’s made me want to see those stunning landscapes, but when? This year will probably be a write-off—after canceling Kenya, where we should be right now, our flight to Peru this summer was also canceled. I hope we can postpone it until next year . In the meantime, we’re escaping through travel journals, and it feels good 😉.

Thanks Carmen for introducing me to this country and its beautiful lagoons!

Hi Isabelle, 🙂

Oh yes, absolutely! It made me want to see those stunning landscapes, but when? This year will probably be a blank year for us. After canceling Kenya, where we should be right now, our flight to Peru this summer was also canceled. I hope we can postpone it until next year.

Oh, I didn’t know you were supposed to be in Kenya. What a fantastic itinerary you had planned for this year—Oman, Kenya, Peru...

It’s unbelievable that your flight to Peru was already canceled. You were flying with Air Canada, right? For us, four weeks before departure, Iberia only canceled one out of six flights. Canceled for Geneva-Madrid, but Madrid-Lima, the domestic flights, and the return flights are still confirmed.🤪

Were you able to cancel your on-site services without any loss?

Is the airline going to refund you or are you getting a credit?

In the meantime, we’re escaping through travel journals, and it’s doing us good 😉.

Yeah, we don’t really have a choice anyway. But I’m really surprised about your August cancellation. I thought you’d definitely have better luck than us.

What’s your destination for next Christmas?

Carmen

Thanks Carmen for introducing me to this country and its beautiful lagoons!

Thanks to you—I know you’re not a big fan of desert landscapes. You really went out of your way there...[;]

Hi Nathalie,

Thanks for this lovely travel journal and congratulations again on the stunning photos.

Thanks for your message. 🙂

When’s the next part of Japan coming? I know I was lucky to see some of the photos in advance, but I’d love to see the whole thing.

Carmen

Thanks to you—I know you’re not a big fan of desert landscapes. You really went out of your way there...😉

In photos it’s fine, and since I didn’t know the area at all, it’s a great way to discover places I’d probably never set foot in

It's unbelievable that your flight to Peru was already canceled. You were flying with Air Canada, right? For us, four weeks before departure, Iberia only canceled one out of six flights. Canceled for Geneva - Madrid, but the Madrid - Lima flight, domestic flights, and return flights are still confirmed.

Were you able to cancel your on-site services without any loss?

Is the airline going to refund you or are you getting a credit?

Yes, we had booked with Air Canada. They don’t refund but give a credit valid for two years, so we’ll reschedule Peru for next summer. As for the services, we went through a local agency and already paid a deposit. We can postpone it to next year, but we’ll lose some fees, like exchange fees for the domestic flight. But it won’t be huge.

I checked flights for our dates, and only Iberia is offering flights to Peru at prices that defy all competition: 680 € instead of 1500 € when I booked the flights last September. Since I think we won’t be able to leave the Schengen area this summer, it’s risky to buy other tickets. So, it doesn’t surprise me that Iberia hasn’t canceled your flights yet. I get the impression they’re trying to maximize cash flow by making it seem like the flights might still happen.

What’s your destination for next Christmas?

I had several options, but I’ll admit I’ve let everything go for now. We’ve postponed our Kenya trip to late November. If we can go, that’ll already be great!

What an amazing travel journal and gorgeous photos—they’ve just made me want to go back to this region on a self-drive trip. The tour operator version already blew me away five years ago, but self-driving clearly takes it to another level.

Anyway, thanks for this little escape during lockdown! Can’t wait for the next adventure.

Hi Carmen,

When’s the rest of Japan coming? I know I was lucky to see some of the photos early, but I’d love to see the whole thing. It’s in the starting blocks. I’ll let you know when it’s online!

I’m not gonna be original: thanks Carmen for all these beautiful photos 🙂. I’ve been dreaming a lot... even if, honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever take such a trip . This whole region of the world (southern Bolivia, northern Chile, and the Argentine Northwest) really looks amazing. Muriel