It's not about the place ... Bolivia

 How was it?

“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times,” so starts Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. A charismatic hope or a near-visceral doom but depended on the side of the French Revolution you found yourself on.

Bolivia is rugged, confining and liberating, depending on the day, the view, the weather or the belief. This landlocked heart of South America is considered to be both one of the most biodiverse and one of the poorest nations on Earth. Though accounting for just 2 percent of the world’s land mass, it may hold roughly 40 percent of the planet’s species. And though double the acreage of France, it has just a tenth of its population. Nearly 40 percent of the 12-million population speak a language other than the country’s official language, Spanish. In fact, some 35 different indigenous languages are legally recognized in Bolivia, and along with Guatemala, it has by far the largest proportion of indigenous people in the Americas.

It’s as safe as it is poor. It’s as big as it is small. It’s as open as it is closed. It’s a never-ending adventure that does indeed come to an end.

Sucre and Tarija are probably Bolivia’s two most comfortable options for permanent living. Sucre is a small town with a city vibe: white, colonial-style buildings, a bustling plaza, a beautiful park, foreign restaurants, a modern supermarket and arguably the best pizza and ice cream in the country. It’s very walkable, and there seems to always be something to do. Plenty of foreigners come to visit, and Bolivians from around the nation come to study at the university. There’s a significant indigenous Quechua influence. Many women wear a traditional-dress blouse and a short skirt. Located in the interior of the country, Sucre offers a pleasant cultural mix of Western Bolivia's sincerity and Eastern Bolivia's openness. Tarija has even more of a small-town feel, surrounded by tranquil greenery and Bolivia’s wine region. Restaurants used to close at 8 pm and it used to have a come-here-just-to-retire vibe, but in recent years Tarija’s “nightlife” has become more respectably active. “Supermarket” options are still limited, but the nature is beautiful, the wine is great and the people are laid-back, normal and open. Both Sucre and Tarija have fabulous, temperate climates that are the envy of the rest of Bolivia.

Up against all the amazing touristic options on planet Earth, there are probably two places in Bolivia that hold their own against the world: La Paz and the Uyuni Salt Flat. La Paz is one of the most unique cities in existence. The highest city in the world with a population of at least 1,000,000 is jam-packed and seemingly built within the crater of a beautiful, imposing mountain. From the geography to the people, almost everything is something you probably have never seen and will never forget. The indigenous Aymara culture is everywhere, and many women dress in strikingly-different, old-fancy garb with Charlie Chaplin bowler hats. Supposedly some of them wrestle. The cheap teleférico cable-car system can take you from El Alto (where the international airport is located) down to La Paz, and the views during the ride are simply breathtaking. It was built by the Austrian company Dopplemayr and is a rare, technologically-modern feat for Bolivia. La Paz rivals Santa Cruz as perhaps the most developed city in Bolivia with the most and best restaurants, buildings, supermarkets and things to do. Its Mega Center VIP movie theater is one of the most spacious and best I’ve ever been to. Lake Titicaca delves you more into the world of ancient Aymara/Inca. Earth’s highest navigable body of water is a three-hour drive away from La Paz, and when combined with a small-boat trip and hike to the ruins on the Sun and Moon Islands, it becomes one of the best attractions in the Southern Hemisphere. Uyuni Salt Flat is a bit of an adventure to get to (most likely involving a long bus ride), but it is worth it and then some. White, hexagonal figures of salt as far as the eye can see make you feel like you are on another planet. In fact, a Star Wars movie was filmed here. Open a bottle of wine, lounge around and hope to experience thunder and lightning in a new universe. If it has rained, the water creates a well-beyond-words mirror effect that blurs the line between heaven and earth. And whatever the weather, depth perception and the endless ambiance allow for fantastically surreal photography. Add in hotels made almost entirely out of salt, a giant cactus island and hot springs in the vicinity, and you have one of the most interesting “vacations” you’ll ever experience.

Bolivia is cheap and landlocked. You won’t find a Wal-Mart, McDonalds or beach, but poverty doesn’t result in crime. In fact, the connection to tradition has contributed to a culture of contentment and values greatly lacking in modern society. Children are taught to respect and greet their neighbor. People are poor, but they’re okay with being poor. Strategic murder, perverted depravity and fierce envy/thievery are almost non-existent in comparison with the rest of the world. Relatively speaking, you can live like a king in a great apartment with a 300-to-600 (USD) monthly rent, and you can laugh and walk on the street speaking English without fear of being kidnapped. However, there are trade-offs.

No culture is perfect. Extreme contentment can blur into a resignation that fosters unwillingness to adapt to that which is different. Innovation, art, healthy pride, culinary delicacies, medical expertise and even blazing friendship become societally-peripheral concerns. While a lack of intense desire is great for crime, it can suffocate what you may know as life and love. Life, at times, can feel cheap. If you are attacked or in trouble, there is no reliable 911 in Bolivia. People sometimes die due to shoddy construction, medical malpractice or an inability to pay even a little more to take a loved one to a better hospital. Drunk driving is tolerated, bribery is king and court justice is laughable. Cars on poorly-maintained, crowded rural “roads” regularly fall off cliffs, and the bodies are never recovered. That’s not to say you can’t find a great doctor, great food, great friends or a great life, but just like everywhere, some things cost more than others. Though Bolivia’s affordable, it’s not free. 

So how was it?

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. I drew close to Jehovah. Almost lost my wife. It’s home, where you’re going, where you’ve been and where you are. It’s not better. It’s not worse. It’s just time, man. It’s just life.

He who’d be discouraged is young, though we’re all a little young. He who’d accept reality has a choice: grow up in a cocoon of nothing but familiar or grow up in the inverse of a brave new world.

In the end, jump in and do it.

Don’t sweat the place. Cherish the people.

Harold. Sergio. Daisy. Guillermo. Roxana. Elias. Gail. Grecia. Claudia. Estefania. Marizabel. Erika. Sara. Charlie. Dan. Lolly. Chris. Noemi. Paloma. Stace. Angel. Carl. Anita. Priscilla. Tim. Christine. Julio. Jimena. Aline. Eliane. Erick. Tati. Rafael. Lorraine. Ruben. Erman. Elias. Maribel. Yherim. Edwin Gustavo. Alejandra. Sergio. Anabel. Daniel. Ioné. Rut. Schdenka. Fiorella. Nicole. Lilian. Adan. Salomé. Dana. Lindana. Alan. Janelle. Ricardo. Carla. Carmen. Sonya. Matt. Alicia. Brentyn. Alex. Jackie. Natasha. Romy. Favi. Milton. Mariana. Noemi. Leslie. Alberth. Sabina. Sandra. Kyle. Jamie. Arlo. Mack. Mery. Florencio. Leticia. Misael. Pablo. Wilma. Winnie. Duglas. Amy. Milo. Javi. Kati. Pablo. Aby. Aby. Guillermina. Miguel. Maribel. Carol. Carol. Tatianai. Sol. Corina. Santiago. Joel. Karly. Joel. Rocio. Sean. Kierra. Carolina. Ricardo. Monica. Diego. Eugene. Tina. Phil. Undra. Dana. Aranza. Galilea. Ciara. Maritha. Ramiro. Hugo. Alejandra. Emmanuel. Eunice. Michael. Nadine. Kerstin. Simone. Mike. Celeste. Abias. Claudia. David. Lorena. Carmen. Cecilia. David. Kika. David. Ernesto. Laura. Ciro. Myrta. Diego. Marcia. Ingrid. Valentina. Carlos. Vanessa. Isabela. Jose Pepe. Jose Alfredo. Erika. Henry. Miguel. Wilson. Carla. Mia. Daisy. Fabio. Julia. Angel. Julia. Higor. Igor. Theo. Alexa and more.

I have no regrets; I feel substantially grateful from deep within.

Bye Bye Edwin. Bye Bye Eliane. Bye Bye Bolivia.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I’ll see you again.

Because it's not about the place.