La Paz and Sucre: February 2016  

Walking in La Paz. no bueno.

We did nothing in La Paz. We received some recommendations, but to be honest, we weren’t interested. Instead, we planned the rest of our trip in Bolivia. We needed to buy bus tickets, so we walked to the same company I had used on my last trip to Bolivia. Javier had done hours of research, only to come to the conclusion that it was the best company around. We decided to see what they had to offer. While the bus was booked for the next 5 days, the worker was so helpful! He gave us his opinion on where to go, where to stay, and what to do. We also used their wi-fi, which was the real life saver. Thanks to him, we decided to take the long way to Uyuni with our first stop in Sucre. We had both heard good things, but now it was time to do some research.  We booked a hotel and walked about a mile through the overcrowded streets to get there.

View from our hotel in La Paz.

Not having done any real research ahead of time, I have to say, this hotel is one of the nicer places we have stayed in quite a while. In the comfort of our charming, comfortable, nicely decorated room (with great wi-fi) Javier looked up Sucre, and decided it was worth the visit. We booked a hotel room and planned to buy our tickets for the following day.  

The following morning we overslept. Javier was really tired and couldn’t get up, and I didn’t realize we had lost an hour. So, by the time Javier was up and ready, breakfast was over. He was SO bummed. I called the front desk and asked if it was possible for us to still eat. She went to the dining area and told them to stop cleaning up so we could have something. They were so nice! We have really low expectations in these parts, but they let us eat, made us fresh eggs, and were truly gracious. It was such a pleasant surprise!

Bus terminal in La Paz.

After breakfast, we showered, checked out, and walked to the bus station to buy our tickets for later that evening. On the way back, we stopped to eat salteñas (of course) and spent the rest of the day in the comfort of our hotel- me blogging, and Javier planning his bachelor party 🙂

Our ride to Sucre was less than great. Our bus was supposed to depart by 7pm, make one additional stop, and arrive in Sucre 12 hours later. Well, we didn’t leave until 7:30pm, made at least four stops, and didn’t arrive to Sucre until 13.5 hours later. While I wouldn’t say I slept well, I definitely slept better than Javier.

Jackie sleeping. Overnight bus to Sucre.

The bus was not very good, so the space for the “full bed” seats were rather tight. The girl behind Javier (who was normal Bolivian size…small) would not put her legs down, meaning that Javier couldn’t recline his seat all the way. I mean, if we, who are close to a foot taller than her, can allow the people in front of us to fully recline, so could she. He was upset, but everyone around was already sleeping, so he didn’t want to make a scene and wake them, instead he suffered in silence.  

We arrived at the Sucre bus terminal and caught a cab to our hotel. What an adorable hotel! It was a great little spanish-style villa in the middle of a secret garden. It was truly a little slice of paradise. We were hungry so we set out to find breakfast. Sucre is such a cute town.

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La Catedral Metropolitana. Sucre.

Most places were not open yet, and the streets were virtually empty. Such a huge contrast from where we came from. Sucre has many white buildings giving it the nickname, “the white city.” It feels very colonial, and many of the churches on every corner look like California missions. We walked to the plaza, where we found a place to eat. After breakfast, Javier was already getting tired, but instead of going home to take a nap, we powered through. We walked to the Liberty House, but it was closed for lunch, so we continued on to the central market, where we saw the usual animal parts, complete with buzzing flies, and had a juice. We checked out the park, and decided to go for a run either later that day or the next. Sucre is also hilly, and we found ourselves winded several times on our walk home.

Juice time.

We took care of some wedding errands at home, and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. It was Valentine’s Day, so Javier asked the receptionist where we should eat. She gave us the name of the best “Italian” restaurant Sucre has to offer. She called ahead for us, and turned out, they were fully booked, with one table available. We took it, and walked over. I have to say, there was nothing “Italian” about this restaurant except for the fact that they have a few dishes with fettuccine. I should mention that you can find either spaghetti or fettuccine on just about every menu in Bolivia. The food was decent, not great, but probably better than anything else we would have found. Sadly, unlike their Peruvian neighbors, Bolivia’s cuisine leaves much to be desired. 

Casa de la Liberad. Sucre. Bolivia.

The next morning we went for a run for the first time in a few months. It was difficult and it doesn’t help that the entire city is over 9,000 feet above sea level and hilly. Either way, it felt good to get out there and move. After a quick shower, we tried to make it to the Liberty House and were once again, unsuccessful. It just wasn’t meant to be. On the way to lunch, we stopped to watch a presidential parade. It’s an election year in Peru, so we had seen several car parades with loud speakers, blasting music and other propaganda. They are always a nuisance- driving slowly, disrupting traffic, with adults and children hanging out windows and the backs of trucks yelling and carrying on. Well, this was a whole new level. There was one car with a speaker and everyone else on foot. They carried a banner in front of them, and promptly stopped in the middle of an intersection.

Political campaign in Sucre.

They literally stopped traffic. People were honking and very upset, but they just stood with their banner yelling and cheering. Javier and I just stood there and in awe. After a few minutes, someone had the bright idea to move 20 ft to the side and kept cheering from the park sidewalk. Unbelievable. For lunch we tried some more salteñas. We were determined to find the best salteñas. In the end, we discovered that the best salteñas are in Cusco. 🙂 On our way home, we stopped to buy Javier a sandwich for the bus ride to Potosi. Bye-bye Sucre.

Parque Bolivar. Sucre. Bolivia.

To see more pictures of Bolivia, click HERE.