Things we loved:
- Incredibly diverse landscapes (salt flats, rock formations, geisers, volcanic mountains, impressive and expansive of mountain ranges, colourful Andean lakes, unique wild and domesticated animals)
- Towering snow capped mountains prominently formed the back drop of the country in many cities
- Hot spring in subzero temperatures without any of the expected supporting facilities
- Fascinating cultures in various periods
- Lake Titicaca and the trails along the Isla del Sol
- Relatively affordable tours, meals, and accommodations
- Quinoa soup was really tasty
- Potosina beer (seems only available locally in Potosi) tasted great while the Pisco Sour was not as good as in Peru. Bolivians' own national drink is called have Chuflay that rivals Pisco Sour
- Safe country to explore without having to worry about one's safety
- Minimum smoking by Bolivians; smokers are usually only tourists
Things that we have yet to appreciate:
- Dusty, dry, diesel fumes polluted and noisy cities (La Paz and Santa Cruz, in particular) - these things assault your senses as soon as you step outside - day and night
- Extreme temperatures on water - Hot water too hot or no hot water at all (it's not easy to choose either scoldingly hot water or icy cold water to take a shower)
- Some of the places (Uyuni, in particular) only provided bare minimum on washroom facilities, with no toilet paper, soap, or water to wash hands
- Choices of food limited - mostly roasted chicken (one can only have chicken dinner for so many nights before getting tired of it, no matter how tasty the chickens were)
Hard to imagine that we only explored 30-40% of Bolivia. Most of Bolivia is actually in Amazon or the eastern lowland. Bolivia is on the verge of being discovered by the rest of the world while the country is trying its best to improve the infrastructure and upgrade its existing facilities. Bolivia is not a country to have a relaxing vacation (at least not yet) but rather, it is a fascinating place to expand one's horizons, comfort zones and stretch one's limits, leading to a deeper appreciation on what one has and learn to enjoy the moments. We are so glad to be able to visit this amazing country and added so many precious memories on our travel blog.
Next leg will be Northern Chile and Easter Island!
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