Well there hasn't been much Wifi for the last few days so a bit to catch up on. Another long and largely sleepless overnight bus trip to Sucre. Comfortable seats with a huge recline but much of the travelling was through mountainous country side, so twisting roads. Arrived into Sucre around 8.00am. Although Bolivia's parliament sits in La Paz, Sucre is the costitutional capital, so a very important city within Bolivian society. Sucre is a picturesque city. Some stunning architecture and gardens and at the same time quite modern by Bolivian standards. A quick breakfast and we set off on yet another bus trip of about an hour to the village of Tarabuco. The reason being that there is a huge Sunday market, mainly dealing in indigenous crafts, natural medicines and the like. The scenery on the way was quite stunning. Mountains and valleys. There didn't seem to be much happening when we arrived, a few stalls around the central plaza and that was it. But once we started wandering the streets it began to unfold. Stall after stall. Weaving was the main product. Wall hangings, table clothes, hats, and clothing being the predominant items. And as we had come to expect bright vibrant colours were the order of the day. In what appeared to be the "official" market area there was a plethora of stalls selling some very enticing looking food. Soups with massive chicken portions seemed to be the most popular. Interestingly pasta is a very popular dish here, athough they tend to shallow fry it frst before adding other ingredients of meat and vegetables. Having said that I had tradtional lunch of chicken and pasta washed down with a Huari beer. Bolivians have a strong belief in natural remedies, including witch doctors.
Whilst there were no witch doctors at the market there were ample packets of powders to treat/cure such things as diabetes, blood pressure and stress to name just a few. Back to Sucre and a group dinner that night, followed by a much needed good nights sleep.
The next morning 7 of us headed out to Chataquila for 3 hour hike along the Camino del Inca trail. On the way to meet our transport we came across a huge military parade in the main plaza. This was a celebration connected to the Independence Day celebrations from the previous day. Quite a sight. The walk was 4.3km through some spectacular mountain country. Again magnificent scenery. The landscape and colours were so varied. Volcanic rocky outcrops, colours of red, grey and greenish coppery hues. In the distance grass covered hills and then further over more rocky mountain outcrops. It looked like a mountain range in a valley. At the end of the walk we drove to the village of Maragua where we had lunch that our driver and guide had brought along. A dusty drive home that provided us with a great view over Sucre.
The next day was a day for wandering the streets to discover what Sucre had to offer. First stop was Parque Bolivar, a tribute to Simon Bolivar, after whom Bolivia is named. Beautiful park, with a small Eiffel Tower as its centre piece. Okay, a little imagination is required, but it was built by the same person who built the famed Paris landmark. Next was the mercado for a morning tea of saltena, a little similar to a cornish pastie. Next was the Museum of Etnografia and Folklore. Housed in a magnificent building it has an extensive collection which traces the history of the many Bolivian ethnic cultures. Then followed the Museum Universitario Charcas. Another excellent anthropological exhibit which included artefacts such as skulls, mummies, weapons, pottery and tools from the many different ethnic regions of Bolivia. Finally it was the Casa de Libertad where the Bolivian Declaration of Independence was signed in August 1825. This very cultural day ended with the entire group having dinner at a nightclub where the entertainment was a display of many different ethnic Bolivian dances. The costumes were spectacular and some of the dancing was very energetic to say the least.
Our time in Sucre had been varied, interesting but overall extremely enjoyable. It was a city that had an inviting feel and certainly one where more time could be spent. But our time here had come to an end. There was more of Bolivia to see and early tomorrow morning we would be on a bus bound for Potosi.