*** I would like to make a note that the focus of my blog will change slightly from here on out. I am going to start incorporating more specific information, such as how to catch a certain bus, which are the best tour companies to book with and include hostel reviews, while at the same time maintaining my journal-type writing style. In doing this I hope to make this blog a bit more useful to fellow travelers and anyone who would like to do these things in the future. Now let me commence...
Enjoying the outdoors around Sucre! After arriving in Sucre, my favorite Bolivian city that we have visited so far, we quickly decided to enjoy some of the beautiful nature that the surrounding areas have to offer. We arrived on local transport from Potosi around 6 pm and caught a taxi to our hostel. The bus terminal in Sucre is about 3 kilometers from the main square (about a 30 minute walk), so instead of carrying our big packs all that way we took a taxi for 10 Bolivianos. We had the driver drop us off at Amigo Backpackers Hostel, where we decided to stay because they have a communal kitchen that can be used after 1pm. It was only 40 Bolivianos for a private room with breakfast included and use of the kitchen. We like having a kitchen so we can just grab some cheap veggies at the local market and make our own dinner on the cheap. Lauren misses cooking so I let her do all the work because she likes it, while I get to reap the benefits of a yummy healthy meal. The hostel had a unique layout; it was 3 stories tall with a central courtyard that had an open roof, so unless you were in your room there was a feeling of being partially outside. I personally liked it, but I can see how it would become a bit awkward in the rain. Some rooms had a TV, though ours didn't, so I'm not sure if those rooms cost extra. Breakfast consisted of the usual 2 pieces of local bread with butter and a strange sweet applesauce instead of jam, an egg, a glass of Tampico 'orange juice,' and choice of coffee or tea. All in all I liked the place we stayed, and the price was right. After checking in we went and grabbed a really cheap lentil burger at a yummy vegetarian restaurant that Lauren found in her guidebook, called El German, which is right down the street from the Mercado Central on Calle San Alberto. The burger was really good and they also have a cheap 3 course lunch special so we knew we'd be back. Sucre is probably the nicest Bolivian city we've seen and it's fairly apparent that the city is wealthy, despite the ever present beggars on the streets. Sucre used to be the Bolivian capital but after the civil war between La Paz and Sucre a number of years ago, the governmental capital moved to La Paz. I have sensed there is still some tension about that to this day.
The next day we went in search of a tour agency with which to do some trekking in the area. We had read about a place called Las Siete Cascadas (the 7 waterfalls), a place called Maragua Crater, an old Inca Trail that you can hike, and also about a dinosaur theme park that features large statues of dinosaurs as well as fossilized footprints. Since there seemed to be no shortage of activities in the area, we went in search of a company that offered tours to these places, as we read you can't really do them on your own. We have found in South America that a tour is only necessary about half the time, even when websites online say they are difficult to do alone. This happened to be one of those times that a tour was necessary, since we were most interested in the crater and Inca Trail. While the waterfalls are probably really nice in the wet season, we read that during the dry season they are nothing more than a muddy trickle of water. Unfortunately since it was a Sunday none of the tour agencies were open. Sundays down here are a bit of a bummer if you want to do anything besides sit around, because everything is closed. It worked out in the end because the company we most wanted to book with, called Condor Trekkers, has their office inside of a cafe of the same name that opens at noon on Sundays. We had read great reviews about them online and we really wanted to book with them because they are a nonprofit organization that gives a lot to the communities that are visited on the tour. They have multiple trekking options, from 2-4 days, as well as a city tour of Sucre that I've heard is also really good. We chose to participate in the 3-day trek (600 Bolivianos, $87) that would take us to the heart of the Maragua Crater, as well as one waterfall and some dinosaur footprints that aren't associated with the Dino park. The tour didn't depart until September 2nd and it was only the 31st, so we had another day to relax and enjoy the city. We got some ice cream at one of the many heladerias, which are relatively rare in the other towns we've seen, and we stopped by the Mercado Central to pick up some local fruit, cheese and veggies for dinner that night. There is even a street lined with chocolate shops near the main square, so of course we popped in and got some truffles. That was an even rarer treat than the ice cream.
That night I found out how much banks truly suck, or my bank at least. I had realized awhile ago that every time I withdrew money, I was getting charged more than what I converted in my conversion apps on my phone. I did the math and in total the banks have stolen about $90 from me, not including the $5 non-Chase ATM fee every time. $90 may not sound like a lot but I don't have very much to begin with, so for me that's an entire excursion or a few days of living here. Lauren for some reason isn't getting screwed over the way I am (she only gets charged about $2 each time instead of $20) so it must have something to do with Chase. A word of advice if you're ever traveling, seek out a bank that is more well known around the world. Apparently Wells Fargo is a little better (that's what Lauren has), and I am going to start trying to have money sent to me through Western Union. They charge a $10 flat fee, which is better than the $20-$25 I've been paying to withdraw from ATMs. If you're ever traveling on as tight a budget as I am, a word of caution that banks are thieves! As if we all didn't already know that. One good thing about all of that is the discovery that followed. I was so pissed off that night that I needed to take a walk, so I walked down to a plaza we had discovered by accident the night before. Here I found that a fountain light show was going on, and many of the locals brought their families to enjoy the show. It was one of those shows where different sized streams of water are released and lit up with different colors, all in time to various music. I took a seat on one of the many benches surrounding the fountain and watched the show for awhile until I felt much better. It was an awesome little plaza and I really enjoyed walking around it.
We had one more full day to kill in Sucre and I spent it lounging in the main square reading my guide book, while about 8 different people came up to chat with me and ask for money. It's getting harder to say no to people who are clearly so poor and just want a few coins, but there are so many beggars on the street that I can't give to all of them. So that's tough, but all I can do is give when I can and hope that others are doing the same.
On September 2nd we began our 3-day trek. In actuality it was only a 2-day trek, with the third day consisting of transport back to Sucre and lunch at the Condor Cafe. We set off at 7am with our awesome English-speaking guide named Johnny. We have learned that English-speaking guides are rare in Bolivia, at least from our experience. We drove an hour up to a chapel overlooking the city, where we enjoyed a breakfast of banana bread, bananas and coffee. Johnny then divided the remaining Tupperware, containing our lunch, among the group to carry during the hike. We set off along the trail, which took us winding down a rocky mountainside. The views of the valley were awesome, and the mountains were very colorful. Along the way we all chatted amongst ourselves. We had a great group for this trip, consisting of 7 people total plus our guide. Besides Lauren and I, there was a couple from Australia, Dora and Toby, who had been traveling through Central and South America for a year now so they were very knowledgable about certain places we hope to visit; a Swiss girl named Olivia who is really sweet and fluent in Spanish, English and German; a friendly German guy named Arman who has been traveling since January of this year; and a fellow Californian named Elena who has been traveling the entire world since January of 2013. Needless to say we were in great company, since we would both love to travel for that long and we got to benefit from all their previous knowledge.
After 3-4 hours of hiking with some small breaks we stopped for lunch at a lovely waterfall, and Johnny proceeded to lay out an entire vegetable buffet for us. The whole group ate veggie food for the duration of the trek, and since Elena was a veggie too we were pretty stoked. Lunch consisted of baguette sandwiches, which we packed full of avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce and cheese, with hard boiled eggs on the side. At one point a little frog came out of the pond and hopped right up to Toby's foot, so we got to play with him for a bit. Frogs are one of my favorite animals, I just love them. But after that I was dissuaded from wading around in the pond anymore for fear of accidentally squishing some.
The 3 hour hike after lunch was almost entirely uphill. It wasn't too strenuous in itself, but we were all still trying to digest the massive lunch we had just eaten so we were all moving slowly. I thoroughly enjoyed the view of the surrounding mountains and being so isolated in nature. On all our other treks and tours we were almost always within sight of another tour group, but not this one; we were completely alone. It was awesome. At about 4pm we arrived to the village in the heart of the Maragua Crater, where we were to spend the night. Johnny explained that the crater wasn't an actual volcanic crater, which is what we had been told, but it is actually an ancient lakebed which was used as a watering hole by the local dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Our accommodation was humble but cozy, and we had a hut with a giant table which we used for dinner and hours of card games afterwards. Dinner was just as hearty as lunch, we had quinoa soup followed by pasta with carrot tomato sauce and cheese. Condor Trekkers definitely makes sure their clients don't go hungry on this trip. Right before we ate Johnny led us to the Garganta del Diablo (Throat of the Devil), which is a cave that overlooks a deep canyon cut by a river. Again the view was spectacular. We hung out there for a little while and then Johnny took us to the local school in the village, to which Condor Trekkers donates a lot of their money. The school has about 400 students of all ages and the donations help pay for books for the library, as well as other materials the students might need. It was cool to see the community where our money was being donated. That night we sat around for hours hanging out and playing different card games. Arman taught us a kind of strange (I'm guessing German?) game that was fun but everyone had a bit of a hard time catching on. Then Toby taught us how to play a game called f*** the Dealer. With a name like that you know it's got to be fun. After a long night of laughter and bonding we curled up in our warm beds.
The next morning we had oatmeal with apples, bananas and orange wedges, along with the usual coffee, hot chocolate or tea. Johnny brought out cookies as well, so much food! I wasn't about to complain, it was all delicious. We set out for our second day of hiking and almost immediately we had to walk uphill. It makes sense, as we were hiking out from the center of a crater. On the way we came across some local kids trying to sell 'fossils' and bracelets, and Johnny gave them each a little treat. I gave 2 really cute girls my package of cookies I had brought because I was being fed so well I didn't need them, and they were really happy. It might not have been the best idea because it was brought to my attention afterwards that too much sugar is bad for the kids because they can't afford the dental care, so suddenly my good deed didn't seem so good. But now I know to give them fruit or school supplies instead, and I will keep that in mind for the future. At the top rim of the crater we rested and enjoyed the view for a bit, before continuing on for another hour or 2 to the dinosaur tracks. On the way we saw even more locals and Johnny stopped to give each of them some fruit or a nice big handful of coca leaves, which they all accepted gratefully. We arrived to the dinosaur tracks sound midday and hung out for a while. There were 3 different types of tracks so we took some photos and shared snacks. There was a small debate about whether or not they are legitimate, but I for one choose to believe they are real. We continued on another hour or so until stopping under a tree for lunch. During the walk Johnny and I exchanged ghost stories, real personal experiences we've had with the supernatural, so that was interesting. Apparently Sucre is haunted from all the bodies buried under the city and Johnny believes he has seen a ghost. From listening to his story I believe that he has. Lunch was delicious again, and we played with the horses that kept inching closer and closer to us. We thought they might enjoy an apple or 2 but wouldn't eat them when we tried to feed them, so instead we gave our apples and extra food to an older woman who had camped out next to us in the hopes of obtaining some free food. She looked like she needed it, as most of the locals do. When we were finished and trying to rest, a pack of children came over and stared at us while occasionally laughing at us and asking for sweets. At that point the food was gone and we had nothing left to give them, and given the fact that they were making fun of us Johnny decided it was time to go. We hiked another couple hours to the village we would be sleeping in that night. The village seemed a bit larger than the first one and the accommodation was pretty similar, except this time there was a 'hot' shower if we wanted one. Again we spent the time after dinner playing cards, and this time Johnny joined us, so that was fun. In total we had done approximately 7 hours of trekking each day for the last 2 days so we were all nice and worked.
On our final day we woke and had breakfast early, and then crammed into a Collectivo and rode the uncomfortable 3 hours back to Sucre. At this point we've all traveled long enough to be used to uncomfortable transportation. We arrived back at Condor Cafe at 10:30am and had an hour and a half to kill before our free lunch at the cafe. We wandered to the market and bought some shortbread cookies, then got some juice in a bag and a spice called locoto, which we all fell in love with on the trek. It's a really spicy seasoning made from a hot pepper and it makes everything taste better. Between the 7 of us I think we went through almost an entire shaker. Lunch was delicious; we got quinoa soup followed by a yummy veggie lasagna with salad on the side and a chocolate chip cupcake for dessert. I would highly recommend Condor Cafe, they have delicious vegetarian food and the proceeds are for a good cause. I would also obviously recommend doing the trek with Condor Trekkers if you like hiking, as it is fun and rewarding and also for a good cause. After lunch we had about 5 hours before our bus to Cochabamba, so we sat around writing our blogs. I walked to my favorite plaza for a bit, where I am currently finishing this up. Wish us luck on this 9 hour overnight bus ride; we've heard some stories about Bolivian buses so let's hope it works out alright. Hasta Cochabama!