The first time I visited South America, Peru specifically, I couldn't go to Bolivia due to our limited time. I ended up going back to South America in less than one year, and sucked up the hefty tourist visa fee to see the other side of Lake Titicaca, where everyone told me it was better than the Peruvian side. It wasn't.
I maybe still bitter about my accident in Isla de Sol and the botched um, "handjob" performed by incompetent doctors in Bolivia but I must admit, I really loved Bolivia. I don't know what I was exactly expecting but it was definitely a lot more than I could have ever imagined. I got to see so many astonishing things unexpectedly.
Physically, it was quite demanding due to my Grade-F quality body and the questionable standards of hygiene, but like any hardship, it was such a rewarding experience. I ended up staying for a bit over a month overall, and yet still didn't get to see everything I had wanted to see.(read: Parque Nacional Noel Kempff Mercado, which looks like the freaking Lost World)
Two of my favorite dead things in the world are dinosaurs and mummies. I've had a morbid fascination with those two uh, dead "things" ever since I was little. Actually, my mom's pregnancy dream for me was that she saw a huge pterosaur/bird-esque creature fly over a beach, so I guess it was meant to be.
I have seen plenty of mummies from various time periods and cultures over the years, but never had seen a dinosaur footprint out in the nature. When I found out that you could see them up-close in Parque Nacional Toro Toro, I knew I had to go but it was quite out of the way and the information and resources for tourists were really limited. All the travel agencies quoted outrageously expensive prices(due to the lack of people)-Usually I'm anti-tour but in Bolivia it was sometimes indispensable-so I ended up changing my plans and did the whole thing DIY-way at a fraction of a cost. (I will write a Nomadic Amateur post regarding this visit)
There were so many different "wonders" of nature. One week, I was on a bus-ride-from-hell to Amazon Basin, and saw a pink river dolphin fighting, I kid you not, a heron-I seriously thought I was dreaming because...how is that possible?-then later swam with a few in murky river. A few weeks later, I was in salt flats of Uyuni, freezing my butt off at below -20 degrees Celsius, staring at these odd yet adorable rabbit & squirrel hybrid look-a-likes called viscacha.
I also got to see at least three festivals which were like love-in-technicolor. I had seen a little "preview" before going to Bolivia, in a small desert town called La Tirana in the north of Chile(which used to be a part of Bolivia), but it was really intense in Bolivia, especially El Gran Poder in La Paz, Bolivia. The usually stoic Bolivians were drinking and dancing in the streets; indeed a merry time for all.
P.S. A HUGE thanks to my friends who recommended many of these destinations for me.
P.P.S. Not to make this an Oscar-accepting speech, but I also want to thank you for your kind words regarding this blog. I really appreciate it!
I maybe still bitter about my accident in Isla de Sol and the botched um, "handjob" performed by incompetent doctors in Bolivia but I must admit, I really loved Bolivia. I don't know what I was exactly expecting but it was definitely a lot more than I could have ever imagined. I got to see so many astonishing things unexpectedly.
Physically, it was quite demanding due to my Grade-F quality body and the questionable standards of hygiene, but like any hardship, it was such a rewarding experience. I ended up staying for a bit over a month overall, and yet still didn't get to see everything I had wanted to see.(read: Parque Nacional Noel Kempff Mercado, which looks like the freaking Lost World)
Two of my favorite dead things in the world are dinosaurs and mummies. I've had a morbid fascination with those two uh, dead "things" ever since I was little. Actually, my mom's pregnancy dream for me was that she saw a huge pterosaur/bird-esque creature fly over a beach, so I guess it was meant to be.
I have seen plenty of mummies from various time periods and cultures over the years, but never had seen a dinosaur footprint out in the nature. When I found out that you could see them up-close in Parque Nacional Toro Toro, I knew I had to go but it was quite out of the way and the information and resources for tourists were really limited. All the travel agencies quoted outrageously expensive prices(due to the lack of people)-Usually I'm anti-tour but in Bolivia it was sometimes indispensable-so I ended up changing my plans and did the whole thing DIY-way at a fraction of a cost. (I will write a Nomadic Amateur post regarding this visit)
There were so many different "wonders" of nature. One week, I was on a bus-ride-from-hell to Amazon Basin, and saw a pink river dolphin fighting, I kid you not, a heron-I seriously thought I was dreaming because...how is that possible?-then later swam with a few in murky river. A few weeks later, I was in salt flats of Uyuni, freezing my butt off at below -20 degrees Celsius, staring at these odd yet adorable rabbit & squirrel hybrid look-a-likes called viscacha.
I also got to see at least three festivals which were like love-in-technicolor. I had seen a little "preview" before going to Bolivia, in a small desert town called La Tirana in the north of Chile(which used to be a part of Bolivia), but it was really intense in Bolivia, especially El Gran Poder in La Paz, Bolivia. The usually stoic Bolivians were drinking and dancing in the streets; indeed a merry time for all.
P.S. A HUGE thanks to my friends who recommended many of these destinations for me.
P.P.S. Not to make this an Oscar-accepting speech, but I also want to thank you for your kind words regarding this blog. I really appreciate it!
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