South and Central Bolivia Wrap-up

The Great : Sucre. Sucre is great for many, many reasons. It is a beautiful city filled with charm and with plenty of interesting activities to do. A special mention goes to Laguna Colorada as well. Seeing our first flamingoes on the red lake surrounded with snow-capped mountains was definitely a great moment in our trip.

The Hidden : Sucre is not recognized as a trekking destination but it should be. There are no 6000 meters mountains to climb but there is the Maragua Crater about 20 kilometers East of Sucre which is deep in Indigenous land. Ania and I trekked for four days and all we can say is “WOW”. Not only were we treated with spectacular landscapes, but the cultural aspect our trek was unparallel. We learned so much about indigenous culture during our trek. Don’t overlook Sucre if you intend to trek in Bolivia.

The Overrated : Tarambuco market. The Sunday market did not impress us by any stretch of the imagination. Tourists have made the market a hot spot in the last years, and the result is twofold: 1 – you’ll be harassed a lot by the locals 2 – the prices are Gringo’s prices at 1.5 or 2 times what they are in Sucre or Potosi. There is no reason to visit this market other than to see the locals walk around in some elaborate traditional dresses. As a market, Tarambuco is a failure.

The Ugly : Ania’s recurrent stomach problems. For some reasons Ania’s stomach hasn’t been happy in Bolivia. In fact her stomach has been acting strange since we visited the town of Salta in Northern Argentina. My poor, poor girl is sometimes in pain and we cannot pinpoint what food irritates her stomach. She is starting to look forward to wrapping-up this trip and going back home just so that her stomach finally gets better. And that, believe me, is scary. :)