Bolivia Info & Blog

San Cristobal - The Church That Moved

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 07:28:58 +0000

In the southwest area of Bolivia lies area called Lipez. It is home to arid deserts, salt plains and a wealth of mineral deposits.When one of the largest, and maybe the largest ever found, silver mines was discovered just above a small town called San Cristobal and the concession was purchased by the Canadian mining consortium Apex Silver the problem arose - what should we do with the town below? The little town of San Cristobal, population just 350, was right below the mine and in far to dangerous postion to allow mining to start. The obvious solution was to move everybody to a new area but the was one major obstacle. In this tiny town there was a 350 old colonial church and noone was in favour of destroying it. So the mining company , in addition to building new homes and modern facilties for the towns population, also transparted and rebuilt the church stone by stone 17km to the new site of the village. They carefully moved the cemetery and its contents.
The rebuilt church was reconstructed exactly the same as the original and is now much stronger and should last for many hundreds more years. During the process some previously undiscovered paintings were found amongst the construction as it was dismantled. No doubt being asked to move your entire village 17km must have been a bit unsettling for the villagers at first they came out winners in the end with new houses, a restored church, modern medical facilities, sports halls and schools plus the offer of jobs for life for anyone wishing to work for the mining company. Of course this financial cloud also has very silver lining for the mining company, they were now free to mine in what is possibily the most important silver mine ever found, possibly even more silver rich than Cerro Rico - the mine above Potosi that almost entirely financed spain during the colonial period.

The Coca Museum La Paz

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:02:45 +0000

This little museum is hidden away up an alley off Calle Linares aka ‘Gringo Street’ due to all the travel agencies and clothing or crafts shops.
Whilst tiny in size it is bursting with information about the little green leaf that has been held sacred in the Andes for centuries. The displays themselve look a little worn and the whole setup can seem a little amateur, but if your patient enough to follow the self guided tour whilst reading the provided infomation in your own language (available in many languages) you will no doubt learn plenty of facts you didnt know about the coca plant.
Covering the use of the coca leaf in traditional andean socities for spiritual, medicinal,social and other purposes, right up to exploring the modern day ‘drugwar’ against cocaine. The information is provided in a scientific way backed with lots of evidence to back up its theories but still manages to remain unbiased. Including sections on the use of the coca leaf in Coca-cola, for coca wine, as an anesthetic amongst others it certainly provides some evidence to justify the ‘la hoja de coca es no droga’ (the coca leaf is not a drug) campaign seen on tshirts and posters throughout the peru and Bolivia.
If reading through lots of information is not what you consider a good way to spend 30 - 45 mins then you may find this museum a little dry (my brain slowed a little before id finished) but if you have a interest in andean culture and would like to learn the truth about coca then this popular tourist attraction is a mine of information and worth the cover fee of around US$1.

Museo de la Coca
Calle Linares 906
La Paz
Tel 231-1998

Getting to Uyuni – Bus , Train or Flight

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:49:59 +0000

Uyuni is one of the most popular destinations in Bolivia as most visitors to the country try to include a salt flats tour in their itinerary and Uyuni is the main starting point for these tours (Tupiza and San Pedro de Atacama in Chile are other places where tours can be started). Although not a small town Uyuni is located in an isolated part of the country and road infrastructure is not in good condition in this area although there are plans to improve the road.

Buses From La Paz to Uyuni / Bus Uyuni to La Paz

There are direct buses each night from La Paz to Uyuni. There are no direct buses in the day although it is possible to take local buses from La Paz to Oruro then onto Uyuni , these are low quality and not recommended.

Tourist Bus Todo Turismo

There is a nightly tourist bus service run by Todo Turismo that leaves La Paz at 9pm and leaves Uyuni at 8PM each night (although from time to time there are cancelations for maintenance or due to conditions). This service is semi cama (reclining seats half way back) and has heating, toilet, hot meal, English speaking attendant and emergency oxygen bottles. This is a safe bus service and the drivers are breathalised before and after the journey. The journey is usually around 10 to 11 hours although during rainy season there can be significant delays and when conditions become too bad the service is stopped until things improve.

Other Bus Services

There are also other bus companies that offer the La Paz to Uyuni route and these leave at 7pm each night for La Paz to Uyuni and at 8pm each night from Uyuni to La Paz. There are both semi cama and normal bus services and the journey usually takes around 11 to 12 hours. These options are not as safe as the tourist bus and there are usually some accidents each year with more chance of this happening in the rainy season (Feb to April is usually the worst period) when conditions are bad

Train from Oruro To Uyuni / Train from Uyuni to Oruro

A popular option is to take a bus from La Paz to Oruro where you can catch a train to Uyuni (it also continues onto Tupiza and Villazon). This option is safe and comfortable (the bus section is basic however) but only available 4 days per week. As it is popular you need to book in advance because it is almost always sold out 1 or more days before. The train from La Paz to Uyuni leaves on the following days / times: Tuesdays and Fridays – 3.30pm from Oruro (direct bus to train station at 9am from La Paz) Wednesdays and Sundays – 7pm from Oruro (take bus from La Paz at 1.30pm to Oruro , need taxi from Oruro bus terminal to train station)

Flights from La Paz to Uyuni / Flights from Uyuni to La Paz

Starting in July 2011 there are now flights from La Paz to Uyuni and Uyuni to La Paz. Two companies are flying this route – TAM the military airline and Amaszonas.

TAM are flying Mondays and Fridays from La Paz via Sucre and leave at 9am arriving at 12pm in Uyuni and also flying from Uyuni to La Paz via Sucre same days leaving at 16.00 arriving in La Paz at 18.20

Amaszonas have started flying La Paz to Uyuni and now have daily scheduled flights that are direct leaving at 8.15am and arriving in Uyuni 9.15am with returning flights Uyuni to La Paz on the same days leaving at 9.40am arriving La Paz 10.40am.

It is possible to arrange for a pre booked tour to pick you up at the airport to meet with the the Amaszonas flgihts and then go striaght on a tour.

Private Transport

It is also possible to rent private transport to go from La Paz (or other cities) to Uyuni but this is an expensive option as the driver will have to drive in both directions and also stay one night in Uyuni

Villa Bonita Coroico

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:19:04 +0000

Villa Bonita is located just 10 mins walk from the Plaza in Coroico and is the perfect place for a relaxing few days. Apart from offering accomodations in its cabanas or room in the main building it has a popular vegetarian restaurant which is well known locally for its homemade ice cream.

The accomodations are basic but adequate and are located amongst lush gardens with views across the yungas hills. There are also hammocks available and a patio area for guest use. Water is heated by solar power and the owners advise that you use it in the morning for best results.

The restaurant serves food outside in the front garden and has daily specials in addition to the menu. Fresh pasta dishes, veggie burgers (with lentils and soya),Rostis and others feature on the menu and are made with fresh ingredients.Homemade bread, cookies and marmalades are all availalble and worth trying. The food we tried was all excellent and the restaurent seemed to have a number of returning regulars which is a good sign.

The ice cream that is made on the premises use all natural ingredients and comes in a variety of flavours including classics like chocolate, vanillas, coffee etc but also some more interesting choices like "hierbia buena" (a kind of minty herb)

If you are planning a trip to Coroico we recommended this place for a rustic relaxing stay for teh atmosphere and the friendly service from the swiss bolivian couple that runs it.. If planning on staying there you should call ahead and book as there are not lots of rooms and they do get booked up especially on weekends. Even if you arent staying the restaurant is recommended and worth the short walk from the center of town. If veggie food isnt your thing (although many non veggies where eating there and complimenting the food) then the ice cream is worth the walk alone.

To get to Villa Bonita walk along the road to Hotel Viejo Molino (ask for either in the center - they are both well known) for about 700 meters and you will find it on the right hand side. The phone number is a cel phone 71918298

Bolivian Recipe for Salteñas

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:18:21 +0000

Salteñas are available everywhere in Bolivia and , though originally from Argentina, are one of the most typical Bolivian foods. Each day you will see people queueing at their favourite Salteña stands to buy them. At only 1 or 2 bolivianos each they are a cheap and tasty option for breakfast or mid morning snack - in fact any time of the day.

Its better if you make the dough and filling one day before and keep in the fridge. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and keep the filling covered to stop it drying out.

The dough:

6 cups flour
6 tablespoons lard
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups cool water
1 teaspoon salt

Sift the flour into a bowl, add salt and sugar. Melt the lard and add to the flour, add the remaining ingredients and mix well and knead for 5 mins.

The filling:

3 tablespoons lard
2 cusp white onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups gelatin
1/2 cup of red chile sauce
salt and sugar to taste
cumin and oregano to taste (2 - 3 teaspoons of each)
1 pound finely chopped meat
1 cup cooked peas
1 cup cooked potatoes cut into medium-sized cubes
1/2 cup raisins
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
5 black olives, sliced and without seeds.

Gently fry the onions and when soft add the cumin, oregano, salt and sugar. Stir and fry for a couple of minutes then add the meat and continue frying. When the meat is browing add the chile sauce and cook a little while longer then remove and let cool. When cool mix the gelatin, potatoes and peas into the mixture. Refrigerate until the next day.

Making the Salteñas:

Roll out the dough into a sausage and cut into pieces large enough to roll into circles about 7 to 10 cm (2 1/2 to 4 inches) in diameter and 1/4 cm (about 1/8 inch) thick.

Add filling to each circle, top with raisons, egg and olives as desired. Brush the edges of the circle with egg or milk and fold over to seal the Salteñas shut. Make an edge by pressing your fingers along the seal.

Place onto a well greased baking tray and glaze the Salteñas with milk or egg.

Cook for 20 to 30 minutes in a oven pre heated to 300C/572F- until golden.

Leave standing on a cooling tray for 10 mins before eating. Keep refrigerated if not eating that day.

Enjoy! If you have a recipe for Salteñas that you think is better (or even just a different method) please send it in or post it in the comments section. Any other recipes for Bolivian food are welcome.