Bolivia Is Incredible! Here Is Why...

Intro

Before I get into why I love Bolivia so much, I want it to be known that I wasn't here for a very long duration of time. Originally, the plan was supposed to be to stay for 3 days but due to the census, I left early and headed to Rio. Okay but Konrad, you were only there for such a short time why do you like it so much? Let me explain to you quickly.

The Landscape

Honestly, there is no place in the world like Bolivia (at least that I have been to). The city of La Paz is situated at almost 12,000 feet with part of it being in the valley and part of being in the hills. It's surreal to witness.

Then we get to the red houses. I met up with someone from Instagram who lives in Bolivia for a photoshoot. He gave me a lot of information about the history of Bolivia, including why a lot of the houses are red. Apparently, you don't have to pay taxes if your house is unfinished "aka. red". However, you do have to pay taxes on your property if you have a complete house. It makes for some of the most surreal scenes to witness.

Next year, when I head back to Bolivia, I will head down the death road and to the Salt Flats and report back! If I am already this shocked, I cannot imagine my face after visiting both of these.

The Streets

Apparently, there is a market in El Alto (the town on the hill) where you can buy anything you can think of. I mean anything. While I didn't have time to check that out, I walked along the streets of Bolivia, which gave me such culture shock.

I am finding it hard how to phrase this, but people seemed relatively happy and going about with their lives. It humbled me in so many ways. I checked out a local street market as well, It was so cool!!!!!

The People

Much like with Vietnam, I found the people of Bolivia to blow me away. This is the only country I have been to in South America where you are treated like a guest, not a customer. Brazil is hit or miss.

Everybody I interacted with was very friendly and tried their best in English (I tried my best in Spanish). The small details stood out to me, such as putting a US flag in my room with a little note👍.

To add to that, I never once felt unsafe in La Paz. The only country in South America I have visited where I felt safe 100% of the time. Find out more about Rio soon 😒. With a large traffic jam coming from the airport and roads closed off, I was walking down the middle of the road for 20 minutes with all of my luggage, not a care in the world.

The Beer

The beer is fantastic in Bolivia and cheap, bringing me to my next point. Everything was very well priced. For example, street food allowed me to eat for less than a dollar and when I had my chicken Milanese from the hotel for dinner; it came out to 3$.

Extremely good beer.

The Special Feeling

Some people may get this feeling and some people may not. There have been a few countries I have visited which gives off a certain energy inside of your body. Cambodia is one, Bhutan is another, and Bolivia is the last.

It gave me chills to believe that I was standing on Bolivia soil.

Lastly, I am not one for politics at all, but from what I heard, the US and Bolivia don't like each other very much. I actually actively seek to avoid politics as if I had followed politics I might not have ended up in Bolivia. In this amazing place filled with incredible people!

Stay tuned next year for when I do a whole trip around Bolivia!

Final Thoughts

Never in my wildest dreams did I think Bolivia would rank in my top 10 countries, let alone my top three countries! It has! With a freakin amazing landscape that words can't describe, beautiful souls, cheap & delicious beer; I am actively counting down the days until i can board the BoA A330 back to Bolivia😅