Crossing Into Bolivia

Trip Start Jul 21, 2009
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159
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Trip End Jul 21, 2010


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Flag of Bolivia  , Potosí,
Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Crossing over to Bolivia yesterday from Argentina was one of the easiest border crossings we've had on our trip. We took an early bus from Salta to the border town of La Quiaca.  Border towns are always interesting because they are a mix of the two countries.  Getting off the bus, we immediately noticed a lot more indigenous looking people.  Starving, we went to a nearby restaurant for some cheap but good food (lunch for 2 - $7) and the menu was different than the standard Argentine menu.  We also hit the town at siesta, so when we walked toward the border no one was around.  Luckily for us it was a beautiful 10 minute walk to the border area – even more fortunate, there were no lines!!  We couldn't believe it – we heard horror stories about long waits, but not today!  As US citizens we had to pay a visa fee to get into Bolivia – and a steep one at that: $135.  Many other western countries do not have to pay visas, i.e.: UK, EU countries, NZ, Australia.  It’s a matter of reciprocity.  Since the US requires Bolivians to pay a hefty fee to enter the US – then they turn it back on us
We're In Villazon, Bolivia!
We're In Villazon, Bolivia!
.  The Bolivian visa interestingly can only be paid in US dollars – cash.  So we had to go to the ATM to get dollars.  Filling out the forms, getting the cash etc. only took us 15 minutes and we were out of there – and in Villazon, Bolivia.

Villazon is located at 3500m (11,500 ft) – we were in high altitude and we could feel it!  It’s amazing what a difference it makes; walking in the sun with our bags, we were parched, dying for water.  We had to stop a couple of times to drink and take a rest.  One thing that we instantly loved was the dress of the women – they wear their long black hair in 2 braids tied together at the end with ribbon, a bowler hat, a large skirt with pleats, tights, flat ballerina-like shoes, and a shawl tied with a pin.  Also they use a very colorful cloth to carry things in – from babies to the goods that they are peddling - very unique.  And the babies are SO Adorable!!  Fat, round faces, big eyes – you just want to pinch them! 

We get to the train station and it looks like a backpacker convention, backpackers from all over the world sprawled out in the lobby.  Again we luck out; there are still a couple of tickets left.  The boarding process for the train is laborious – but interesting to watch.  While the backpackers were in the lobby the locals were waiting on the platform – there are vendors selling food for the journey as we wait for the train to be unloaded and then re-loaded.  The train is packed; the seats are facing each other, and we are all one big happy family.  One local family has two sweet babies and we make faces with them during the 3 hour journey to Tupiza.
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