It is sad to be farewelling Bolivia so soon, but I am also very pleased to have descended from its thin and frigid mountain air on our way to the blessedly humid, oxygen rich canopies of the Brazilian jungle. Of the places I've so far been, it felt the most wild and untamed and if I'd had longer, I think there would have been much more of Bolivia to discover. That said, I think we certainly saw the highlights and I don't feel a pressing need to be returning any time soon. Would I recommend? Absolutely! But 10 days is probably enough.
My impression was of a country of great passion and enormous pride. The people are clearly strong-willed, and we experienced this first-hand in the disruptive protesting and blockading that met us as we crossed the border, requiring a detour and a change to our plans. They also seem to have retained a stronger sense of their pre-colonial selves than other peoples I have so far encountered on these travels. This may be because much of the indigenous culture of South America originally stems from Bolivia, and was later carried forward and spread by the Incans. Certainly they hold their traditions and beliefs very closely, and demonstrate more of a lip-service approach to the Catholicism the Spanish forced upon them. You see this, for example, in the idols and iconography of the Pachamama that they snuck into the facades of the Catholic churches of La Paz. I also felt that there was a greater sense of national self-reliance in Bolivia - that Bolivia didn't particularly want or need tourists or Western influence. Rather, the people seemed to share a bond, like they were one big family supporting each other from day to day, and year to year. We heard how Bolivianos deeply value relationships, some of which apparently can carry across generations. For example, if you are my "cocacita", I know we will support and look after each other (as long as I am loyal), and that our families will retain that relationship through time. They also expressed a strong connection to the land and are very worried about the future. Yes, Bolivia is a dry place, but traditionally the mountains would be covered by fallen snow in the winter, allowing rivers to flow and lakes to fill in the spring. But, as our guide tells us, the alpine flats of Bolivia's south haven't seen snow since 2016 and the lakes that are the habitats for all those flamingos are almost dried up. Since the glaciers are also long gone, the long-range forecast in this area is for a slow erosion to a barren, Sahara-esque nothingness.
That this country has so much to offer and yet it is hardly visited seems a shame. But South America has a lot to offer and it is hard to fit it all in - even in six months!
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