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Parque cretácico

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    • TravelerCentral/South America 2019
      Day 81

      74. Bolivia - Roadblocks 2 & a "Coup"!

      November 11, 2019 in Bolivia ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

      Upon reaching the manned roadblock, we lined up with other drivers who had pulled to the side of the road to assess the situation and decide what to do. A taxi driver pointed out a dirt road on the other side of a farm that we might try. We saw some cars using it to come from the opposite direction, so we and the taxi guy jumped in our cars to try to get there. Unfortunately, the protestors saw this as well, and they ran across the field to block the road before we got there. They were faster.

      We went back to the original roadblock, where Craig grabbed the map and collaborated with some of the locals on alternative routes. The problem with taking a road that is 2 hours out of your way, is that you don't know if it's blocked until you get there. But our options were limited, so we plotted a course and took off.

      The road, if you could call it that, was a rutted out dirt path that ran along a river and farmland. A brain-jarring drive for sure. It lasted for over an hour before we got to a paved road. In the end, we made it in about 2.5 hours.

      Coup d'etat!
      In the meantime, President Morales has resigned from office. Once the military and the police refused to support him against the protestors, the handwriting was on the wall. He is currently fleeing to Mexico, claiming he is not safe in Bolivia. In Oruro, the people are celebrating.

      We hear that the police are now re-engaging to remove the roadblocks, so after a day's rest, we will be back on the road tomorrow. Fingers crossed.      Read more

    • Die große Reise
      Day 169

      Sucre

      February 12 in Bolivia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

      Sucre, die offizielle Hauptstadt Boliviens. Außer dem obersten Gerichtshof und dem Ego des Landes sind aber alle wichtigen Regierungsinstitutionen in La Paz.
      Die Stadt selbst ist nicht so groß und hektisch wie La Paz, aber von dem vielen abfließenden Geld aus den Minen in Potosí gekennzeichnet. Früher lebten die Profiteure mit all ihrem Geld lieber hier, da das Klima etwas milder und die Luft nicht ganz so dünn war.
      Wir verbrachten hier eine schöne Woche, in der wir viel Kultur und noch mehr gutes Essen genossen. Auch hier verbrachten wir einen Tag im Karneval (schließlich wir hier fast eine Woche durchgefeiert) und waren zwei Tage später ganz überrascht wie angenehm und ruhig die Stadt ohne Wasserbomben und Besoffene ist.
      Auch unser Campingplatz war super gelegen und wir konnten alles zu Fuß machen. Wobei besagter Campingplatz über die Zeit ganz schön voll wurde und zu Höchstzeiten 6 Schweizer, 4 Franzosen, 2 Belgier, 1 Kanadier und wir auf dem relativ kleinen Campingplatz wohnten. Also hatten wir immer jemanden zum Quatschen und immer jemanden, mit dem man am Abend zusammen sitzen konnte, auch als sich unsere Wege mit Charlotte und Johannes trennten, mit denen wir nun seit fast 2 Wochen gemeinsam unterwegs waren.      Read more

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    • TravelerAnais &Chris South America VF
      1
      Day 182

      Sucré ville

      May 11, 2023 in Bolivia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      Très belle ville, je l'ai presque autant aimé que Potosì. Ici l'empreinte coloniale est d'autant plus présente. Chris nous a inscrit à un cours de cuisine bolivienne, on a donc cuisine avec Moises des papas reinas et une sauce à base d'ajì, un piment qui arrache, typique d'ici, il y en a dans tous les plats, même dans le chocolat. On a également fait un cocktail une entrée et un dessert puis on a tout bu et tout mangé.Read more

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    • Simon and BlakeAround the World
      Day 54

      Day 4 - Sucre

      May 26, 2017 in Bolivia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      Today we signed up for the walking tour to learn a bit more about Sucre.

      We first strolled up to the mirador lookout which we had visited previously. There we were given some history about Sucre and how it was truly the capital of Bolivia (our guide felt very passionate about this as some people believe La Paz is the true capital of Bolivia as that is where the government reside). We also learnt the many reasons why Sucre got its name, the most common being that a lot of the houses are painted white like the colour of sugar.

      We then walked along a street where the guide stopped and asked if we would like to visit the chocolate festival. Silly question really! We went in to find loads of stalls with various types of chocolate flavours (we tried coca and salt), some melted in a pot with a spoon, hot chocolate with liquor and some delicious popcorn covered in chocolate. We tried lots of different samples and made a quick exit before making ourselves too sick.

      Further down the road we visited the university. Our guide demonstrated that it was in fact the university found on the 100 bolíviano note. Like the students in Santiago, the Bolivian students have very strong beliefs and aren't shy of a strike or two. That pretty much rounded up the tour so we headed back to the hostel as Blake had gotten the South American flu (as I named it when I got sick) for some rest.

      Being two months in to travelling without a haircut or proper beard trim (I usually have it cut every two weeks at home and my beard trimmer broke in our first week) I thought it was about time I braved a barbers. I googled English speaking barbers in Sucre with little success however there was one really good review of a place just down the road so I though I'd give it a blast whilst Blake had a nap.

      I rocked up with my limited spanish 'hola señor, como esta?', I .pointed at the chair and then at myself and he nodded. I was in! I showed him a photo of me from Holly and Marks wedding whilst pointing to the back and sides of my head saying 'dos, dos' and then to the top saying 'un poco' which I think it means a little. He seemed to know what I was asking for, either that or he was going to make it up!

      He put the usual gown around me but this one had a huge plastic window in the front which seemed a bit weird. Was he worried I was going to do something with my hands perhaps? He then filled what looked like an old fashioned perfume bottle with alcohol and lit the front. He used this to blow torch all the implements he was about to use, weird thing number 2! He then attached a part he just torched to a very prehistoric looking pair of clippers. When he turned them on I thought he had just started a petrol lawn mower. Every time he got close to my ear I thought I was going to go deaf, if not by the noise then the loss of an ear. I was slightly scared for my life when the cut throat knife came out as half the time he was waving to friends as they walked past however when it was all over it wasn't actually a bad job. I payed the grand total of 90 bolívianos which is around £10 and was on my way.

      I got back to find Blake napping but was very excited to tell her my story and show her the fresh trim!

      In the evening we went back to Joyride as we enjoyed the food so much. Afterwards we headed back to our hostel for a folklore evening. For around an hour and half we watched from the balcony as dancers performed lots of different dances in some very interesting and colourful costumes.      Read more

    • The Craze for TravellingThe South American Odyssey
      3
      12
      Day 7

      Central Mercado Sucre

      October 6, 2017 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      As planned, we were up early and left the hostel by 8:15 am. The plan was to go to the main square and catch the 9:30 am bus to the dinosaur park. If there was a charge for the bus, we planned to take the local micro instead since they would be cheaper and were going to the park every 5 min.
      As we were reaching the main square, we decided to go to the Biz Car Rental to book our vehicle before going to the square. After doing the booking, we got late and couldn't have our breakfast. We reached the main square 10 min before the bus timing. We asked a travel shop nearby and were informed that the bus would charge 15 b$ while the local bus would be 1.50 b$. So, we decided to go by the micro and since they were leaving every 5 min, we decided to go to the Central Mercado (the main market) for some food.
      What an assault to the senses it was.. So much variety of fruits, foods, meats, spices, juices... It was a food heaven.      Read more

    • The Craze for TravellingThe South American Odyssey
      2
      Day 7

      Breakfast at Central Marcado

      October 6, 2017 in Bolivia ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

      In the central market, we tried Chirimoya (Custard Apple). It was extremely sweet and very very tasty. The size of these was almost double the size one compared to the ones in India. Also, the outer shell had concave indents rather than the convex indents in the Indian custard apples.
      After that we had our breakfast of Tojori (a traditional drink made from mashed white corn, sugar and cinnamon), Buñuelos (a donut sort of local savory to be eaten with a syrup) and empanadas (many varieties exits, ours was a hollow pastry sprinkled with castor sugar).      Read more

    • Fifi flipflopFifi Flipflops Big Adventure
      Day 134

      Money Money Money

      April 10, 2016 in Bolivia ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

      I wake early in the morning and go out to the street to have a quick cigarette , and the city is already bustling with people going about their business. I really like the feel of this place and would like to spend a little longer here, a lot of people said that Bolivians weren't that friendly, but I just think they are more private than other places we have travelled to. Mark gets up a short while later and we head out to expore the city. Our first stop is the house of money,The real name is the “Museo Casa de la Moneda” and it was originally built in the 1570’s and rebuilt in the 1800’s. It was the original Spanish Colonial Mint and today acts as a museum showcasing how the money was created back in the day as well as showcasing some local history.
      Basically there were something like 25 active mines during the few hundred years of Spanish Colonial times and the biggest one was Potosi Mountain aka Cerro Rico aka “Rich Mountain”. As a result, the money for Spain was being created here at the source and shipped overseas.Supposedly somewhere between 4 and 6 million local indigenous people died during the era as they were working the mines. They would be paid one of the smallest coins for 36 hours of labor inside a mine, it’s mind boggling when you think about it and a mule would cost 8 of those coins. The first coins were really primitive and made with some vices and a hammer and as time went on, so did the technology used.They would have mules spinning the turbine of sorts that would power four machines 24 hours a day. Each machine had an indigenous person operating them. The labor was intense on the mules and they would die every few months and supposedly the floors were covered in blood from the harnesses; an eerie place to say the least. Also intense was the safety gear the workers used to wear in the mines if you want to call it safety gear…As I'm taking photos in here I hear one of the guards speak with our guide to say the Chica hasn't paid to take photos, so I hastily put my camera away.
      PTSI the initial of Potosi are used as most of the world's money denominations eg. $€£ , the money was shipped all over the world via huge galleons. Last year a galleon was found of the coast of Columbians and is said to have contained $17 billion of gold and silver.
      The way the coins were manufactured over the years changed, but there were always elements of danger involved in the working of the machinery. Slaves were shipped in, but the amount of people that died meant that the locals of Potosi, ended up having to work in the mine many of them losing their lives, or limbs.
      The tour is really interesting and thought provoking and once again highlights how rich Bolivia was, and how many people just robbed them .
      Back at the hostel we have a taxi booked for 3pm to take us to Sucre .. a taxi is only £5 each for the 2 hour journey and the journey takes twice the time on the bus so it's definitely the better option for us. We arriive just after 5 and were greeted in the bar by the gang we were with in Casa blancas so it's like a reunion. Tonight is party night and for the first time since Brazil I decide to have a few drinks and a few more. I end up on the jaeger bombs and get absolutely sloshed. They have a club here and I attempt shaking a wicked hoof, but after a short time I realise the only option for me is bed.      Read more

    • Saskia und MartinWeltreise 2017
      Day 52

      Urlaub in Sucre

      February 17, 2017 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

      Noch bevor wir unseren Trip nach Sucre angetreten haben, sind wir uns einig, dass wir hier mal etwas Urlaub machen. Acht Tage sollten es am Ende sein und es war die richtige Entscheidung.
      Zum einen tut es nach dem vielen hin und her reisen einfach mal gut, den Rucksack ein paar Tage ausgepackt stehen zu lassen und abzuschalten, und zum anderen ist Sucre eine echt schöne Stadt. Zusätzlich war unser Hostel WasiMasi auch die beste Entscheidung. Nicht nur dass das Hostel sehr schön und gut gelegen ist, oder dass die Besitzer ausgesprochen freundlich und hilfsbereit sind.
      Nein zu dem hatten wir das Glück kostenfrei von einem Doppelzimmer zu einem Apartment upgegradet zu werden, welches wir uns mit zwei lustigen Briten teilen durften, und zu guter Letzt bietet das Hostel jeden Mittag ein abwechslungsreiches 3-Gänge Mittagsmenü für nur 15Bs (ca. 2€) an. Für Essen war zum Großteil also auch schon gesorgt.
      Unsere restlichen Einkäufe tätigten wir dann am Mercado Central, ein typischer Markt mit Ständen von Fleisch, Gemüse und Obst, bis hin zu Spielwaren und Pflegeprodukten.
      Wir hatten auch das Glück wieder am Karneval teilnehmen zu dürfen, auch wenn es uns hier lange nicht so gut gefallen hat wie in Potosí. Der Großdemo an unserem letzten Tag sind wir dann aber lieber aus dem Weg gegangen.
      Auch den Valentinstag haben wir ganz romantisch in Sucre gefeiert. Bei einem schönen Glas Bier und einem Fußballspiel haben wir es uns in einem Irish Pub gut gehen lassen, in welchem wir in dieser Woche häufiger zu Gast waren.
      Dieser Pub war auch Ausgangspunkt für eines der heftigeren Erlebnisse für uns hier in Bolivien. Nachdem wir ein paar Tage später mit ein paar anderen Reisenden aus Deutschland, Schweden und Argentinien durch ein paar Bars gezogen waren und uns spät in der Nacht auf den Heimweg machten, freuten wir uns zunächst über einen milden Sommerregen. Dieser Regen jedoch sollte sich schnell in ein heftiges Sommergewitter verwandeln, welches uns mit Weintrauben großen Hagelkörnern in die Enge trieb. Zu viert (inkl. eines verängstigten Straßenhundes) teilten wir uns kurz darauf einen Hauseingang von 20cm Tiefe als Schutz vor dem schmerzhaften Hagel. Der Regen, welcher die Straßen in reißende Bäche von 10cm Tiefe verwandelt hatte, war schon relativ irrelevant, da wir eh schon komplett durchnässt waren.
      Ca. 20min dauerte der heftigste Teil des Unwetters, was exakt unserem Rückweg entsprach und 2 Tage brauchten unsere letzten Klamotten (Schuhe) um wieder trocken zu werden.
      Nach einer warmen Dusche und einem heißen Coca-Tee, konnten wir aber zum Glück schnell wieder über alles lachen.      Read more

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    • Brigitte und JürgenBolivien & Peru
      Day 13

      Sucre, Central Highlands, Bolivia

      May 3, 2015 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Sonntags früh aufgestanden um mit den Kindern in den Gottestdienst (incl Taufe) gehen zu können - strömender Regen - Auschecken im Hotel, wo die Rechnung plötzlich 1280$ statt 1280 Bolivianos (180$) beträgt - Flug nach Sucre (2750 Höhenmeter) - strahlend blauer Himmel, Sonne pur, aber nur noch 19 Grad - Check in unserem ersten Hostel in Bolivien (Kultur Berlin in einem alten Kolonialgebäude mit vielen Innenhöfen - Stadtrundgang zur Placa 25. Mayo - die Höhe macht sich durch Kurzatmigkeit bemerkbar - Abendessen mit Steak Teriyaki und Poulet.Read more

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    • Elvis LivesElvis Lives Tour
      Day 719

      Stuck in Sucre!

      May 5, 2018 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      It was a long drive from Sajama NP so we found a mirador to spend the night, and in the morning we headed into Potosí. This was once the richest city in the world, but there is a little sign of that now. The famous mountain that is riddled with mines still towers over the town, but after the nerve racking tour last time (with individual miners randomly setting off dynamite with no warning) we decided not to chance our luck again. In fact there wasn't a lot to keep us in the city so we headed along the road towards Sucre.

      We had just set up camp and had a brew on when we got a message warning us of protests in Sucre and that they were blocking all roads in the morning, so we broke the overlanding rule of not driving at night and after a few hours arrived at the only camp spot in town and fortunately we could just about squeeze in. The protests were due to el Presidente Evo Morales deciding to change the ownership of a huge gas field from this state to a neighbouring one - almost definitely due to his fight to remove the presidential term limit - and so we didn't blame the city for taking a stand.

      Its a lovely city full of delicious places to eat and a fantastic food market so we had no problems whiling away a few days, although it was frustrating we couldn't do a tour with Condortrekkers, the sister organisation to the one we volunteered at, or visit the famous dinosaur footprints. In fact we would have happily stayed a few more days but on Sunday we were told it was our best chance of getting out of the city otherwise we could be stuck for another week or more, and we only had about 10 days left on our visa.

      So a convoy of 5 different shaped rigs tried to work our way out of town. Fortunately there was a French couple who spoke really good Spanish at the front, and they got us through 5 major roadblocks via a variety of techniques (bumping over major curbs, buying chicken from a drunk truck owners wife, sweet talking, and bribing with a bottle of wine). In fact the blockaders and the supporting people were not at all aggressive to us and knew that a bunch of gringos caught up in this did little to help their cause, but finding the truck drivers to move their vehicles took some effort and it took us over 2 hours to get 10km out of the city. Our little convoy then group camped on a mirador and it ended up being quite a fun experience.

      The next day we were back in Potosí getting a vet certificate for Maya so we could get papers to 'export' her - bloody ridiculous when we just drove over the border without any questions when we came into the country.      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Parque cretácico, Parque cretacico

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