Bolivia Travel Guide: Juengst Edition

I know that at least some of you reading this have aspirations to travel in and around South America, maybe making an awesome stop in Bolivia. So here is my advice (most of it tested, some of theoretical):

Things to pack:
- just go ahead and bring some strong antibiotics (cipro is pretty good) because your beautiful pristine protected stomachs will get assaulted by a mix of exotic bacteria, amoeba, parasites, and god/microbiologists only know what else. You'll get over it but antibiotics help. a LOT.
-warm clothes no matter what time of year. if you are planning on coming to Bolivia (or Peru for that matter), all my favorite stuff happens at above 10,000 feet. the days will be sunny and warm (ideally) but at that altitude, its freaking cold at night. and oh yeah, dont expect indoor heating.
-extra socks: see above
-a camera and maybe extra batteries/charger. my camera died this summer which i kind of like bc taking pictures sometimes bums me out but you will have the urge over and over again bc the scenery is pretty freaking amazing.
-books to read-- ive read 11 this summer and counting. theres not much else to entertain yourself with after the sun goes down if you dont ahve internet or a stockpile of movies. and most hostels dont have tvs in rooms anyway.
-uhh whatever else you normally pack

Places to Go and Things to See:
-If you go through Peru, you are obviously going to go to Cusco. DO THIS. Cusco is an amazing town.
      -I highly recommend staying at the Hotel Suisse 2 which is right near the main plaza and pretty inexpensive.
      -there are so many museums and sites to see immediately in Cusco, you almost don't need to go anywhere else. Spend a few days just exploring this city (a ticket to about 15 of the main attractions costs about $15-30 depending on if you have a student id)
      -if you HAVE to go see Machu Picchu, fine. but make sure you see some of the even more amazing sites in the Sacred Valley along the way! Ollantaytambo is halfway to MP from Cusco and I think is even cooler. (sidebar: i'm prejudiced against machu picchu bc it has been really heavily reconstructed and not accurately. plus so many tourists go but its not even really that important of a site-- just some rich inka's summer home. its like if tourists came to the US, saw the Biltmore Estate, and thought that was representative of US culture, govt, religion etc. Blergh)

-From Peru, definitely come by Copacabana. A lot of tourists skip straight to La Paz or Tiwanaku, but Lake Titicaca is pretty awesome and Copa is the best place to see it from. Its super easy to get here by bus from Cusco (about 8 hrs to Puno, where you change buses, then another 3 to Copa with a nice, easy border crossing). Also, hotels are cheap here so why not? My favorite hostels in town (from how they look since I've enver stayed in one) are La Cupula, which has a nice lakeview and interesting architecture, Hotel Chasqui del Inka (lakeside), and Hotel Rosario  (supposedly the most expensive in town for about $30-40/night).
      -in Copa, there are 3 cool Inka sites to see, the best is Bano del Inka which is about a 30 minute walk to the small neighboring town of Kusijata (its a flat, easy walk too!). You can also catch boats to the Island of the Sun (worth staying a night there but its pricier) and Island of the Moon which both have Inka ruins. Also, you can eat lunch of one of the floating islands, which are fake on the Bolivian side of the lake but still pretty cool! Around town you can also hike up to the Calvario, which has a great view of town and sells fun souvenirs.
    -in Copa, eat at: Huanchaco. Easily my favorite restaurant in town, it is peruvian themed (oh my god, the delicious ceviche) but also has "gringo" food like awesome tacos and decent pizza. Also good is the Eagle and the Condor for breakfast. It's run by an Irish guy and his Bolivian wife, they are super cool, and the coffee/food is the best in town for mornings. For drinks/late night, Nemo's is my favorite. There is one club, called Wayki's but it is a bit sketchy. Fun, but just don't go by yourself!

--From Copa, I would check out Sorata (lower elevation, jungley, cool snow capped peaks looming overhead). pretty easy to get to by local bus (or combi) but you might have to go to La Paz to catch a tourist bus if you want to be fancy ;) Getting to La Paz is super easy, buses leave Copa every 30min or so. La Paz has awesome museums on Calle Jean and near the Plaza San Francisco in the part of the city called El Prado. It's also the best hub to find your next adventure!

-- Obviously, you HAVE to go to Tiwanaku. This cool archaeological site is about 3 hrs from La Paz, so definitely worth a day trip (although maybe not an overnight stay). It was the main site for the first "state" society in Bolivia and has some pretty impressive ruins, such as a large mound site, sunken temple with stone heads sticking out of the walls, huge walls and statues.

Places to go after La Paz: Now we venture into the realm of guesswork, since I have sadly done little travelling around greater Bolivia. But here's what I would do:

Option 1: Catch a cheap ($100ish) flight to Rurrenabaque aka the Bolivian Amazon (or take a 24hr bus ride...). Here you can go to a national park, Madida, and see some cool animals etc. Lots of "ecotours" benefitting local groups and stuff so thats cool.

Option 2: Take a bus to Cochabamba, hang out there for a few days (lowland city which is supposed to be cool) then catch a bus, ride 4x4s, or charter a small plane for 5 people to Torotoro. Really crazy geologic area with.. DINO FOOTPRINTS! tons of fossils and stuff to check out.

Option 3: take a looong bus ride (14 hrs) to Uyuni.  From here, you can get a tour to Salar de Uyuni, the high altitude salt flats of Bolivia. Dress warmly!!

Okay I think thats all for now. Basically, you guys need to check out Bolivia. Especially because it might close its doors to those from the United States any time now!!