The Travel Chica

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Bolivia Scares the Sh** Out of Me

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Maybe I’ve grown soft traveling in Argentina and Chile for the last year.

(Wow, I cannot believe I spent that much time in two countries.  I do like slow travel and enjoy the pseudo-expat life.)

I started my travels in poorer countries with less infrastructure, more hassle, and more crime.  I even got robbed the first day of my travels.

I want to experience Bolivia.

I want to learn about the indigenous culture.

I want to see the mountains.  I want to see the salt flats.

But I am afraid.

What I Have Heard About Bolivia

I have first-hand accounts of bus crashes due to either the ridiculously narrow passes and/ or the drunken bus driver.

I have heard that the bus journeys are miserable (you know, if you don’t fall off a cliff).

I have heard that everyone gets horribly sick from the food.

And sometimes you can get stuck for days in a town because there is a strike, and the roads are blocked.  Days!  That is ridiculous!

I have heard that robberies and theft are common.

I booked my flight to Bolivia anyways.

Here I am, two days into my stay in Sucre as I write this.

The city is beautiful.

My hostel rocks.  Way better than I expected to find in Bolivia.  In fact, it is one of the best hostels I have stayed at during my entire trip.

But I am still nervous.

What I Am Actually Experiencing in Bolivia

Nearly half of the people in my hostel have some form of terrible food poisoning. They are dropping like flies.  The vomiting I heard last night from a fellow dorm-dweller can only be described as “violent.”

One girl is in the hospital with salmonella.  (I need to look that up and figure out if it’s contagious.)

Another girl just went into the hospital because she has appendicitis.  I know that appendicitis is not Bolivia’s fault, but it is just another reminder that nobody wants to undergo emergency surgery in the poorest country in South America.

(Update:  She survived surgery, and awoke to find her appendix in a jar on the nightstand.)

Two girls just got back from an overnight trip to Potosi and were robbed by a taxi and someone posing as a cop.

For the first time, I am jealous of the friends and couples traveling together.

It is so much easier to deal with difficult travel situations when there are two or more of you to deal with the stress and look out for each other.

So what now?

I have to remember….

… bad things happens anywhere in the world.

… I have already been through difficult travel and sketchy situations.

… most people are good.

… some things are worth the trouble to experience them.

Comments

  5. Oh, I hear you. I don’t want to let fear stand in the way of adventures, but it’s hard not to be prudent. We’re taking our two young kids to South America soon, and when I think about having them experience the crazy driving, be exposed to higher crime and more general insecurity, I start to hyperventilate (we’re going to Argentina, which I know is safe, but less safe than here–and these are _my kids_). But safety isn’t the only value, right? Do I want them to be safe, and never experience the world? We have to take risks to get the rewards.
    Heather Caliri recently posted..On goals, and failure, and right expectations

    • Absolutely. I think it’s almost safer to travel with kids. I mean, what type of person targets a family with their kids?

      Argentina is really quite safe, especially once you get out of Buenos Aires. It’s a great place to travel with kids. Safer driving, clean food, drinkable water everywhere, less crime than other countries I’ve traveled in Latin America. (Hope that makes you hyperventilate a little less.)
      Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Seeing Nothing and Experiencing More

  6. Got mixed feeling about Bolivia too. While in Peru, I met a couple who got kidnapped and forced to withdraw money. On the other hand, a coworker went on a biking trip and had the time of his life.

  7. I can definitely say that traveling with Shaun throughout Bolivia calmed my nerves for sure but a lot of the scams and things are ones that are found in other Latin American countries.

    Just be on your guard again. It sucks for sure but I love the hell out of Bolivia. I met some of the most amazing people there and even though we were pickpocketed, we easily forgave. There is just so much to see and experience.
    Erica recently posted..Our Hermitage in Phoenix, Arizona

  9. If it makes you feel any better, I made it through a few weeks in Bolivia completely unscathed. I never felt threatened once and was fit as a fiddle the whole time (then I got violently ill when I crossed the border to Puno). A few people tried to rip me off but in reality, I only lost out on a few bucks and they needed it a lot more than I did.

    Stay safe and have fun!
    Neil Fahey recently posted..Say no to recreational hunting in NSW National Parks

  11. We had an amazing time in Bolivia. I liked it so much better than Peru, which is where we got food poisoning. The food in Bolivia totally agreed with us. Altitude sickness is something to think about – we took the pills the entire time we were there and had no trouble, but you really do get winded walking up the hills in the cities. We heard the same dangers but even getting lost in La Paz wasn’t scary. I think you’ll be fine and hope you enjoy it as much as we did. The people are delightful!
    Andrea recently posted..Posture and Ergonomics for Digital Nomads

  12. I wish I had good advice or some words of wisdom for you Steph, but know that we’re all hoping for the best for you, and just imagine how many hits you’d get on a blog post for “How to survive a bus crash in Bolivia”.
    Steve recently posted..Let’s Go Map Tropical Islands

  13. Yeah, going from top to bottom of South America is a much better route. Save the best living conditions for last! While it was a rough ride through Bolivia, it was totally worth it! That’s when we decided to up our food budget a little and tried to stick to cafes, which can be done in most towns. Good luck with the rest of the trip!
    Wendy recently posted..Best Friends

  14. I’m leaving for South America in 6 weeks. I’ll be visiting 8 countries and Bolivia is the one I’m most excited about. Those stories about the dangerous roads really do scare me though. Stay safe and I’ll look out for some updates soon to help me plan my trip!
    Arianwen recently posted..My South America route

  16. Yeah I have to say Bolivia scares me too for the same reason. I’d say don’t eat meat but most people get sick from the vegetables. Make sure you have yogurt EVERY day.
    Ayngelina recently posted..Have you met Bruce?

  18. Wendy and I loved Bolivia and didn’t have any issues at all while traveling through there. It was actually one of our favorite memories of the trip. Especially the salt flats tour.

    Perhaps our ignorance helped. :)

    Wishing you safe travels.
    Dusty Doris recently posted..Best Friends

  19. It’s good to feel a little scared as it keeps you on your toes. Having said that, I travelled for a year in South America on my own (researching a masters degree), I never felt afraid, and I didn’t have a single bad experience – not even in Bolivia, where I spent a month, and fortunately, didn’t get food poisoning. But then in all my years of travelling I’ve never been subject to a scam and only experienced crime once, a couple of years ago, in Buenos Aires – with my husband. I think travellers have to be street-wise (too many travellers are naive and gullible), be cautious and sensible (as dull as that sounds), and get advice from locals. You’re going to have a blast! :)

  20. Well, I was in Bolivia for about a month and never got sick or robbed but I did have two small inconveniences related to strikes. If I recall correctly you’re not going to La Paz? If you are going, I would say almost certainly do NOT stay at Loki or its evil neighbor Wild Rover. Don’t get me wrong, people absolutely love those places, but knowing you, I am pretty confident in saying you would be miserable there. As for drinking water, I got spoiled having safe water in Argentina and then missed it terribly in Brazil. It’s so nice to have it again here in Europe!
    Jeff recently posted..Buying a Prepaid SIM Card While Traveling: What You Need to Know

    • Funny you mention those hostels. EVERYONE I have met that has been in or is going to La Paz stays in one of those two places. I assumed they would represent everything I hate about hostels :-)

      Getting used to having to buy drinking water everyday has been a bit difficult. I just drink so much water. And with the altitude and dryness of the climate, I am drinking even more.
      Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Tarabuco, Bolivia: More Than a Cheap Sunday Market

  22. Waking up to find her appendix in a jar is quite interesting…. I relate to your fears, and love that you go for the experience anyway. If there are higher-end restaurants or tours that can support you in staying healthy and safe, perhaps they’re worth the extra expense. Thinking lots of happy thoughts for you, I hope you get only good memories from Bolivia.
    Ayelet – All Colores recently posted..Video of the Week: Gigantic Iceberg in El Calafate, Argentina

  24. Oh my!! Every exciting and totally understand the fear. But stay positive and hey if it is scary you can leave asap! :)

  25. Hi Stephanie,
    It is so amazing and inspiring that you are traveling around Latin America. Honestly, Bolivia isn’t in my to-go list, but now it seems not bad. All the best in your stay there. Nothing beats the first hand experience in new culture.
    Cheers,
    DoRiS

  28. The buses in boliva are dangerous. I had to incident when I travelled there but I wouldn’t take some busses again, the one from la paz to Rurrenabaque was horrible. At any moment could have gone over the side of huge cliff.

    If you get up to potosi i would suggest going on the tour of the mine, which is safe, we went with http://realdealtours.blogspot.co.uk/ who were amazing. he said that no tourist had died on the tour! so thats pretty safe!
    john recently posted..Day 36 – Mini pizzas, a business innovation for the UK

  29. I JUST RETURNED FROM BOLIVIA. I TRAVELED THERE AS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT AND WENT BACK FOR A REUNION. NO PROBLEM WITH ALTITUDE. 2ND DAY, I WAS SICK AS A DOG…FOOD POISONING AND WITH A VENGEANCE. BARFED MY GUTS OUT AND HAD THE RUNS FOR A FEW DAYS. LUCKILY i HAD ANTIBIOTICS ON ME. I WAS AFRAID TO EAT ANYTHING AFTER THAT. LOST 12 LBS IN ONE WEEK.

    IT IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE WITH WARM AND FRIENDLY PEOPLE. NO PLACE LIKE IT IN THE WORLD. NEVERTHELESS, I WONT BE RETURNING ANYTIME SOON!

  30. Have you ever thought about creating an e-book or guest authoring on other websites?
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    Tam recently posted..Tam

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