Copacabana to Cochabamba (seriously – I couldn't make this up)

11/19/09

4 immigration offices
3 taxis
2 borders
1 collectivo
1 large coach
13 hours of travel.

Our plot worked. We caught a taxi from Copacabana to the Peruvian border and arrived just as the Bolivian exit migration opened. Entering Peru was also quick and easy. Then we caught another taxi all the way through Peru to the Peruvian exit migration. This one was the problem one last time, but we made it through in about fifteen minutes. Our plan to get ahead of the tourist buses worked. The final Bolivian immigration was a breeze and we climbed into a collectivo for the trip to La Paz (not before I helped load a dozen 5-gallon buckets full of fish on to the top – with our luggage). A collectivo is a mini van packed with locals. It is a cheap quick way to travel if you don't mind sacrificing comfort and some safety (never sit in the front seat).

The collectivo dropped us off by the cemetery, where we caught a taxi to the main bus station. We found a bus that was leaving almost immediately for Cochabamba. Shannon just had time to round us up some saltenas (Mmm saltenas ). Our bus was a large comfortable motor coach, which was good because the road was perilous. Windy, narrow, through the mountains, with large drop offs to the valley below. We were faster than most of the traffic, so we spent a lot of time on the wrong side of the road. Oncoming traffic apparently wasn't a problem.

We arrived in Cochabamba late at night and had trouble finding a hotel. They are more expensive here than in La Paz. We found a cheaper one and discovered why it is cheaper. No water after noon. Not no hot water, no water at all. Not even to flush the toilets. Now try to imagine a shared hotel toilet that hasn't been flushed in 10 hours. Or, by the next morning, 18 hours. Some things are worth paying for.