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Breaking Out of Sucre

Coroico, Bolivia – So I stayed in Sucre a few days longer than expected. I had originally planned to leave on Wednesday but when the time came to buy my bus ticket out of town there were too many people wanting to have one last dinner, go out for one last night or just simply [...]

Coroico, Bolivia –

So I stayed in Sucre a few days longer than expected. I had originally planned to leave on Wednesday but when the time came to buy my bus ticket out of town there were too many people wanting to have one last dinner, go out for one last night or just simply didn’t want me to leave quite yet. So…I stayed. But that’s what I love about open-ended travel. I have no schedule or place to be. I stay until I go with complete indifference to dates and time (With exception to those pesky visa dates). I move with the flow and enjoy the time I have.

When Thursday came around my feet were itching to go. No more pleas from Emily ‘Stay, stay, stay’ or exclamations of great parties from Omar or prospects of future activities from friends could keep me in Sucre. Wanderlust had firmly taken hold and I was ready to go.

I bought my ticket to La Paz first thing Friday morning for Saturday night giving me enough time to say good bye to friends and one last hoorah on Friday night. My original plan was to just hop on a bus and go where ever but having a friend who works in the tourism industry in Sucre has its advantages. When such friend also laid out an itinerary for me of where I should go to see some of the better small villages that also provide easy access to the Bolivian countryside I threw that original plan out the window and went with what was easier.

To Coroico!

I was ready for a sleepless 12 hour overnight bus ride to La Paz and a connecting bus out into the countryside. I wasn’t quite ready for that 12 hour overnight bus ride to turn into 16 hours but when the bus breaks down high up in the Altiplano at 5:00 am I have little other choice but accept my fate and freeze my butt off in the early morning hours. Once in La Paz I left almost as soon as I got there. I’ll be back later this week when the city is sure to be a little more ‘alive’ than on a Sunday or Monday.

A sleepy little town is just what I’m in the mood for right now and Coroico fits that bill perfectly. Sitting at ‘only’ 1600 meters above sea level (about the same altitude as the ‘mile high’ city of Denver) the weather is a change from Sucre where it could be a bit chilly. The rainforest meets the high mountains of the Andes here creating ‘The Yungus’; aka – a tropical retreat for Bolivians living in La Paz. The difference in temperature between the two places is drastic. The drive is equivalent to that of Cleveland to Columbus but with a temperature difference equivalent to that of Columbus and Florida in the middle of winter.

The valley below Coroico where you are guaranteed and amazing view.

My first day in the Yungus had me trekking for 2.5 hours alongside a mountain to three nearby waterfalls. I’m not sure why I even bother with these treks to waterfalls anymore after Iguazu Falls. Nothing compares and this was no exception. Actually, this waterfall was more than a disappointment. Before the water even hit bottom it was siphoned off to use as Coroico’s water supply. Now I understood what the pipe following me alongside the entire trek 100 meters below me was for and where it was going. From this waterfall there were more pipes heading off into the distance to what I could only assume were the other two waterfalls so instead of being further disappointed I headed back to town and enjoyed the scenery around me.

Photos of Coroico:

 

Filed under: Bolivia, Cubicle Ditcher

About the Author:

Sam Langley left a comfortable and profitable job with an insurance company in the USA to travel the world. He has been going for years, and has not stopped yet. Keep up with his travels on his blog at Cubicle Ditcher. has written 147 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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  • Adil August 14, 2011, 3:44 pm

    Hey Sam , I posted earlier on your “one year on” post ,
    I just started my open ended trip 10 days ago, Im in Mexico , and I got a big problem . I caught spanish pretty quick (easier when you speak french) , met lots of locals , ongoing business with local ladies, and I ended up spending 5 days in this city instead of the 2 I planned, and Im speaking spanish the whole day which is what I wanted. now Im starting to think about spending more time here … How do you get yourself to keep travelling ????
    thanks 🙂

    Adil

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    • Sam August 18, 2011, 8:28 pm

      Hey Adil,
      Sorry its taken me so long to respond. I haven’t been on-line for a while. From what it sounds like to me you don’t have a problem. I’m not sure where you are in Mexico but that’s one country I wish I spent more time in and want to return now that I have a little more Spanish under my belt. If your on an open ended trip don’t fret too much. Enjoy your experiences.

      Getting bogged down in one spot when you want to travel can be a problem. When I thought I wanted to spend more time in one place but also felt like I should move on I always thought of what more I was going to experience if I left. Just thinking about the places I wanted to go or the experiences I wanted to have and weighed those against my current location the ‘current location’ always seemed to lose out. That’s how I always got myself to pick up and leave. Hope it helps but just keep having fun man.

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