The Bolivia TR

[rod9301]

Spent 6 weeks in Bolivia in 2007, climbing mountains and traveling around, in February. Lots of rain and snow.
Great mountains, mediocre food.
Generally 6 weeks above 13,000 ft.
Not much grows there, which is why most food is cooked without spices.

European descent population is 5 percent of so, vs 70 in Argentina.
I think when Europeans came, they looked at the mostly desolate altiplano and thought, not much here.

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[zion zig zag]

Bravo, basinbeater.


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[teleee]

Loved this entire thing, glad you made it out safely. What an adventure for the kids. Although, it might be tough getting the wife back anytime soon.


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[Thaleia]

What a ride! Thanks for sharing. Really appreciated all the background details. I too was following along on google maps learning about these places.

[basinbeater]

Lots of good food in Bolivia, just gotta ask for it. Salteñas, especially the spicy carne ones, best thing ever, king of the world of empanadas if you ask me. Anticuchos, delicious street food. Be brave and throw the llajua on top. Aji de pollo or aji de lengua, Highland specialties. Bolivian chorizo comes in many types and varies from region to region but is generally spicy and delicious. Love it.
Quinoa is a major crop that grows best at altitude. Super good. Potatoes were an Inca food standard introduced to Europe by the Spaniards (Irish liked one kind in particular and when disease came for that one variety, famine) Many varieties grow in large quantities and are a staple. Lots of delicious fruit from maracuyá to oranges, to chirimoya, lots of fruits.
Large quantities of spices are used to preserve foods for times when less is harvested. A place like Chile with tremendous amounts of food uses way less spice as there is no need to preserve food for the tough seasons.
Bolivian food, spicy. Chilean food, bland. I have lived both places.
Is it the most riveting adventure in gastronomy? No. Is it bland? No. I grew up with my mom generally causing my friends to run for water when they would eat the spicy food she prepared and we love.

When the Europeans arrived, they found exactly what they were looking for. In large quantities. Silver. They enslaved the native Inca people (various groups, mainly quechua and Aymara) and put them to work in the mines (see Potosí cerro Rico). Enough silver was pulled from Cerro rico to build a bridge to Spain. So much that the massive influx of silver screwed up Spain's economy and impacted the broader European market.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_revolution

The geography is brutal in the highlands. The mountains are massive. Some towns are multiple days hike from the nearest road and Spanish is not spoken in those parts.
I won't argue that El alto is a shit hole. It is.

[RootSkier]

Crazy trip, lucky kids, awesome thread.