Bolivia is for the Bold & Impetuous

The whirlwind of Bolivia is as treacherous as it is beautiful. It'll push you to your limits, demolish your sense of security, and extend your adrenaline from one absurd activity to the next. After a quick conversation withe a "role model" of mine, I'd heard all I needed to hear, booking a bus from Peru to its southeastern neighbor. Bolivia is about thinking less and doing more, so here are the best (or maybe worst?) things you should do there.

im·pet·u·ous

adjective

acting or done quickly and without thought or care.

Bolivia is a strange and dangerous place. Go there.

After a delightful backpacking experience traveling southward through Peru, I wasn’t convinced if I was prepared for Bolivia, but curiosity and a thirst for something a little weird had the last say, and I soon found myself crossing into the country through a checkpoint near Lake Titicaca (yes, kindergarten Gabe, it’s a real lake, and it’s beautiful) about a week after completing the Salkantay route to Machu Picchu.

My first impression of Bolivia and what it had in store came from a close friend and role model of mine who insisted I visit during a Skype conversation:

“You’re not going to go to Bolivia?” he asked, clearly offended.

“You can do everything: throw sticks of dynamite in salt mines; visit (and stay) in a prison; visit bars with full menus of cocaine; sleep above crocodiles in an Amazonian bed and breakfast; and bike down the “Death Road.”

"Honestly, I hadn't considered it," I admitted.

“Well, you should. We did it all,” he said. “We were even held hostage in a small town we were passing through on our way across the country. Apparently it was so they'd gain federal funding for a new road they were building. Not sure what happened, but if it worked, I’d like to think they named the road after us.”

So, you see, I never really had a choice.

As far as what to do and where to go in Bolivia, you’ll notice that everyone shares a pretty similar itinerary and aptitude for mischief. There are a few party hostels in La Paz that host the majority of wildlings with in-house bookings that’ll organize just about everything you want to accomplish. Much like many of my other muddled misadventures, I did all of my bookings no more than a day or two before, which is the way I’d highly suggest approaching your plans if you’re flying solo. Aside from some flights you'll have to book to head north into the Amazon, everything is extremely affordable and easy to take care of after you arrive.

Bolivia is far from reaching a reputable status in the world of international tourism, but that’s why it attracts a stranger breed of backpacker. I only spent two weeks in in the country, mostly based out of La Paz, but with only a short amount of time left before I flew back to the good ‘ol U-S-of-A, I was hell bent on getting the most out of my time there and totally fine with Bolivia getting the best of of me.