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Sucre- As the Lonely Plant say’s; “The names a sweet trick!”

 

The route to Sucre was enough to make up my mind, never to go downhill again, just to have to go back up again.  Where I can, I will stay on the altiplano, as recommended by Mike ( as of Mike on bike fame) Though it offered fantastic scenery, the steep drop from 4,600 MASL to 2000 MASL is just too much, and the steep gradients offer no respite. Buses and trucks stop to about 5 to 10 mph going up, so you can imagine what it’s like for a bike with full load. However, everybody I spoke to said that Sucre was an absolutely brilliant city, the historical capital, probably the best in Bolivia and in South America and well worth the trip. ‘Even vicious dogs shouldn’t stop me from reaching Sucre, which is the true capital of Bolivia.’ Astonishingly, there is also a reasonable supply of cheap hostels and residencias in Betanzos,  Millares and Yotala.

 

However, I’d decided that I probably wouldn’t drop into La Paz, but rather, stay on the altiplano to go to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. That should at least ensure that I don’t run into the problems of navigating the city and the frought process of leaving bikes outside of hostels as you try to negotiate a room. And given the steep hills there, I thought it would be better to stay high and take the gentle drop to Lake Titicaca. It also offers the opportunity to spend a day and night in Isla del Sol in the middle of Lake Titicaca.

 

Well they were all correct about Sucre! Sucre is simply stunning. A point that I forgot to mention about Potosi...and the same applies to Sucre, is that it seems to have escaped the disease of modern, glazed and glum cigarette box buildings that “adorn” many of the spaces on Plazas and main roads in Argentina and Chile, all in the name of progress! On countless occasions I saw the result of frightening planning decisions that have brought horrid buildings next to some of the most spectacular old colonial buildings on Argentina and Chiles’ otherwise fantastic plazas and avenidas. Here in Bolivia, whether by accident or design, (accident in that there was no money for new build, or Bolivia was too unstable a country) such buildings or few and far between. And better still, Bolivia, unlike many places in the world seems to be a huge building site with new homes and public buildings being built or renovated. I was impressed to find them using reconditioned or recycled wood, and traditional stone ( well there’s plenty of it) to create that colonial look, without it becoming pastiche. Altogether brilliant stuff!  The red ceramic tiled roofs that are everywhere in Sucre, are a sheer joy to look at from on high. Some, of course, are a bit modern, and could have benefited from a more weathered look, but in general they ensure the character of the city remains intact, as does the pristine white plaster or traditional stone frontages in buildings.

 

Sadly, graffiti is omnipresent! No building is spared- 15, 16, 17 and 18th century churches suffer as much as the local homes, offices, restaurants, shops and dividing walls. Interestingly, alongside the multitude of tags, some of the graffiti has a strong religious tone, and by that I mean declaring their devotion to Jesus Christ, or local padres, (I wonder if their hands are burning as they are spraying!) or as is commonly the case, support or otherwise for their president Evo Morales. It is also clear from how dated some of the graffiti  is, that there is no real rush to remove it, though I saw an article in a paper where the police are declaring war on the graffiti pandillas ( gangs), so perhaps those in authority are waking up to this disease which is ruining so much of the fantastic buildings. However, I am in no doubt there will be very little intervention before the election of a new national government and Presidente on the 6 December. Certainly not when you see the plethora of graffiti notices declaring “Mas  Evo” or “Evo Si”. His opponent Manfred Reyes appears to be getting poor press and allegations of corruption on construction projects. Trumped up or not, they will no doubt pave the way for a second term for Evo Morales resulting in the most stable period of government in Bolivia’s 180 years of independence. However, given the close alliance between Venezuela and Bolivia, with Venezeula providing the “expertise” and no doubt cash for many of the regeneration initiatives, stability is clearly a relative concept!

 

I stayed in the Hostal Espana on Calle Espana in Sucre, which was brilliant. However, the next morning as I got up, I wasn’t expecting the receptionist to tell me that the route towards Oruru was closed and would be for three days because of a landslide. “Su be seguro” (Are you sure?)” “Si” she said. The reason I was unconvinced is because I was speaking to a couple from Germany at breakfast who had bought tickets and were due to catch a bus at 12.30. I thought about going to the police, then thought better of it, given my experience with police in Argentina (and they have an even worse reputation in Bolivia). Instead, I went to the bus company that Hanz and his wife were using. Sure enough... the road was closed and would be for two days, however, the bus operator said it was because of collapsed road due to a mining incident! Whilst I could see a landslide being cleared up in a few days, I simply couldn’t see how they would fix a huge hole in a road! I was preparing for another long stay, and having checked out, I had to check back in again.

 

It meant that I got the opportunity to experience city life in Sucre, and I climbed part way up one of the mountains (or large hills) under which Sucre nestles! I was going to take a horse ride, but thought better of it. After all, I spend enough time in a saddle, but clearly nowhere near enough to ensure I get to my final destination in time! Come to think of it, I’m in Butch Cassidy and Sundance kid territory, perhaps I could get to Colombia quicker on a horse! Instead however, I read, and in particular, I did a bit of Spanish reading in an effort to better understand some conversations! I also took the time to update the BLOG.

 

 In the evenings, whilst waiting to go I found a traditional Bolivian restaurant for the first night and on the second, an Asian restaurant, which promised good Thai food. Well......let’s just say it was a long way off Thai food, but it filled a hole.

 

I don’t always follow the recommendation of the Lonely Planet guide, but I did on this occasion and went to the Joyride cafe. It’s a Dutch/Bolivian cafe- bar and adventure-tour company and it has be said, the service was better than anything I’d experienced so far! The staff all wear t-shirts saying “probably the best bar in town”, a play on the old Heineken beer ad. However it “probably” is!

 

Whilst Sucre clearly has its own fair share of poverty, a look at the streets full of poor campesinos and beggars, shows that it is a problem, it’s nevertheless a predominantly wealthy area, with many new, expensive cars ( at least they would be in the UK) and fantastic houses. Yet again, I’m stunned by the exception of Sucre to other parts of Bolivia, in terms of the quality of the environment. Like San Juan in Argenitina, this is one place that seems to have a greater level of litter consciousness. There are a multitude of bins, which gives no excuses for failing to dispose of litter responsibly! And for the most part, people do. With the exception of the Salar, which does seem to benefit from greater concern for litter control,  Potosi, Uyuni, Villazon, Tupiza and their surrounding villages and areas, are appalling and local people ( not tourists I’m pleased to say) quite irresponsibly drop their litter anywhere and everywhere!

 

The climb out of Sucre was interesting and as always, slow and tortuous. However, I had to admire the ingenuity of the Bolivian public services. They had managed to create a new section of single track road, skirting ( and I mean skirting) a steep drop on a mountainside, where the road had been severely damaged by a landslide or mining incident. There was too much rubble to be certain what had happened! The problem was that there was no traffic control on this single track road, with the result cars, buses, bikes and lorries came from both direction and reversed on one of the scariest bits of road I’ve ever seen. Let’s face it they’re used to it....This is the home of the death road!

 

Well its 400 kilometres to Copacabana, and not on terrain like Chile or the middle region of Argentina. This is tough! Though I’m assured its asphalt almost all the way! The problem is the Bolivian definition of the word “almost”. The Bolivians I spoke to said that it is a bit up and down and then almost straight down a steep hill to Sucre from Potosi. That straight down is steep, but its peppered with some horrifically steep uphill climbs. “Almost” may mean that 300 of the 400 km are on tarmac or asphalt roads!