Bolivia was a pleasant surprise in multiple ways.....the food was pretty good and we learned some really interesting things about Bolivia that intrigued me- namely the myths and legends of the native people. We watched two pretty interesting documentaries pertaining to Bolivia; one was about lake titicaca and the other called the Mountain that Eats Men about a mine in Bolivia that has been mined for something like 500 hundred years and is still being mined, but thousands of men have been killed in this super dangerous mine...it was really eye opening.
Bolivia is a country in central South America, with a varied terrain spanning Andes Mountains, the Atacama Desert and Amazon Basin rainforest. At more than 3,500m, its administrative capital, La Paz, sits on the Andes’ Altiplano plateau with snow-capped Mt. Illimani in the background. Nearby is glass-smooth Lake Titicaca, the continent’s largest lake, straddling the border with Peru.
Cool Facts about Bolivia:
- Bolivia is a landlocked South American country
- The world’s largest butterfly sanctuary, which spans 24 hectares, is in Bolivia. It is located 20 minutes from downtown Santa Cruz, and is open 365 days a year.
- Bolivia has the world’s largest salt flat, which covers 10,582 square kilometers (4,086 sq mi) of area and is 3,656 meters above sea level. It contains 50 to 70% of the world’s lithium reserves.
- Madidi National Park, with an area of 18,958 square kilometers, is part of one of the largest protected areas in the world. Scientists have identified more than 1,000 varieties of butterflies living in the park.
- Tiwanaku, located in Bolivia, is among South America’s most intriguing archeological sites.
- Bolivia also has Lake Titicaca, which is the world’s highest navigable lake at 12,507 feet above sea level. It has a surface area of 8,300 square kilometers. It is shared between Bolivia and Peru.
- San Pedro prison in Bolivia is another tourist attraction. Unlike other prisons around the world, this special prison permits its inmates to live with their families, work, earn and even buy or rent their accommodations.
- A hotel in Bolivia–The Hotel Luna Salad–is built entirely from salt blocks including the interior and the furniture.For those who have a special interest in dinosaurs, it will be interesting to know that there are 5055 footprints from at least 8 different species of dinosaurs in Bolivia on Cal Orko, an imposing limestone slab 1.5 km long and more than 100 meters high. The marks are 68 million years old. And they are on a vertical wall.
- An estimated eight million Andean Indians died because of the mining of Cerro Rico (Rich Hill). The mine is 4,860 meters above sea level. Each day, approximately 3,000 tons of minerals are brought out of it by around 15,000 miners. The mine has provided these resources for the past 460 years.
- Bolivia is home to the highest administrative capital city in the world, La Paz. It is roughly 11,975 ft above sea level. It has one airport, and has a population of 1.816 million. However, the official capital city of Bolivia is Sucre. Thus, it is one of the few countries in the world with more than one capital cities.
- Bolivians become eligible to vote at the age of 18 if they are married, and at 21 if they are single.
- Interestingly, there are 37 official languages in Bolivia.
- Bolivia contributes 70% of all Brazil nuts produced worldwide.
- Bolivia gets over 8000 mm of rain, on average, per year, which makes it one of the wettest countries in the world.
- The dolphins in the Amazon in Bolivia are pink.
- More than 40% of all animal and plant life on planet Earth is found in Bolivia in its tropical rainforests and Pantanal Wetlands.
- Guinea pig is a delicacy in Bolivia. It is usually served whole, with the legs and head pointing up.
- Families are closely knit in Bolivia. In rural regions, multiple generations live in a single house together. The family plays a significant role in social life and structure. Men are predominantly the breadwinners, while women look after the household work.
- Bolivians eat coca to combat the effects of altitude. As a result of the habit, you can see a bulge in their cheeks.
- Bolivians are also famous for drinking juice out of plastic bags.
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| limonada....it is made with the rind and everything on...too bitter for my taste |
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| homemade dulce de leche for the cookies |
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| saltenas- a bolivian empanda basically. street food at its finest |
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| Bolivian bean salad |
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| Bolivian cookies- these things were amazing... |
