SharonNRayMc: Trip Report - 24 days on the road: Miami, Jupiter, Bolivia and Peru... and what some folks will do to see the Devil Dance! (Part 2)
Feb 13th, 2005, 04:50 PM
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SharonNRayMc: Trip Report - 24 days on the road: Miami, Jupiter, Bolivia and Peru... and what some folks will do to see the Devil Dance! (Part 2)
For Part 1 - please see this posting on the US Forum:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34557141
Sharon
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34557141
Sharon
Feb 14th, 2005, 11:04 AM
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For new readers, I would suggest you read the first part of trip report on the US Forum in order to obtain some important background information.
I write to you today from La Paz, Bolivia. Ray and I have a week more of this phenomenal journey ahead of us. The hightlights have been amazing delights... we have seen and experienced so much variety in a very short time.
I promise a full report. This will not be short, as I mentioned in Part 1 of the trip report. If you abhor long trip reports full of detail, you might as well stop reading now. For others who delight in story and detail, read on. I promise to tell all about Carnaval, water balloons, spray foam, confetti, Condor sitings, natural beauty, man-made beauty, best places for bird watching, old train graveyards, witchdoctors, Andean shaman practices, AND to divulge the names of tremendous places to shop and eat including the best chocolate shop in Bolivia and the best Bolivian wines and beer... I will also tell you about where to find the largest natural mirror where you can see for miles and miles like you are inside a giant kaliedescope.... and there will be more because we still have a week of adventure before heading back home.
Sharon
I write to you today from La Paz, Bolivia. Ray and I have a week more of this phenomenal journey ahead of us. The hightlights have been amazing delights... we have seen and experienced so much variety in a very short time.
I promise a full report. This will not be short, as I mentioned in Part 1 of the trip report. If you abhor long trip reports full of detail, you might as well stop reading now. For others who delight in story and detail, read on. I promise to tell all about Carnaval, water balloons, spray foam, confetti, Condor sitings, natural beauty, man-made beauty, best places for bird watching, old train graveyards, witchdoctors, Andean shaman practices, AND to divulge the names of tremendous places to shop and eat including the best chocolate shop in Bolivia and the best Bolivian wines and beer... I will also tell you about where to find the largest natural mirror where you can see for miles and miles like you are inside a giant kaliedescope.... and there will be more because we still have a week of adventure before heading back home.
Sharon
Feb 14th, 2005, 11:12 AM
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Sometimes getting to a special place can be an adventure in itself. Not all countries run travel schedules like clockwork.
Case in point, the night before our flight, American Airlines was forced to cancel the Miami - La Paz flight because the folks in La Paz who refuel the planes were on strike and refused to refuel any of the planes at the La Paz airport. This of course became translated in the rumor mill as "a refueling problem".
In any case, we were late leaving Miami until 15 people offered to take $800 vouchers, hotel and meal vouchers from American. Ray and I were tempted, but not enough to give up our one day to acclimate in La Paz.
- Sharon
Case in point, the night before our flight, American Airlines was forced to cancel the Miami - La Paz flight because the folks in La Paz who refuel the planes were on strike and refused to refuel any of the planes at the La Paz airport. This of course became translated in the rumor mill as "a refueling problem".
In any case, we were late leaving Miami until 15 people offered to take $800 vouchers, hotel and meal vouchers from American. Ray and I were tempted, but not enough to give up our one day to acclimate in La Paz.
- Sharon
Feb 14th, 2005, 11:35 AM
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GASP. Landing in La Paz at 13,169 feet is a shocker to the system! (Although, today we landed again after being at high altitude for two weeks and it was a piece of cake.)
Our flight arrived about 7 AM and, after checking into our room Ray and I napped for about 5 hours. We then tried very carefully to move and breath at this altitude. We tended to some basic business-- went to the bank for Bolivianos and then to some shops to purchase postcards. We purchased stamps at the hotel desk and spent some time writing post cards. Bolivian snail mail is terrific. A friend of mine said she received the post card from Bolivia before the one I had sent from Miami. Incredible!
Even through I had asked at the bank for small bills, we were given 10s, 20s and 200 bills. I asked for more smaller bills, but the cashier said that was all she could give me. We would have to come back in the morning for more small bills. BUMMER!
Perhaps if we had not spent the morning sleeping, resting, drinking plenty of water and (GASP) trying to breathe, we could have accomplished the bank errand in one trip.
Our new best friend, Rafael, who lives in OKC and hails from La Paz was visiting La Paz during the same time we were. He surprised us and showed up at our hotel about 4:30. Soon we were whisked away to the St. Michaels neighborhood, which is about a thousand feet lower in altitude at 10,825 feet. Our hotel was right at 11,800 according to Ray's altimeter. Boy, did a thousand feet make a difference!
We had afternoon tea at Alexander Pub, Zona Sur, San Miguel Ave, local 1336 Bloque B No 1. Tea consisted of various things to drink and a cheese empañada. This is a great place to hang out around 5 o clock. The place was filled with locals relaxing.
Sharon
Our flight arrived about 7 AM and, after checking into our room Ray and I napped for about 5 hours. We then tried very carefully to move and breath at this altitude. We tended to some basic business-- went to the bank for Bolivianos and then to some shops to purchase postcards. We purchased stamps at the hotel desk and spent some time writing post cards. Bolivian snail mail is terrific. A friend of mine said she received the post card from Bolivia before the one I had sent from Miami. Incredible!
Even through I had asked at the bank for small bills, we were given 10s, 20s and 200 bills. I asked for more smaller bills, but the cashier said that was all she could give me. We would have to come back in the morning for more small bills. BUMMER!
Perhaps if we had not spent the morning sleeping, resting, drinking plenty of water and (GASP) trying to breathe, we could have accomplished the bank errand in one trip.
Our new best friend, Rafael, who lives in OKC and hails from La Paz was visiting La Paz during the same time we were. He surprised us and showed up at our hotel about 4:30. Soon we were whisked away to the St. Michaels neighborhood, which is about a thousand feet lower in altitude at 10,825 feet. Our hotel was right at 11,800 according to Ray's altimeter. Boy, did a thousand feet make a difference!
We had afternoon tea at Alexander Pub, Zona Sur, San Miguel Ave, local 1336 Bloque B No 1. Tea consisted of various things to drink and a cheese empañada. This is a great place to hang out around 5 o clock. The place was filled with locals relaxing.
Sharon
Feb 14th, 2005, 11:52 AM
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Rafael filled us in on some basic Bolivia information.
Breakfast is typically a mantequeña, a flattish sort of roll, with jam and butter accompanied with coffee. The coffee is typically a coffee concentrate, which you pour in a bit of the concentrate, perhaps 1/4 cup and then add hot milk. Very good, by the way!
Lunch is at 1 in the afternoon.
Siesta is between 1230 and 2.
Tea is 5 PM. This is typically a light snack.
Dinner is 8 or 9 PM.
He told us to obtain Bolivianos in 10s and 20s. Higher bills would be a problem.
Our conversation wandered to Butch Cassidy, Bolivian politics, missionary work, the strikers in Bolivia, oil and gas exploration in Bolivia and Bolivias ties to Oklahomas oil and gas industry. We enjoyed lively conversation and I was so grateful for such a personal introduction to La Paz.
We learned that Rafaels mission trip was scrapped. The physicians who were to come to La Paz with him were scheduled on the Sunday night flight which had been cancelled. They were told American Airlines could not get them to La Paz until Wednesday and each of the physicians had surgeries scheduled in OKC the following Monday and did not want to risk being stuck in La Paz if there was another strike.
Rafael made special arrangements to fly from Miami to Lima and then on to La Paz. So, although he made it to La Paz, it was only by a side trip. I sure hope he got all the extra air miles! In fact, one of the folks on our tour became stuck in much the same fashion and ended up getting to La Paz via Caracus. I suppose you do what is required. I was quite thankful Ray and I did not have the complications which Rafael did.
We had a lovely dinner at our hotel. I had grillled trout with almonds from Beni (the jungle area of Bolivia) and Ray had a wonderful lamb stew. I have since learned that most meals in Bolivia are served with both potatoes and rice. This seemed a little weird during this first Bolivian meal; but, I accepted it graciously because my reading had informed me that a high carb diet is important when at high altitude.
Sharon
Breakfast is typically a mantequeña, a flattish sort of roll, with jam and butter accompanied with coffee. The coffee is typically a coffee concentrate, which you pour in a bit of the concentrate, perhaps 1/4 cup and then add hot milk. Very good, by the way!
Lunch is at 1 in the afternoon.
Siesta is between 1230 and 2.
Tea is 5 PM. This is typically a light snack.
Dinner is 8 or 9 PM.
He told us to obtain Bolivianos in 10s and 20s. Higher bills would be a problem.
Our conversation wandered to Butch Cassidy, Bolivian politics, missionary work, the strikers in Bolivia, oil and gas exploration in Bolivia and Bolivias ties to Oklahomas oil and gas industry. We enjoyed lively conversation and I was so grateful for such a personal introduction to La Paz.
We learned that Rafaels mission trip was scrapped. The physicians who were to come to La Paz with him were scheduled on the Sunday night flight which had been cancelled. They were told American Airlines could not get them to La Paz until Wednesday and each of the physicians had surgeries scheduled in OKC the following Monday and did not want to risk being stuck in La Paz if there was another strike.
Rafael made special arrangements to fly from Miami to Lima and then on to La Paz. So, although he made it to La Paz, it was only by a side trip. I sure hope he got all the extra air miles! In fact, one of the folks on our tour became stuck in much the same fashion and ended up getting to La Paz via Caracus. I suppose you do what is required. I was quite thankful Ray and I did not have the complications which Rafael did.
We had a lovely dinner at our hotel. I had grillled trout with almonds from Beni (the jungle area of Bolivia) and Ray had a wonderful lamb stew. I have since learned that most meals in Bolivia are served with both potatoes and rice. This seemed a little weird during this first Bolivian meal; but, I accepted it graciously because my reading had informed me that a high carb diet is important when at high altitude.
Sharon
Feb 14th, 2005, 12:05 PM
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No way could the hotel restaurant accept a $200 Boliviano bill. This is the equivalent of $25 US! (Thought we would give it a try.)
A bit about our hotel-- Hotel Rosario, Ave Illampu 704, La Paz
http://www.hotelrosario.com
Service is terrific. Restuarant is good. Tremendous hospitality. Very clean. No elevator. (GASP - Our room was on the 3rd floor.) Location was good for easy access to the sprawling markets.... witches market, textile markets, black market. Ah. and free internet.
In all honesty, I think I would stay someplace else in La Paz on a future trip just to be at a lower altitude.
The best way I can describe the geography of La Paz is to have you imagine building a city in the Grand Canyon. It is either all uphill or downhill. Nothing is flat.
Sharon
A bit about our hotel-- Hotel Rosario, Ave Illampu 704, La Paz
http://www.hotelrosario.com
Service is terrific. Restuarant is good. Tremendous hospitality. Very clean. No elevator. (GASP - Our room was on the 3rd floor.) Location was good for easy access to the sprawling markets.... witches market, textile markets, black market. Ah. and free internet.
In all honesty, I think I would stay someplace else in La Paz on a future trip just to be at a lower altitude.
The best way I can describe the geography of La Paz is to have you imagine building a city in the Grand Canyon. It is either all uphill or downhill. Nothing is flat.
Sharon
Feb 16th, 2005, 06:36 AM
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Tiwanaku Ruins -- 2 Feb, 2005
From La Paz it is a 1 1/2 hour drive to Tiwanaku ruins. We hired a private driver and guide so we could keep this first day of activities at an easy pace.... or, better put, our pace.
We passed by Laja, the original city established by the Spanish. Laja means flat as it is on the antiplano. The city was founded Oct 20, 1548 and is 21 miles from La Paz. La Paz was founded a few days later on Oct 23, 1548. We drove between the Andes mountains on the high plateau. How high is high? Try 12,500 feet!
We passed fields of agricultural plantings of potatos, quinoa, soybeans and small adobe buildings. I was somewhat surprised to see potatoes flowering with purple flowers. (I am used to the white flowers that appear in my garden.) In Peru and Bolivia a large variety -- something like 200 or 300 varities -- of potatoes grow.
We stopped for a photo op at Lloco Lloco, which means Heart Heart. This is a high pass where indigenous peoples came to make offerinngs to Pachamamma. We have learned that very high places in Bolivia are sacred because they are so much closer to the heavens. From this pass we could see Lake Titikaka in the distance and observed some wild soybeans growinjg with purple flowers.
At Cuerva Pecuro we passed a colorful blue green church.
From La Paz it is a 1 1/2 hour drive to Tiwanaku ruins. We hired a private driver and guide so we could keep this first day of activities at an easy pace.... or, better put, our pace.
We passed by Laja, the original city established by the Spanish. Laja means flat as it is on the antiplano. The city was founded Oct 20, 1548 and is 21 miles from La Paz. La Paz was founded a few days later on Oct 23, 1548. We drove between the Andes mountains on the high plateau. How high is high? Try 12,500 feet!
We passed fields of agricultural plantings of potatos, quinoa, soybeans and small adobe buildings. I was somewhat surprised to see potatoes flowering with purple flowers. (I am used to the white flowers that appear in my garden.) In Peru and Bolivia a large variety -- something like 200 or 300 varities -- of potatoes grow.
We stopped for a photo op at Lloco Lloco, which means Heart Heart. This is a high pass where indigenous peoples came to make offerinngs to Pachamamma. We have learned that very high places in Bolivia are sacred because they are so much closer to the heavens. From this pass we could see Lake Titikaka in the distance and observed some wild soybeans growinjg with purple flowers.
At Cuerva Pecuro we passed a colorful blue green church.
Feb 16th, 2005, 06:53 AM
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The archaelogical site at Tiwanaku dates back 10,000 years before Christ. Three temples represent the Aymara world view -- the underground or Pachamama, the constellations and ground level. Aymara people believed in the one God who created everything, Viracocha. It is believed that Viracocha and Pachamama were married. The main temple here has an impressive system of canals and in ancient times when it would rain, water would come through the spouts of this magnificent pyramid and form a giantwater fall.
We leard snake motifs represent fertility, pumas - power on the earth, and condors - power of the sky. The temple of the sun is an archeo-astronomy site and the big event is winnter solstice.
Materials used were red sandstone from Lake Titikaka, granite and basalt. The decorations, carvings and pottery examples we saw at the ruins and in the two museums at Tiwanaku reminded me of many different civilizations -- Olmec, Maya and Inca. Sculpted heads (170 of them) had Asian, Amazonian, Mongol and Negroid characteristics. What a convergence of cultures! Animals were also represented.
- Sharon
We leard snake motifs represent fertility, pumas - power on the earth, and condors - power of the sky. The temple of the sun is an archeo-astronomy site and the big event is winnter solstice.
Materials used were red sandstone from Lake Titikaka, granite and basalt. The decorations, carvings and pottery examples we saw at the ruins and in the two museums at Tiwanaku reminded me of many different civilizations -- Olmec, Maya and Inca. Sculpted heads (170 of them) had Asian, Amazonian, Mongol and Negroid characteristics. What a convergence of cultures! Animals were also represented.
- Sharon
Feb 18th, 2005, 05:28 AM
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Sharon, Thanks for the great report. My husband and I will be visiting Bolivia in October and I need/want all the details I can get. I do have one question for you now. Why did you have to go to the bank to get Bolivianos? Aren't there ATM's where you can get local currency?
Feb 18th, 2005, 09:53 AM
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Hi KNJ - Yes, there are ATMs in Bolivia. Though, you will not find them as plentiful as you would in Europe, the US or Canada. And when off the beaten path you might even be hard pressed to find banks: like in and around Sajama National Park... there is no banking at all for miles and miles. I think you´d have no problem finding ATMs in major cities like La Paz, Sucre or Potosi.
We obtained what we thought we´d need for cash upon our arrival in Bolivia. Only problem was going back to get the smaller bills. We decided to use cash because of scams I had read concerning ATMs in Latin America. (We did bring ATM cards and credit cards and have not used them - I always like to have plenty of ways to obtain & spend money.) Our hotels and most of the transportation were prepaid prior to the trip. So our only expenses have been some entrance fees, tips for guides and drivers, food and souvenirs. For two 1/2 weeks in Bolivia our meals, tips, and souvenirs cost less than $450 US for the both of us. I suspect half of that was souvenirs. So, food is really cheap. Well, some meals we just snacked on peanut butter, triskets and raisins we brought from home. This made for a quick lunch or dinner. Breakfast was included with the hotels we stayed at. However, the hotel in Uyuni was so bad (stale bread and not much else) that I augmented the hotel breakfast crackers with my jar of peanut butter. (This hotel did have some nice crackers for breakfast.) There are some wonderful places to eat and others are just so-so.
If you use taxis, they are very inexpensive: For example, in Sucre, we had a 10-minute taxi ride to the outskirts of town to a well-known steak restaurant and the price was 7 Bolivianos... about $1 USD.
In La Paz, be sure to use the radio taxis. We heard of a couple reports from people using other taxis and being robbed. No one was hurt, just shooken up. So, use the official radio taxis in La Paz... they have a phone number printed on the taxi car.
I think you will love Bolivia. The people are friendly and the country is quite unspoiled. You will discover the Aymara people to be relatively shy and the Quechua people to be more open and friendly. Bolivia is way off the tourist trail. If you want to send post cards home, you will need to seek them out. (The only place we readily found post-cards was Copacobana.) And souvenir t-shirts are almost impossible to find...if t-shirts are essential, you can find some t-shirts in La Paz's witches market.
Ray and I are in Cusco now enjoying siesta. It is a nice break from the constant interruptions of vendors and shoe-shine boys which we have found annoying. We had some shoe-shine boys in La Paz, but they would approach you and if you said no, they would leave you alone. In Cusco, they follow you, tell you your shoes are dirty. After you tell them no, gracias and walk on they follow and persist with, 'Why not?' Only one sole - about 30 cents US) There is a whole dialog.... one sided dialog... since we have not made eye contact and keep walking. Cusco did not have this sort of problem when we were here 5 years ago during the high tourist season.
Ask away with any questions you have. I found it very difficult to find information on Bolivia when doing trip research.
There is one excellent book, 'Bolivia Adventure Guide' that is excellent and quite current. Published in 2004. Even then, I found some of the references to specific shops out-of-date. The book provides good background, is well-written, informative and a fun read.
Happy planning!
Sharon
We obtained what we thought we´d need for cash upon our arrival in Bolivia. Only problem was going back to get the smaller bills. We decided to use cash because of scams I had read concerning ATMs in Latin America. (We did bring ATM cards and credit cards and have not used them - I always like to have plenty of ways to obtain & spend money.) Our hotels and most of the transportation were prepaid prior to the trip. So our only expenses have been some entrance fees, tips for guides and drivers, food and souvenirs. For two 1/2 weeks in Bolivia our meals, tips, and souvenirs cost less than $450 US for the both of us. I suspect half of that was souvenirs. So, food is really cheap. Well, some meals we just snacked on peanut butter, triskets and raisins we brought from home. This made for a quick lunch or dinner. Breakfast was included with the hotels we stayed at. However, the hotel in Uyuni was so bad (stale bread and not much else) that I augmented the hotel breakfast crackers with my jar of peanut butter. (This hotel did have some nice crackers for breakfast.) There are some wonderful places to eat and others are just so-so.
If you use taxis, they are very inexpensive: For example, in Sucre, we had a 10-minute taxi ride to the outskirts of town to a well-known steak restaurant and the price was 7 Bolivianos... about $1 USD.
In La Paz, be sure to use the radio taxis. We heard of a couple reports from people using other taxis and being robbed. No one was hurt, just shooken up. So, use the official radio taxis in La Paz... they have a phone number printed on the taxi car.
I think you will love Bolivia. The people are friendly and the country is quite unspoiled. You will discover the Aymara people to be relatively shy and the Quechua people to be more open and friendly. Bolivia is way off the tourist trail. If you want to send post cards home, you will need to seek them out. (The only place we readily found post-cards was Copacobana.) And souvenir t-shirts are almost impossible to find...if t-shirts are essential, you can find some t-shirts in La Paz's witches market.
Ray and I are in Cusco now enjoying siesta. It is a nice break from the constant interruptions of vendors and shoe-shine boys which we have found annoying. We had some shoe-shine boys in La Paz, but they would approach you and if you said no, they would leave you alone. In Cusco, they follow you, tell you your shoes are dirty. After you tell them no, gracias and walk on they follow and persist with, 'Why not?' Only one sole - about 30 cents US) There is a whole dialog.... one sided dialog... since we have not made eye contact and keep walking. Cusco did not have this sort of problem when we were here 5 years ago during the high tourist season.
Ask away with any questions you have. I found it very difficult to find information on Bolivia when doing trip research.
There is one excellent book, 'Bolivia Adventure Guide' that is excellent and quite current. Published in 2004. Even then, I found some of the references to specific shops out-of-date. The book provides good background, is well-written, informative and a fun read.
Happy planning!
Sharon
Feb 18th, 2005, 04:43 PM
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Hi again. Thought I´d veer off a bit and post some foodie info...
<b>Beer & Chicha</b>
In general Bolivian beer is light and dry. Think of a good ale. Each region is very proud of their beer. We tried Paceña, Potosi and Huari. In general the bottles of beer are huge. Think litre or quart sized. Of these Bolivian beers: the Huari is the lightest, Potosi is also quite light and dry and is a little heavier than the Hauri; Paceña is dry, light and refreshing.
The beer in Peru is sweeter, but still light rather than heavy. The Cusqueña brand is quite popular.
Chicha, the 'home brew' of indeginous peoples is quite sweet and made from corn. It is even sweeter than the Cusqueña brand. You can find Chicha in Bolivia and Peru.
High altitude warning: be careful pouring your beer at high altitudes, the amount of foam comes quickly and can get out of control before you know it. Tilting your glass and bottle while you pour can help some of this problem.
<b>Wine</b>
A great Bolivian wine we enjoyed was anything under the Concepcion label. The prices were quite reasonable and the quality good.
<b>Beer & Chicha</b>
In general Bolivian beer is light and dry. Think of a good ale. Each region is very proud of their beer. We tried Paceña, Potosi and Huari. In general the bottles of beer are huge. Think litre or quart sized. Of these Bolivian beers: the Huari is the lightest, Potosi is also quite light and dry and is a little heavier than the Hauri; Paceña is dry, light and refreshing.
The beer in Peru is sweeter, but still light rather than heavy. The Cusqueña brand is quite popular.
Chicha, the 'home brew' of indeginous peoples is quite sweet and made from corn. It is even sweeter than the Cusqueña brand. You can find Chicha in Bolivia and Peru.
High altitude warning: be careful pouring your beer at high altitudes, the amount of foam comes quickly and can get out of control before you know it. Tilting your glass and bottle while you pour can help some of this problem.
<b>Wine</b>
A great Bolivian wine we enjoyed was anything under the Concepcion label. The prices were quite reasonable and the quality good.
Feb 19th, 2005, 11:28 AM
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Hi bardo1, actually I keyed in all the food details last night and Fodor's lost them. So some readers who don´t know us too well may think all Ray and I did was drink.... which is something I do not recommend for high altitude adventures.
I am going to try again now. Ray and I have declared it to be siesta time after a long and wonderful day of hiking. I'm going to veer away with your permission :=D> AND I will post the restaurant and foodie bits in smaller bites so the Fodor´s forum hopefully will handle.
Sharon
I am going to try again now. Ray and I have declared it to be siesta time after a long and wonderful day of hiking. I'm going to veer away with your permission :=D> AND I will post the restaurant and foodie bits in smaller bites so the Fodor´s forum hopefully will handle.
Sharon
Feb 19th, 2005, 11:37 AM
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Ah, before heading onto actual food, I want to mention that vendors at the Oruro Carnaval sold plenty of Paceña and 2-litre bottles of premixed rum and coke.
Ray and I certainly stayed sober during carnaval so we'd be able to react quickly to oncoming assaults of spray foam, water balloons, super soakers and even buckets/bowls of water that could dowse a person in an off guarded moment. (Well, even in a well-guarded moment staying dry could be a challenge. Thank God Almighty for the invention of ponchos.)
Oh gosh, I want to write all about Carnaval. It was so much more that the relaxed summer antics of a giant water balloon fest.
But first the foodie bits and then perhaps a bit about La Paz.
Sharon
Ray and I certainly stayed sober during carnaval so we'd be able to react quickly to oncoming assaults of spray foam, water balloons, super soakers and even buckets/bowls of water that could dowse a person in an off guarded moment. (Well, even in a well-guarded moment staying dry could be a challenge. Thank God Almighty for the invention of ponchos.)
Oh gosh, I want to write all about Carnaval. It was so much more that the relaxed summer antics of a giant water balloon fest.
But first the foodie bits and then perhaps a bit about La Paz.
Sharon
Feb 19th, 2005, 11:38 AM
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<b>Llama and Alpaca Meat</b>
Bolivians eat llama meat. Peruvians eat alpaca meat. We have tried both. Peruvians also eat cuy, or guinea pig. BUT... this topic heading is 'llama and alpaca meat' and I won´t veer into a full discussion about cuy.
The two types of meat (llama and alpaca) are quite similar in taste and texture and are quite comparable to an ultra-lean beef. Each is known for being low in cholesterol. The servings tend to be served sliced thinly.
The best llama meat I had was at the Tiwanaku Hotel Restaurant after our tour of the Tiwanaku ruins. It was served in a mustard sauce and was quite good. The best llama meat Ray had was served k-bob style at the Huari Peña in La Paz. Although the Huari Peña specialized in llama meat, I found my extra-large serving with a mushroom sauce at the Huari Peña to be somewhat tough. The toughest llama meat either of us had was llama meat sandwhiches at Sajama National Park (near the Bolivian/Chilean border.) Then again, when you are out in the sticks, any sustenance is good.
The only time we had alpaca was at the MAP Cafe (the nice, elegant restaurant in Cusco´s Museo de Arte Precolombino.) Each of us was offered a complimentary appetizer with three thin slices of alpaca meat graced with a mayonaise & tuna dressing and arugula. YUMMY!
- Sharon
Bolivians eat llama meat. Peruvians eat alpaca meat. We have tried both. Peruvians also eat cuy, or guinea pig. BUT... this topic heading is 'llama and alpaca meat' and I won´t veer into a full discussion about cuy.
The two types of meat (llama and alpaca) are quite similar in taste and texture and are quite comparable to an ultra-lean beef. Each is known for being low in cholesterol. The servings tend to be served sliced thinly.
The best llama meat I had was at the Tiwanaku Hotel Restaurant after our tour of the Tiwanaku ruins. It was served in a mustard sauce and was quite good. The best llama meat Ray had was served k-bob style at the Huari Peña in La Paz. Although the Huari Peña specialized in llama meat, I found my extra-large serving with a mushroom sauce at the Huari Peña to be somewhat tough. The toughest llama meat either of us had was llama meat sandwhiches at Sajama National Park (near the Bolivian/Chilean border.) Then again, when you are out in the sticks, any sustenance is good.
The only time we had alpaca was at the MAP Cafe (the nice, elegant restaurant in Cusco´s Museo de Arte Precolombino.) Each of us was offered a complimentary appetizer with three thin slices of alpaca meat graced with a mayonaise & tuna dressing and arugula. YUMMY!
- Sharon
Feb 19th, 2005, 12:10 PM
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<b>Best Restaurants</b>
There are many fine restaurants in Bolivia and Peru. These are the ones we found to be delightful. And, I may need to come back and post some more foodie info because we still have some more Peruvian meals to enjoy. Sure hope to make it to La Rosa Nautica in Lima tomorrow!
I'll post prices we paid in the country´s currency along with the descriptions.
8.05 Bolivianos = 1 US Dollar
3.25 Peruvian Nuevo Soles = 1 US Dollar
<b>La Paz</b>
We enjoyed fine meals at our hotel restaurant, Hotel Rosario, Ave Illampu 704. The service and hospitality were comfortable and friendly. Every dish we tried here was good. I especially liked the red trout which was served with an almond topping. (The almonds came from the Beni ... jungle... area in Bolivia). The chocolate mouse was divine and was made with Bolivian chocolate. YUM! I can also recommend their quinoa soup, vegetable soup and a mutton stew. Their meals came with plenty of vegetables... not only rice and potato, which was a great treat! AND best of all, their food preparation techniques were quite fine: peeled tomatoes, hearts of palm, avocados, carrot slaw, marinated beans... all good things on their salad bar and did not get sick. (Each meal came with salad bar.) I never did try any lettuce. I can only be so adventurous when it comes to traveler´s diarhea.
Meals at the Rosario cost between 68 and 123 Bolivianos. Wine added quite a bit to the price... er, and enjoyment, yet the cost for the wine would often be more than the total cost of everything else.
- Sharon
There are many fine restaurants in Bolivia and Peru. These are the ones we found to be delightful. And, I may need to come back and post some more foodie info because we still have some more Peruvian meals to enjoy. Sure hope to make it to La Rosa Nautica in Lima tomorrow!
I'll post prices we paid in the country´s currency along with the descriptions.
8.05 Bolivianos = 1 US Dollar
3.25 Peruvian Nuevo Soles = 1 US Dollar
<b>La Paz</b>
We enjoyed fine meals at our hotel restaurant, Hotel Rosario, Ave Illampu 704. The service and hospitality were comfortable and friendly. Every dish we tried here was good. I especially liked the red trout which was served with an almond topping. (The almonds came from the Beni ... jungle... area in Bolivia). The chocolate mouse was divine and was made with Bolivian chocolate. YUM! I can also recommend their quinoa soup, vegetable soup and a mutton stew. Their meals came with plenty of vegetables... not only rice and potato, which was a great treat! AND best of all, their food preparation techniques were quite fine: peeled tomatoes, hearts of palm, avocados, carrot slaw, marinated beans... all good things on their salad bar and did not get sick. (Each meal came with salad bar.) I never did try any lettuce. I can only be so adventurous when it comes to traveler´s diarhea.
Meals at the Rosario cost between 68 and 123 Bolivianos. Wine added quite a bit to the price... er, and enjoyment, yet the cost for the wine would often be more than the total cost of everything else.
- Sharon
