Sucre
I arrived in Sucre, Bolivia´s official capital, knowing that in 6 day´s time the new (and first indiginous) president, Evo Morales, was rumoured to be ´sending´ 10,000 of his coca-growing countrymen to Sucre in retaliation to a recent quite riotous demonstration of the people of Sucre. This demonstration was in reaction to the government´s apparent unwillingness to discuss the possible return of parliament to Sucre while they rewrite the Bolivian Constitution – people of Sucre believe this refusal signals a step away from democracy.
So in this context I presumed I had a day or two in Sucre before things heated up. I was wrong! I spend a peaceful first day wandering this well-preserved Colonial city, which felt more like a little town, with plenty of ladies in traditional dress, everything within walking distance, etc. Early evening I even listened to a folklore concert in the main square before heading off for an early night. At about 11pm the nearby churchbells started ringing continuously (finally stopping a 8am!) which was shortly followed by the sound of chanting demonstrators, bangers exploding and a whole lot of shouting. I spent a sleepless night (even with my ear plugs in) hoping that this demonstration was getting them somewhere. I awoke and discovered from my two Belgian friends that the bangers had in fact been dinamite and tear gas and that full blown riots had been going on right in front of my hostel! The streets were still smoking from the burning tyres located at pretty much every road junction. The town, including the airport, had been blockaded to stop all incoming and outgoing traffic and various locals warned that we might be here for a number of days.
Grabbing the first opportunity to escape that was offered to me, I took a taxi with my two Belgian friends, Tomas and Laurent, towards La Paz. After getting past the blockages we spent 10hours snug and warm in our air-conditioned taxi travelling through altiplano snow blizzards! Here are the photos.
DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 18,200KM
So in this context I presumed I had a day or two in Sucre before things heated up. I was wrong! I spend a peaceful first day wandering this well-preserved Colonial city, which felt more like a little town, with plenty of ladies in traditional dress, everything within walking distance, etc. Early evening I even listened to a folklore concert in the main square before heading off for an early night. At about 11pm the nearby churchbells started ringing continuously (finally stopping a 8am!) which was shortly followed by the sound of chanting demonstrators, bangers exploding and a whole lot of shouting. I spent a sleepless night (even with my ear plugs in) hoping that this demonstration was getting them somewhere. I awoke and discovered from my two Belgian friends that the bangers had in fact been dinamite and tear gas and that full blown riots had been going on right in front of my hostel! The streets were still smoking from the burning tyres located at pretty much every road junction. The town, including the airport, had been blockaded to stop all incoming and outgoing traffic and various locals warned that we might be here for a number of days.
Grabbing the first opportunity to escape that was offered to me, I took a taxi with my two Belgian friends, Tomas and Laurent, towards La Paz. After getting past the blockages we spent 10hours snug and warm in our air-conditioned taxi travelling through altiplano snow blizzards! Here are the photos.
DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 18,200KM
posted by Louise Parmenter at 12:56 am
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