Bolivia

Bolivia is one of those places that defies categorization. There is no one image that sums it up. The place almost repels all invitation. Within minutes of arriving in the capital, La Paz, I was told I shouldn’t be there. Thankfully, I persisted and ended up crashing this mushroom trip of a country. I would go so far as to say that LSD was invented after someone returned from Bolivia and wanted to relive the feeling of being there.

Bolivia is odd in every sense of word. People live on floating islands made of reeds. They have made a tourist attraction out of a downhill nightmare known as the Death Road. You pay, you go, you bike down it. If you’re up for it, you can bribe an ex-con in a park in La Paz to actually smuggle you into a prison. Don’t worry. Once inside, you get a guide. And at the end, they offer you cocaine. Which you would then smuggle out.They even have bars in La Paz that only serve cocaine.

In Bolivia, eight hour bus rides turn into 12 hour nightmares when they leave Japanese tourists on the side of the road after stopping for a pee break. The nightmare is further extended when the bus driver decides to take the full size bus through a giant puddle/pond. It took a front end loader to get it out.

In Uyuni, you can stay in buildings made from salt. Food too bland? Crumble some of the table on your rice.