Bolivia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 156

tops of showers; don't touch the apparatus
while the water is running, as you might
get an electric shock. Remember, the less
water, the warmer it will be - it requires
a delicate balance to get right.

cob and served with fresh white cheese
- a classic combination known as choclo
con queso . Meat and chicken are often
cooked in spicy sauces known as picantes :
a valley mainstay is pique a lo macho ,
a massive plate of chopped beef and
sausage fried together with potatoes,
onions, tomatoes and chillies. In the
tropical lowlands, plantains and yucca
take the place of potatoes; beef is also
plentiful - the lowlands are cattle-
ranching regions, so beef is of good
quality and relatively cheap.
Although Bolivia is obviously not the
place to come for seafood, fish features
regularly on menus, especially the
succulent trucha (trout) and pejerrey
(kingfish) around Lake Titicaca, and the
juicy white river fish known as surubí and
pucú in the lowlands. Ordinary restaurants
rarely offer much in the way of vegetarian
food , although you can almost always find
eggs and potatoes of some description
(usually fried), as well as the ubiquitous
potato soup, often cooked without meat.
The situation changes a great deal in cities
and in popular travellers' haunts, where a
cosmopolitan selection of vegetarian dishes,
salads and pancakes is widely available,
and there's a growing number of wholly
vegetarian restaurants.
The most popular snack throughout
Bolivia is the salteña , a pasty filled with
a spicy, juicy stew of meat or chicken
with chopped vegetables, olives and
hard-boiled egg. It's usually eaten in the
mid-morning accompanied by a cold
drink and a little chilli sauce if desired.

CAMPING
With few designated campsites and an
abundance of inexpensive accommoda-
tion, few travellers camp in Bolivia unless
exploring the country's wilderness areas.
Beyond the cities and towns, you can
camp almost everywhere, usually for free;
make sure you ask for permission from the
nearest house first; local villages may ask
for a small fee of a few bolivianos. In some
national parks you'll also find shelters
where you can stay for a minimal charge.

2

FOOD AND DRINK
The style of eating and drinking varies
considerably between Bolivia's three
main geographical regions - the
Altiplano, the highland valleys and the
tropical lowlands - differences that reflect
the produce commonly available in
each region and the different cultural
traditions of their inhabitants. Each
region has comidas típicas (traditional
dishes). Generally, be wary of street food
and take recommendations before trying
the real locals' restaurants - food hygiene
can be an issue.
Restaurants almost all offer enormously
filling good-value set lunches, or almuerzos ,
usually costing between B$12 and B$20,
while a smaller number offer a set dinner,
or cena , in the evening and also have a
range of à la carte main dishes ( platos
extras ), rarely costing more than B$15-30.
For B$35-50 you should expect a
substantial meal in more upmarket
restaurants, while about B$45-65 will
buy you most dishes even in the best
restaurants in La Paz or Santa Cruz.

DRINK
Mineral water is fairly widely available in
large plastic bottles - a good thing, as it's
best not to drink tap water. The delicious
variety of tropical fruits grown in Bolivia
is available as juices from market stalls
throughout the country, and freshly
squeezed orange and grapefruit juice is
also sold on the streets from handcarts for
about B$3 a glass. Tea and coffee are
available almost everywhere, as well as
mates , or herbal teas - mate de coca is
the best known and a good remedy for
altitude sickness, but many others are
usually available.

FOOD
While Altiplano cuisine is dominated
by the humble potato , often served in
hearty soups (llama and mutton are also
common), the valley regions cook with
corn , often used as the basis for thick
soups known as laguas, or boiled on the