Bolivia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 200

Bibliocafé N. Ortíz 50. Bohemian bar-café attracting a
good mix of locals and travellers from early evening until
late with its mellow live music and intimate atmosphere.
Snacks and light meals are also available.
Florín C Bolívar 567. A booze-focused venue with drinks
promotions (mixology quality dips during the 9.30-
10.30pm happy hour) and microbrewery beers. There's
good food too - try their generous salads (from B$24)
or their decent take on pad thai (B$38). The decor is
pleasant, with antique portrait photographs on the walls.
Mon-Thurs 7.30am-2am, Fri & Sat 7.30am-3am, Sun
7.30am-midnight.
Joy Ride Café N. Ortíz 14. Dutch-run place with the feel
of a pub, but open from 7am, it's one of the few places
welcoming to early morning arrivals. There's a drinking
factory vibe come evening, with plentiful promotions.
Daily until the early hours.
Las Orígenes Azurduy 473 T 02 6457091. Venue staging
a folkoric show with traditional dances from across Bolivia.
Not just for gringos, and worth visiting if you're missing
out on Carnaval - B$120 with a meal, B$85 without.
Shows at 8.30pm Tues-Sun.

city. The town itself is an unremarkable
collection of red-tiled adobe houses and
cobbled streets, but its real claim to
fame is the Sunday market. This is the
focus for the indigenous communities
of the surrounding mountains, the
Tarabuqueños, who come to sell the
beautiful weavings for which they're
famous throughout Bolivia. The market
is actually a bit of a tourist trap, but
the stalls selling weavings and other
handicrafts to tourists are still far
outnumbered by those selling basic
supplies such as dried foodstuffs,
agricultural tools, sandals made from
tyres, big bundles of coca and pure
alcohol in great steel drums.

2

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
Buses and trucks to Tarabuco from Sucre (1hr; about
B$10) leave most mornings from Av de las Américas
returning in the afternoon; however, it's much more
convenient to go in one of the tourist buses (they usually
charge around B$35 return) organized by hotels and
tour agencies in Sucre. Every Sucre tour operator will
offer a trip to Tarabuco, some with guided tours in English
(see p.202).

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange Casa de Cambios Ambar, San
Alberto 7, and El Arca, España 134, both change travellers'
cheques and cash dollars at reasonable rates. There are
also plenty of ATMs around town where you can withdraw
cash on Visa or MasterCard, including at Banco de Santa
Cruz and Banco Nacional de Bolivia, opposite each other on
San Alberto, at España.
Car rental Auto Cambio Chuquisaca, Av Jaime Mendoza
1106 T 04 6460984, T 71161229.
Cinema Cine SAS, Juan Jose Perez 331. Shows subtitled
new releases. Tickets B$15-20 depending on time of day.
Internet access There are internet cafés all over the city,
most of which charge about B$3-4/hr. Try the Punto
ENTEL on Bustillo, at Dalence/Olaneta.
Laundry Fast Clean Laundry on Azurduy.
Police If you get into di culty or need a report for
insurance purposes, make for the o ce on C Bolívar, at
Camargo (the continuation of Av Hernando Siles).
Post o ce Correo Central, Junín, at Ayacucho. Mon-Fri
8am-8pm, Sat 8am-6pm.
Telephone centres Try the Punto ENTEL o ces on Bustillo,
at Dalence/Olaneta, or on España towards the junction with
Urcullo.

COCHABAMBA
Set at the geographical centre of Bolivia,
midway between the Altiplano and
the eastern lowlands, COCHABAMBA is
one of the country's most vibrant and
youthful cities and the commercial hub
of the country's richest agricultural
region, the Cochabamba Valley, known
as the breadbasket of Bolivia. It's a
friendly and unpretentious city, also
known as the “City of Eternal Spring”
for its year-round sunny climate,
matched by the warmth and openness
of its population, and is perfect for
relaxing in one of the many cafés around
Calle España.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Though Cochabamba isn't the place for
colonial architecture, there are at least
a couple of historic sights. Shopaholics
will love the huge outdoor market of La
Cancha, and there are also opportunities
for exploring the understated attractions
of the surrounding valleys.

TARABUCO
By far the most popular excursion
from Sucre is to the small rural town
of Tarabuco , set amid undulating
mountains about 65km southeast of the