Bolivia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 202

Convento de Santa Teresa
The lovely Convento de Santa Teresa
(Mon-Fri 8.30am-11.30am & 2-5pm;
B$20) on Baptista, at Ecuador (the
entrance is on Baptista, through the small
café) is worth visiting. As well as the
convent, this beautiful building houses a
church built within a church (the original
church was destroyed in the 1700s). The
nuns still live on the site, though they are
now housed in the complex next door.

walk: take the five-minute cable-car ride
(Tues-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 9am-6pm;
B$8 return) for excellent views of the city.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Cochabamba's Jorge Wilsterman Airport ( T 04
4120400), served by TAM ( W tam.bo) and BoA ( W boa.bo),
is a few kilometres outside town; a taxi into the city centre
should cost B$30-50 depending on number of passengers;
alternatively, take micro B, which goes up Av Ayacucho to
Plaza 14 de Septiembre. BoA have o ces at C Jordán 202
T 04 4140873 and at the airport T 04 4117098. TAM have
an o ce on C Buenos Aires between Av Santa Cruz and
América T 04 4411544/5.
Destinations La Paz (3-6 daily; 35min); Santa Cruz (6-8
daily; 45min); Sucre (2 daily; 30min); Tarija (2-3 daily;
50min); Trinidad (daily except Sat; 40min).
By bus The bus terminal is on Av Ayacucho just south of Av
Aroma, from where many of the city's hotels are within
easy walking distance; otherwise, a taxi to anywhere in
the city centre should cost about B$6/person. Buses from
the Chapare region east of Cochabamba arrive around the
junction of Av Oquendo and Av 9 de Abril to the southeast
of the city centre.
Departures La Paz (every 30min; 7hr); Oruro (every 30min;
4hr); Potosí (nightly at 8pm; 10hr); Santa Cruz (10 daily;
12hr); Sucre (several daily; 10hr); Trinidad (2 daily; 20hr).

2

La Cancha
The commercial heart of this market city
is in the south, with its massive rambling
street markets. An entire block between
Calles Tarata and Pulucayo is occupied by
the massive covered street market known
as La Cancha (Quechua for “walled
enclosure”), where campesinos and
merchants come to buy and sell their
produce. Wandering through the market's
sprawling labyrinth of stalls is the best
way to get a feel for the vibrant
commercial culture of the city and the
surrounding region.

Palacio Portales
About 1km north of the city centre, with
its entrance off Avenida Posí, the Palacio
Portales (visits by guided tour only;
Tues-Fri 3.30-6pm, Sat 9.30-11am,
Sun 11-11.30am; B$10) is the luxurious
house built for the Cochabamba-born
“King of Tin”, Simón Patiño - though he
never actually lived here. Built between
1915 and 1922 in a bizarre mix of
architectural styles, including French
Neoclassical and Mudéjar, the palace's
interior is decorated with astonishing
opulence. If anything, though, it's the
lush, magnificent gardens (same hours;
admission included with Palace entrance,
or free if visiting the gardens only) that
really impress, laid out in perfect
proportion by Japanese specialists and
featuring a rare ginkgo tree.

INFORMAT I ON
Tourist information The tourist o ce (Mon-Fri 8am-
noon & 2.30-6.30pm, Sat 8.30am-noon; T 04 4662277,
T 04 4258030) is on the east side of Plaza Colón.
Tour operators Fremen (Tumulsa 245 T 04 4259392,
W andes-amazonia.com) offer a variety of regional tours
including a four-day “Essential Cochabamba” trip that takes
in the Torotoro and Carrasco national parks, from US$405/
person. Bolivia Cultura (Ecuador 342 T 04 4527272/9459,
W boliviacultura.com) run Spanish lessons with host family
options, and offer volunteering opportunities, with a
minimum of three months for placements ( W volunteer
bolivia.org). Andes Extremo (La Paz 138 T 04 4523392,
W andesxtremo.com) offer Torotoro trips, plus paragliding
trips, with tandem flights costing US$55.

ACCOMMODAT I ON
Accommodation in Cochabamba is reasonably priced, but
mostly unexceptional (the city sees few tourists). The only
time you should book ahead is in mid-August during the
Fiesta de la Virgen de Urkupiña in nearby Quillacollo.
Hostal Colonial Junín 134 T 04 4583791, T 04 4221791.
The garden is cool and shady (though a little untidy) and
features a religious shrine, with the rooms in a cloister-like
arrangement around it. They're fairly spacious, thoug h the
bedspreads and decor look washed out. Doubles B$80

Cristo de la Concordia
About 1.5km east of the city is the Cristo
de la Concordia - a statue of Christ
modelled on the one in Rio but just
slightly taller. To reach the summit, the
risk of muggings means you shouldn't