Bolivia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 203

Hostal Florida 25 de Mayo 583 T 04 4257911. Halfway
between the bus terminal and the city centre, this cheap,
slightly chaotic place is popular with backpackers and
groups. The simple but clean rooms (with for with out bath)
are set around a sunny courtyard. Doubles B$90
Ñaupa House Hostel C España 250 T 04 4527723,
T 72294592, E [e-mail], W sites
.google.com/site/naupahousehostel. The setting is beauti-
ful, with a lovely courtyard garden also shared by Gopal
restaurant (see below). Rooms at the front are brighter, but
those that are set back are quiete r (albeit windowless).
Kitchen use available. Doubles B$70
Residencial Familiar Sucre 552 T 04 4227988. Set in a
lovely building with decent rooms around a pretty courtyard,
this centrally located hostel has atmosphe rically creaky
wooden floors and plenty of character. Doubles B$130
Hostal Versalles Av Ayacucho 714 T 72724514, T 04
4583315, E [e-mail]. HI-a liated, though
this is not at all like a backpacker hostel, rather a faded
hotel. Overall it's a little dingy, choking in t he vicin ity of the
bus station, but the price is right. Doubles B$100

Pri-Kafe España, at Venezuela. This simply decorated
place - wooden floors, big windows - is jam-packed with
young locals, making it a fine contrast to touristy-but-fun
Casablanca . Daily 5pm-2/3am.
Sucremanta Arce 340. A cool place in this hot town,
with white walls and a vaulted ceiling, and otherwise
spare but tasteful decoration of old maps, paintings and
iron chandeliers. Try the fritanga pork stew (B$26/33) or
mondongo (B$28), which comes as big hunks of pork
served with corn. Daily 9am-2pm.

2

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange There are exchange o ces on
the southwest side of Plaza 14 de Septiembre and street
moneychangers in the centre of town. There are also
plenty of ATMs in the city centre.
Cinema Small Cine Astor on 25 de Mayo, at Sucre, or a
multi-screen Cine Center north of Plaza Quintanilla.
Internet access Internet cafés abound and most charge
around B$2-3/hr. There are two good places on Arce to the
southeast of Plaza 14 de Septiembre.
Laundry Superclean Lavandería, 16 de Julio 392.
Outdoor equipment The Spitting Llama ( W thespitting
llama.com) on Ecuador, at Espańa, is a useful place which
rents bikes and camping equipment, as well as selling
novels and guidebooks. They use their former address at
C España 615 as a (partly organic) food store that offers
goods from craft beers to imported specialities ( W llama
comelona.com).
Post o ce Correo Central, Av Ayacucho, at Av Heroínas.
Mon-Fri 8am-9pm, Sat 8am-noon.

EATING AND DRINKING
The best places to eat if you're on a tight budget are
Cochabamba's many markets, and the choice of restaurants
in the city is broad. Boulevar Recolta, a modern pedestria-
nized strip on the right-hand turning from the roundabout
before Av Pando, is a popular night-time place for a meal
and a drink; there's an abundance of modern restaurants,
bars and a few karaoke joints too.
Buenos Aires Av Ballivián 654. A nice little café-bar with
a Parisian boulevard feel, tucked into the side of the wide
Avenida Ballivián. Sit out on the pavement terrace and set
the world to rights, either over their generous breakfasts
(the coffee is pretty good), almuerzos (B$20) or evening
drinks. Mains from B$30. Daily 8am-11.30pm.
La Cantonata España, at Mayor Rocha. Smart Italian
restaurant with tablecloths and flowers on the tables,
serving decent pasta, meatballs and carbonara at
reasonable prices. Mains from B$35. Daily noon-2.30pm
& 6.30-11.30pm.
Casablanca 25 de Mayo 344. Hollywood-themed bar
serving cold beer, fruity cocktails and the usual fare of
pizzas, pasta, breakfasts and sandwiches to a tourist-
heavy clientele. There's a pile of magazines to peruse,
plus occasional jazz gigs. Mains B$26-45. Closed Sun
afternoon.
Gopal Venezuela near Plaza Colón; España between
Ecuador and Colombia. The branch near Plaza Colón is in
a house whose colourfully decorated interior is akin to
a hippy squat. The other (in the same complex as Ñaupa
House Hostel ) has a pleasant courtyard dining area for their
buffet lunch, with twenty different sides to choose from.
Mon-Sat 11am-3pm.

PARQUE NACIONAL TOROTORO
Some 139km south of Cochabamba,
the Parque Nacional Torotoro covers just
165 square kilometres and is Bolivia's
smallest national park. However, what
it lacks in size it makes up for with its
powerful scenery and varied attractions
- high valleys and deep canyons, ringed
by low mountains whose twisted
geological formations are strewn with
fossils, dinosaur footprints and
labyrinthine limestone cave complexes.
The park's cactus and scrubby woodland
supports considerable wildlife - including
flocks of parakeets and the rare and
beautiful red-fronted macaw. The main
attractions are the limestone caves of
Umajallanta , the beautiful, waterfall-
filled Torotoro Canyon , and hiking
expeditions to the pre-Inca ruined
fortress of Llama Chaqui .