Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HI Cej-Tarabuco
04 6440471.
One block back from the central plaza, this Hostelling
International-affiliated hostel has clean and simple dorms and private rooms; t
he la
tter have
eithe
r shared or private facilities. There's also a café and TV lounge. Dorms
Bs32
; doubles
Bs60
.
Cochabamba
At the geographical centre of Bolivia, midway between the Altiplano and the eastern low-
lands,
COCHABAMBA
is the commercial hub of the country's richest agricultural region,
the Cochabamba Valley. With a population of more than six hundred thousand, it's a modern,
unpretentious and outward-looking commercial city. Named the “City of Eternal Spring”, it
enjoys a year-round sunny climate that is matched by the warmth and openness of its popula-
tion. Although most travellers who visit are just passing through, those who spend time here
find Cochabamba to be Bolivia's most welcoming city. It is also a good base for exploring
the attractions of the surrounding valley - chief among these, in the eyes of the locals at least,
is
chicha
, a thick, lightly alcoholic maize beer.
For all its charm, Cochabamba has few conventional tourist attractions, and little remains of
the original colonial city centre. The
Museo Archeológico
is worth a visit, as is the
Cristo
de la Concordia
, the Christ statue that overlooks Cochabamba from the east. Otherwise, the
most interesting areas are the massive, rambling
street markets
that stretch to the south of
the centre, the commercial heart of this market city.