Tuesday - August 03, 2010
252 days of Bolivia
1. Our route:
2. Money matters
Aug '07: in Ibiboso we could change our Paraguayan guaranis for bolivianos at the immigration office. Sep '10: the rate is 8.6 bolivianos to a euro. 3. Documentation Visa Aug '07: at the Paraguay - Bolivia border we received a 1 month' visa, free of charge. Nov '08: at the Chili - Bolivia Sud Lipez province we received a 1 month' visa for 21 bolivianos pp. Dec ''09: at the border Brazil - Bolivia [Guayaramerím] we received a 3 months' visa free of charge. Jan '10: at the border Chile - Bolivia [Ollagüe] we received a 3 months' visa for 21 bolivianos pp. In April 2010 the law was retightened. Until then it was easy to leave the country and re-enter it with a new visa. Today one can only stay 90 days per year in Bolivia. To extend a visa up to 90 days is possible at the Migraciones in La Paz [free of charge]. Carnet de Passage / Temporary Import Document Carnet is not needed, at the border you are issued with a Temporary Import Document. Note it is possible to receive a temporary import authorization for six months! They don't give this automatically and it may need a bit of persuasion from your part. In case you don't obtain a six-months visa at the border, but would like to have one, drive to the DAB [Aduana] in El Alto to arrange this. The service is free of charge, but you have to bring your car because the chassis number is checked [Jun '10]. Check out the gps overview for more information. 4. Border crossing - The border crossing from Paraguay is easy. The offices for customs and immigration are situated in different locations [with many kilometres in between], which you'll see as you go along [Aug '07]. - Border crossing from Chile [San Pedro de Atacama] is a two-step procedure: passport is stamped at the border [fee: 21 bolivianos]. The Customs is 80 kilometers further north - see our gps waypoint overview for the exact location [Nov '08]. - From Guajará Mirim [Rondônia] to Guayaramerín [Bolivia] There is no regular car ferry plying between two towns [only for pedestrians]. When on the Brazilian side, you have to go to Bolivia [or ask somebody to go] to arrange a boat there to pick you up. No, this can't be done by telephone… Price car ferry [boat]: 250 bolivianos ferry + 30 bolivianos fumigations [appr. 28 euro, Dec '09]. In Bolivia we were asked to show our yellow vaccination booklet for the very first time [due to the mandatory yellow fever vaccination]. 5. Car, diesel, petrol stations, roadmap Diesel and petrol stations Diesel costs around 3.7 bolivianos [around 38 eurocent, Sep '10]. We took in diesel in Tarija, Tupiza and Uyuni, in between there is nothing. NB: we filled up twice at the YPF petrol station in Tupiza and on both occasions noticed an inordinate fuel consumption afterwards. NB: Between San Pedro de Atacama [Chile] and Uyuni [about 450 kilometres] there is no petrol nor diesel available. If lucky you may be able to purchase it in San Christobal, about halfway, but don't count on it. Car The big question is whether or not the Bolivians feel like taking on a certain job. Apparently the big job to replace large rusted parts of the fender was too much work for the mechanics in Uyuni. Fortunately we found a nice guy to do the job in Tupiza. It took him two days and he charged us 40 euros for a good job [Aug '07] After our tour on the Salar we had the car thoroughly cleaned in Uyuni for 3.5- 5 euros [Aug '07 and Jan '10]. In the spring of 2010 we spent four months in La Paz for an overhaul of the Land Cruiser. The car was dismantled in its entirety, the many holes due to rust were welded and the car was repainted. Simultaneously we took the opportunity to install a second diesel tank and to attach the spare tyre to the back door. We replaced / repaired many other parts as well: door rubbers, radiator, fuel lines, etc. Total expenditures: about 5000 euros. Do we recommend having an overhaul done in Bolivia? It's tempting only to look at the low costs, but you should realise that for this money you don't get European quality either. After four months of hard work we [unfortunately] cannot but confirm the stereotypes: you have to be present every day, you have to check all the work done, you need lots of patience and perseverance to get the job done. Our most important tips say everything about how our job was handled: make a contract. Write down in detail what work needs to be done and what it costs – make clear what projects may be done [and paid] additionally. Furthermore, include a penalty clause. If the job isn't finished on the day agreed upon, the workshop owner has to pay a certain amount of money per additional day of work. Last but not least: never pay the entire amount before the last chore is finished – they always want money up front, understandably, to buy the spare parts and to pay the employees – but never pay the whole amount before the job is done. If we had not taken these measures, we would most likely still be in La Paz [September], with the Land Cruiser in 1000 pieces. Traffic The unpaved roads vary from reasonable to horrific [lots of washboard roads]. But they are working on many stretches, including paving Potosí – Uyuni, so next year some parts may be much improved. Road maps Reise Knowhow map of Bolivia isn't accurate enough in its mileage and distances. We often drove many more kilometres than were indicated on the map. 6 Paid accommodation and bush camping For the gps waypoints, check out the gps overview. 7. Food and beverage Water Along route 1 we drank from the tap without getting into problems. For route 2 we brought water from San Pedro de Atacama because there is nothing along the way. food Tourist eateries mainly consist of pizzerias where you pay about 3.5 euros for a pizza. We found many local places where they serve you a good meal for about 10 bolivianos [1 euro]. Bolivia's main meal is lunch and then all restaurants are open. For 10 bolivianos you can buy an almuerzo, which includes a large bowl of tasty soup, often with chunks of meat and potato or filled with pasta. The main meal sometimes is fixed, sometimes you can choose between 2 options. It's always a piece of meat with rice or quinoa and a salad. For route 2 we brought all our supplies from San Pedro de Atacama, there are no shops along this route.