Bolivia is often referred
to as the Nepal of South America. The country has close to a thousand
peaks over 5,000m and matches anything the Himalayas has to offer
in the way of climbing and trekking. Though Bolivia is thought of
as an Andean country, most of it is tropical lowlands – a vast,
unexplored green carpet stretching east from the Andes to the Brazilian
border. And aside from this majestic scenery, the ancient Andean culture
and tradition are still very much in intact today. Bolivia boasts
the largest indigenous population in all of South America.
Cochabamba deserves its unofficial title of ‘City of Eternal
Spring’. Set in a bowl of rolling hills at a comfortable altitude,
its inhabitants enjoy a wonderfully warm, dry and sunny climate with
an average temperature of 18 degrees C. Its parks and plazas are a
riot of color – from the striking purple of the bougainvillea
to the subtler tones of jasmine, magnolia and jacaranda.
Though much new building is taking place throughout this city of nearly
600,000, the center retains a colonial character. There are many fine
churches and streets lined with old colonial houses with overhanging
eaves, balconies, wrought-iron windows and cool patios behind huge
carved wood doors. There are also wide ranges of colorful markets,
which only add to the feeling that Cochabamba is more of an overgrown
village than a modern urban center. |
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View from CCS |
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