Hey I am going to Bolivia for the first time tonight.

I will be arriving in La Paz but will be travelling around the country (no planned route yet).

Recommendations please. Bars? Nightlife? Places to chill? Find cute girls? Interesting stuff to see during the day? Places to eat?

Thanks.

Supposedly there are cute girls in Santa Cruz, where there is more of a Brazilian influence.

I highly recommend the Potosi mind tour, and of course the Salt Flats. I recommend you cook your meals... lots of people get sick in Bolivia.

(09-22-2009 04:38 PM)Roosh Wrote:  I recommend you cook your meals... lots of people get sick in Bolivia.

True that, eating in Bolivia is like playing Russian roulette with your stomach.

The new big thing in Bolivia is the coke bars. I wouldn't recommend it, I detest the shit, but everyone is talking about them.

Just got into La Paz last night.

Within 5 mins of checking into my hostel, I was at the bar, with a beer and involved in a game of texas hold'em lol

Anybody ever seen anyone do a tequila suicide before? Like a normal tequila shot except that you snort the line of salt, drink the shot and then have the lime juice squeezed into your eye while somebody holds it open.

Warning : May cause dizziness, nose bleeds, blindness and / or premature retardation.

They were doing them at the bar last night. I declined my shot.

(09-23-2009 02:37 AM)College Game Wrote:  The new big thing in Bolivia is the coke bars. I wouldn't recommend it, I detest the shit, but everyone is talking about them.

In Colombia they're called bars.

hahaha tequila suicides. that's a new one. i would bet a prerequisite for enjoying that would be doing plenty of blow first.

(09-23-2009 02:37 AM)College Game Wrote:  The new big thing in Bolivia is the coke bars. I wouldn't recommend it, I detest the shit, but everyone is talking about them.

I can attest to that. If you end up going out with backpackers from a hostel there is a 90% chance they will stop at one of them before the club. In La Paz, we hopped into one of the taxis waiting outside the hostel and the driver automatically took us to one without us even asking. I don't use that stuff so it was a waste for me but it is definitely becoming a big trend in La Paz.

They used to do tours of the famous San Pedro prison here in La Paz. The prison without any guards inside and where prisoners have to rent their cells.

They stopped the tours apparently because tourists used to go there to buy the best quality coke. 90% of the people in prison are there for drug related offences or awaiting trail on drug related offences.

The tours are still possible. I managed to do one when I was there in July. I have the phone # of a Dutch prisoner that I can give you if you wanted to set up a visit with him.

Well you would need to send it to me right now. I was planning on leaving today.

If you could, that would be cool.

(09-27-2009 02:10 PM)Lumiere Wrote:  Well you would need to send it to me right now. I was planning on leaving today.

If you could, that would be cool.

Sure. His name is Sebastian and his # is 2324002. If he doesn't pick up you should still go. Remember to bring your passport and some cash. Don't tell the guards you are going for a tour. Tell them you are going to visit a friend.

(09-27-2009 02:52 PM)jmb Wrote:  

(09-27-2009 02:10 PM)Lumiere Wrote:  Well you would need to send it to me right now. I was planning on leaving today.

If you could, that would be cool.

Sure. His name is Sebastian and his # is 2324002. If he doesn't pick up you should still go. Remember to bring your passport and some cash. Don't tell the guards you are going for a tour. Tell them you are going to visit a friend.

Sebastian what?

I can't just tell the guards I am here to see Sebastian surely. Or do you know the number of the cell that he is in?

(09-27-2009 03:02 PM)Lumiere Wrote:  

(09-27-2009 02:52 PM)jmb Wrote:  

(09-27-2009 02:10 PM)Lumiere Wrote:  Well you would need to send it to me right now. I was planning on leaving today.

If you could, that would be cool.

Sure. His name is Sebastian and his # is 2324002. If he doesn't pick up you should still go. Remember to bring your passport and some cash. Don't tell the guards you are going for a tour. Tell them you are going to visit a friend.

Sebastian what?

I can't just tell the guards I am here to see Sebastian surely. Or do you know the number of the cell that he is in?

When I went there I had no information about doing this at all because as you know its rare people even try anymore. I waited in line with the families and when I got up to the security guard who asked the information it went like this:

They asked who I was here to see and I told them my friend "Juan". Then they asked his last name I told them I wasn't sure and that he was a "friend of a friend". They also asked me where I was staying, and other basic questions like that.

My point is you have the name of an actual foreign visitor so it will be very believable. I only met this Sebastian as I was leaving the prison. I am not sure which block he belongs to. But there are only 2 foreigners in the prison when I was there so they should know him.

But like I said, give Sebastian a call and ask him the best way to get in. You also get a cool prison tattoo! I am not sure what time it is now but I think visiting hours may actually be over now.

I got in and I ended up being given a tour by Sebastien.

I didn't know his full name so I used another full name "George Redcloud". It's a totally foreign name to them so they just let me in and I bumped into Sebastien in the courtyard.

It was an amazining experience ! Unique.

I recommened anyone to do it.

Tips :

1. Say you are there to visit a friend. If you say you want a tour they will not let you in. The phrase you need is "Estoy aqui para visita un amigo" and give a full name of a person. They do not check the name against the roster of prisoners. The name that I gave is of a guy who is not even there any more.

2. Go by yourself if possible. If you turn up in what looks like a tour group they won't let you in.

3. You need to leave you passport or photo ID with them at the gate to get it in.

4. No electronics of any kind will be let in. Leave all that stuff in your hostel.

5. Go on Thurs or Sun. It's the general visiting day and is easier to get in. You can try other days if you like but it would be less easy.