Bolivia Today

Markets and Fairs in the city of Cochabamba

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:19:10 PDT

Take a scenic ride in Bolivia's bizarre Mercedes bus-train - Jalopnik

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:52:12 PDT

Take a scenic ride in Bolivia's bizarre Mercedes bus-train - Jalopnik

Wow, I live here in Bolivia and I've never heard of this one :o

I'll have to ask my friends in Sucre where the heck you can take this weird bus, at least to take a look at it next time I'm in that city. Although this looks more like something you take outside the city in the countryside. No chance I would be riding this one however, since this is probably hand made and with no warranty :)

Just fyi, there is a decent paved road between Sucre and Potosi, so you don't HAVE to take this bus if you want to get from one place to the other.

Mitsubishi's 360-degree video of Bolivia's Death Road | The Car Tech blog - CNET Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:58:57 PDT

Mitsubishi's 360-degree video of Bolivia's Death Road | The Car Tech blog - CNET Reviews

The death road in La Paz is probably one of the best know touristic attractions of Bolivia, amazing, considering it is a matter of death that attracts people to this road.

By the way there is an alternate road already in place which goes through the highlands and can take you to the Yungas, so you don't need to take this road if you want to go from La Paz to Coroico. However the new road is longer, but much safer.

The island of the Sun in lake Titicaca - part 2

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Sun, 22 May 2011 21:06:44 PDT

To the north of the island you can find the Chinkana ruis, also known as the "laberynth". These ruins have several rooms, passages which are built on a slope very close one to the other. Some distance beyond this place there are two natural sunken formation on the rocks which are similar to giant steps which the local natives attribute to the Sun god or Thunapa, who was a son of the great Sun god or Huiracocha who sent him to profess compassion, but he was hit and badly treated and tied to a raft which was left to drift and eventually formed the desaguadero river.

The boats which go to the north part of the island arrive to Challapampa, from there until Chinkana you must walk around 40 minutes, following the north parth and going to the left.

You can find more information here:

Lonely Planet Bolivia (Country Travel Guide)

The island of the Sun in lake Titicaca - part 1

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Mon, 02 May 2011 22:06:48 PDT

This island is found on the northwest of the Copacabana peninsula. The legend of its origin says that the Sun and Moon took refuge in the Karka or sacred rock, which was the first place to receive the sun rays. The legend says this was the birthplace of the first Incas, Manco Kapac and Mama Ocllo, children of the Sun and founders of the Inca empire.

Yumani is the main port in the south part of the island, it has a large precolombine stairway which goes from the port to a fountain high in the island. This fountain is made of three springs which many say represent the three laws of the quechuas, Ama sua - don't stea, Ama llulla - don't lie and Ama kella - don't be lazy. You many continue to the small village of Yumani, above the fountain.

The inca palaca of Pilkokayana is below Yumani, the structure once had two floors but only one remain, it is made of several rooms. The palaca seems to contain both Inca and Aymara architectural elements and is preserved enough to be an interesting sightsee.

Sony Ericsson's propietary mobile OS is the leader in Bolivia

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:29:05 PST

Something to analyze.

Bolivia is the only country in the world where most of the people which navigate the web from their mobile do it from Sony Ericsson's propietary OS. Definetely the only country where this is happening, if the data from the study below is correct:

http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/11/30/mobile-os-usage-splits-the-world-chart/#

The list provided there is the following:

We found only one country where Sony Ericsson was the leader, Bolivia.

Bolivia, 42.3%
Malaysia, 35.3%
Honduras, 30.9%
Uruguay, 30.6%
Costa Rica, 26.7%
Cambodia, 26.6%
Sri Lanka, 26.2%
Sierra Leone, 26.0%
Belarus, 23.8%
Poland, 22.6%

So 42.3% of the people who navigate the web through a mobile in Bolivia do it through a Sony Ericsson. Being that Bolivia is the only country in the world where this is happening, it is definetly something that makes me think that either Sony is doing something right in Bolivia or it's just plain lucky to be in first place (either really lucky or lucky by a mistake from the study). Either way I don't think it's first place is sustainable since I don't have a single friend who uses a sony ericsson to navigate the web that I am aware of. Nevertheless, I'll be asking people I know that use sony ericsson, what application do you use more that connects to the web?

The oldest Art Gallery in Cochabamba - Gildaro Antezana Art Gallery

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Mon, 09 May 2011 21:00:27 PDT

Below you can find a map of where to find the oldest Art Gallery in Cochabamba, on the north block of the "14 de Septiembre" main square you can find it. It has a permanent presentation of paintings and sculptures.

Noel Kempff Mercado national bolivian park (part3)

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:48:25 PDT

The Huanchaca Plateau is a drained by numerous perennial rivers and streams which merge and form the deadwaters of teh Verde and Paucerna Rivers. Precipitous escarpments, 600 to 1800 feet high, bound the plateau, often crating spectacular wateralls; Arco Iris and the Federico Ahlfeld falls on the Paucerna River are considered to be two of the continent's finest.

The Huanchaca Plateauat sunset, taken from the savannah grasslands looking southeast from Los Fierros.

On it's way to the Rio Itenez, the narrow Paucerna River winds its way through dense towering rainforest. Slowly travelling downstream through this remote and pristine wilderness, one many frequently see Jaguar and Giant otter, an exciting and unforgettable highlights to this unique expedition. The first to discover the Huanchaca Plateau was the legendary British explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett.

Fawcett discovered the plateau in 1910 while exploring the Verde River and demarcating the national boundaries for the Bolivian government. It is believed that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous novel The Lost World was based in part on Fawcett's exciting accounts of the Huanchaca Plateau.

A frequent sight along the Itenez, Paucerna, and Verde Rivers are families of Gian Otters and Southern River Otter. These two species are rare and threatened throughout their range.

Noel Kempff Mercado national bolivian park (part2)

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:31:33 PDT

So far, over 620 bird species have been identified within the park, which is approximately one-fourth of all birds in the Neotropics. blu-and-yello, Scarlet, Golden-collared and Chestnut fronted Macaws; over 20 species of Parrots; Crimson-bellied Parakeet; Red-necked Aracari; Helmeted Manakin; Curl-crested Jay;Hoatzin and Harpy Eagle are just some of the exciting species found within the park.

Photo below shows a couple of blue and yellow Macaws, one of the seven species of Macaws within the park.

The park is also abundant in fauna; many large mammals are frequently sighted during hikes into the park's savannah and forests or while cruising the extensive river and lagoon systesm. Brazilian Tapir, grey-and-red brocket deer, silvery marmoset, spider and black howler monkey are plentiful. There are also Giant Otter and Capybara.

Noel Kempff Mercado national bolivian park

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:04:22 PDT

I mentioned this park in another post some time ago, but didn't give myself the time to look for some info. I've been to this park many years ago and I can absolutely support the fact that it must be either the or one of the most beautiful parks that Bolivia has.

Our park is found at the very heart of South America and allows a unique access to rainforest, seasonal flooded savannah, Brazilian cerrado, gallery forest, thorn scrum, humid forests and marshes similar to the Pantanal formation in Brazil. the mesa-like lnadscape of the Huanchcaca Plateau (see in the photograph below), the spectacular Arco iris, Ahfeld and El Encanto Falls; the virigin rainforests of the Paucerna river, and the extensive black water bays an lagoons of the Itenez river provide a breathtaking backdrop to one of South America's premier wildlife locations.

Tiwanaku Pottery

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:34:11 PDT

Pottery objects with typical drawings, full of colors, provide insight into the Tiwanaku culture and civilization.

1) Keru cup, of the 5th period, created with clay between 750 - 1100 b.c. It was used for religious ceremonies. The name comes from the quechua word which means wood, since the inca ceremonial cups were made out of wood.

2) Pot with animal form, between 15 and 25cm of height, probably from the 200-700 b.c. period.

3) Mud bottle with colors with holders. The nose, ears and mouth of a face were painted on the neck of the bottle.

4) Clay pot, likewise between the 200-700 b.c. period.

5) Rug fragment from the expansionist era of Tiwanaku. Shows the figure of the gate of the sun.

6) Ceremonial knife, made in gold, with a human figure as an ornament in the handle.

7) Pots of gold and copper were produced by the Tiwanaku.

8) Ceremonial hat with a religious meaning.

9) Human form pottery, also animals were used commonly as a subject for much of the pottery.

Wireless Carriers in Bolivia, some basic facts

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:43:50 PDT

There are three wireless carriers in Bolivia:

VIVA
http://www.viva-gsm.com/
This is a privately held company, which however has a stakeholder which is a local communications cooperative in Cochabamba (COMTECO). This carrier uses GSM and provides GPRS/EDGE access. In general this carriers works with the 1800/1900mhz.

TIGO
http://www.tigo.com.bo
This is a privately held company, which provides GSM with EDGE/3G services and also Blackberry services.
This carrier works with 850/900mhz

ENTEL
http://www.entel.bo/
This is the recently nationalized carrier in Bolivia, previously owned by TIM. It provides GSM with GPRS/EGE and also Blackberry services. It also still has a legacy TDMA network which is still supported. This carrier works with 900/1800/1900 mhz.

If you visit the websites of any of these carriers you will find an option which lets you send free SMS to any mobile phone in he country.

Bolivian Paintings: Jose Castro, Humberto Jaimes, Moises Chire, Antonio Mariaca

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:30:43 PDT

Bolivian Paintings: Luis Luksis, Julio Cesar Tellez, Armodio Tamayo

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:10:39 PDT

Small tremor in Cochabamba, no earthquake.

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:07:09 PDT

Yesterday in the afternoon at around quarter past there was a tremor of 4.4 in the richter scale. I say tremor because I was actually walking on the street at that time yet I didn't feel it.

The epicenter was in the province of Capinota, 5 km to the northeast of Santivañez, about 15 km to the southeast of the city of Cochabamba.

Boliva gets third place in Microsoft 2009 Imagine Cup IT Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:24:09 PDT

Not bad at all considering we only had one participant in the IT Challenge competition.

Worldwide Competitors were:

300,000 registered

59,000 students competed from 142 countries

148 finalist teams

Miklos Cari from Cochabamba, Bolivia got the third place in this Microsoft 2009 Imagine Cup IT Challenge. You can see him in a video receiving the award here:

IT Challenge

First place: Romania, Cosmin Ilie
Second place: China, Wu Chang

Third place: Bolivia, Miklos Cari Sivila

More information here:

http://imaginecup.com/Support/exploreimaginecup.aspx

Bolivian Sculptures - Nuñez del Prado, Zapana and Magallanes

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:41:27 PDT

Mobile Facebook in Bolivia promoted by wireless carriers as a plus for them

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:04:12 PDT

I saw a VIVA ad on the Los Tiempos newspaper on Sunday and and another one of TIGO at a nearby store today, it 's funny that they promote mobile web access to Facebook as if it was a plus of their service. This is probably due to the fact that many young people in Bolivia are Facebook addicts. No joke, I have Facebook contacts in their teens which have 500+ contact easily. For a country where about only 75% of the population has access to electricity and where from 10 million tops about 1 million people have access to internet, believe me 500+ is a lot.

In Bolivia Facebook use has grown very quickly, nobody uses MySpace or other social sites, basically everyone who has a social account is using Facebook. Twitter use is reduced, the other day I had a friend who was at what they called a "Twitter Party" in Cochabamba (he told me there are about 30 users of Twitter he knows in Cochabamba and close to 200 in Bolivia), with similar events going on in La Paz and Santa Cruz at the same time.

Bolivian Sculptures - Nuñez del Prado and Zapana

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:12:58 PDT

iPhone in Bolivia

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:37:45 PDT

If you have an iPhone and you live in Bolivia, this probably means that it is a jailbroken/unlocked one, since Apple has not made the iPhone available through any of the wireless carriers in Bolivia. Sad but true.

All our neighbors have the iPhone, we're the only ones that don't:

This doesn't mean that we don't see people with iPhone, actually I know about 10 people with iPhone, and some have payed hefty prices for their Apple precious.

People have had to go through different ticks and ask favors to relatives in the US or in Europe in order to get an iPhone, you can also buy them from people or small shops which bring them in small quantities and have them jailbroken/unlocked locally. But if you don't have a geek's heart it's really difficult to keep up with the upgrades. Although I know quite a few people who would be ready to buy one if it was offered by a local carrier.

Those in Bolivia who have the iPhone 3G (I've got a 2G myself, don't need an upgrade for now although the 3GS looks veeeery cool), don't use in general the 3G service since there is only one wireless carrier which provides this service, TIGO, and I've used a chip from them for a year and I was really upset with their service it was really bad. I returned to my VIVA (another local wireless carrier), although they only have GPRS.

Wifi hotspots are not easily found in Bolivia, as you can guess. But there are a few (many public places have them).

Below a shot of Apple's next countries to have the iphone, are we're still not there. C'mon carriers in Bolivia do you really believe there is NO market for the iphone in Bolivia? We need more technology than other countries in order to work ourselves out of this poverty hole.

Bolivian Litographies - Clovis Dias de Oropeza

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:22:26 PDT

Bolivian Sculpturers - Alejandro Ortega, Agustin Calisaya, Victor Zapana, Marina Nuñez del Prado

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:21:52 PDT

Bolivian Paintings: Juan Ortega Leyton, Cecilio Guzman de Rojas, Teofilo Loayza, Arturo Reque, Walter Solon, Arturo Borda

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:26:59 PDT

Bolivian Sculptures - Nuñez del Prado, Zapana and Callisaya

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:41:22 PDT

Gate of the Sun (puerta del sol) in Tiwanaku

noreply@blogger.com (bsj) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:53:59 PDT

The gate of the sun is undoubtedly one of the most famous pieces of art in all the Andean world. It has about 4 meters of width by 2.75 meters of height, and a weight of about 10 tons. The gate has been kept exactly where it was found, and a large crack that goes across it vertically has also been kept untouched.

Three horizontal segments are on the sides of a central figure, with 48 engravings of human-animal form, other than human traits they also have bird and feline traits. All the figures stare at the central figure, which has an identity still unclear. It is a human form which has 24 rays coming out of it and some ending in puma heads. From the eyes fall large tears and its hands hold two cranes which end in a condor head, symbol of power. In its elbows it has some type of heads and on it's breast it has some type of altar.Some historians consider this is the Sun God or one of the high deities of the Tiwanaku Culture.