Bolivia - Sucre
After only 1 1/2 days in Potosi, we took yet another bus to Sucre, a beautiful colonial town which used to be the capital of Bolivia. We took a pleasant afternoon bus to the town - no more night trips! It was great to see some of the mountainous countryside into Sucre, and to get a feel for this historically rich city.
We thought about getting a hostel near the main market area, but after poking around 2 places, we decided we wanted some luxury. So we went to the main plaza and booked a room in one of the nicest hotels in the city. 24x7 hot running water, a TV, a giant queen bed, and a full breakfast was ours for only $50! Gotta love exchange rates :)
That night, we met up with Gerard's old coworker and friend Andres. They used to work together at Aid to Artisans. Andres took us up to a wonderful lookout spot where we met some of his friends and enjoyed some delicious hot cocoa & coffee while watching the sun go down over the city.
Sucre is a beautiful city and worth a visit if you're in Bolivia. It's nestled in-between the mountains, and used to be the home of the rich Spaniards who owned mines in Potosi. As it was the former capital, there is also many universities in Sucre who lay claim to some of South America's most famous students, like Simon Bolivar. The universities are still quite prestigious even after Sucre's fade from prominence.
The following day, we visited the textile museum - definitely a must-see! Both my brother Gerard and Andres highly recommended it as the textiles are world-class. The museum was started so that the local weaving traditions and patterns could be preserved. The various tribes in the area all weave different patterns into their work so it's fascinating to see the differences. Julie took tons of pictures which you should see on flickr!
Later in the day we walked around the town a bit. We hung out in the plaza, which was quite fun. Sucre feels like it's got a lot of energy because there are so many college students there. We definitely felt the difference compared to so many other towns in Bolivia.
Our other activity was a tour of the old government meeting hall. Here we got to see photo of all the past & present Bolivian presidents, the original congress room, and saw a copy of the Declaration of Independence! It was great to learn about Bolivia's independence and hear about South America's struggle for independence from Spain. I honestly didn't know much, since I didn't grow up in south america, nor did I ever think to ask my parents, so to learn about the history of my parent's native countries was quite a moving experience for me.
Well, unfortunately our visit to Sucre was brief. We took a flight early in our 3rd day in Sucre back to La Paz. But we left feeling quite refreshed from the city's energy and the 2 high-class hotels we stayed at! Now we were ready for new adventures!
We thought about getting a hostel near the main market area, but after poking around 2 places, we decided we wanted some luxury. So we went to the main plaza and booked a room in one of the nicest hotels in the city. 24x7 hot running water, a TV, a giant queen bed, and a full breakfast was ours for only $50! Gotta love exchange rates :)
That night, we met up with Gerard's old coworker and friend Andres. They used to work together at Aid to Artisans. Andres took us up to a wonderful lookout spot where we met some of his friends and enjoyed some delicious hot cocoa & coffee while watching the sun go down over the city.
Sucre is a beautiful city and worth a visit if you're in Bolivia. It's nestled in-between the mountains, and used to be the home of the rich Spaniards who owned mines in Potosi. As it was the former capital, there is also many universities in Sucre who lay claim to some of South America's most famous students, like Simon Bolivar. The universities are still quite prestigious even after Sucre's fade from prominence.
The following day, we visited the textile museum - definitely a must-see! Both my brother Gerard and Andres highly recommended it as the textiles are world-class. The museum was started so that the local weaving traditions and patterns could be preserved. The various tribes in the area all weave different patterns into their work so it's fascinating to see the differences. Julie took tons of pictures which you should see on flickr!
Later in the day we walked around the town a bit. We hung out in the plaza, which was quite fun. Sucre feels like it's got a lot of energy because there are so many college students there. We definitely felt the difference compared to so many other towns in Bolivia.
Our other activity was a tour of the old government meeting hall. Here we got to see photo of all the past & present Bolivian presidents, the original congress room, and saw a copy of the Declaration of Independence! It was great to learn about Bolivia's independence and hear about South America's struggle for independence from Spain. I honestly didn't know much, since I didn't grow up in south america, nor did I ever think to ask my parents, so to learn about the history of my parent's native countries was quite a moving experience for me.
Well, unfortunately our visit to Sucre was brief. We took a flight early in our 3rd day in Sucre back to La Paz. But we left feeling quite refreshed from the city's energy and the 2 high-class hotels we stayed at! Now we were ready for new adventures!
posted by Xavier at 2:48 PM
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