Tuesday, June 9, 2015

6/9/15: From Copacabana to La Paz

Today was very, very chill. I basically didn't do anything because my bus to La Paz from Copacabana was at 1:30 pm and there wasn't anything else to see in Copacabana. I went to the main square to sit and read a little, then finally bought a SIM card for Bolivia. It was a struggle figuring out how this new carrier, Tigo, works because it's different from Claro, the carrier I used in Peru.

I had lunch at the same place I did on day 1 in Copacabana because it was cheap and relatively delicious - though I tried out the wifi today and it was basically like not having wifi. That's pretty much been my experience thus far in Bolivia - the wifi speed is so slow that you can barely load anything. That is, if you can access the signal in the first place. Honestly, it's getting on my nerves. I need wifi to communicate, to get around, to do research (on attractions to visit, etc.), and to work! The lack of internet I experienced in Copacabana meant that I couldn't use Fiverr the whole time, and just those two days were bad. Seriously, I know that access to internet is supposed to be a luxury, but it's definitely a necessity for me. I don't need constant access to it, is the thing. I just need a reliable connection (one that doesn't take a hour to publish a page) for a couple hours a day. Is that too much to ask for?

Anyways, the buss ride wasn't too bad. Halfway through, we were asked to get out, pay 2 Bs for a boat ride across a section of Lake Titicaca (the bus itself was also taken on a boat across the Lake, it was quite the sight), and get back on. I did not enjoy nor appreciate that very much, but I got over it.

I arrived in La Paz at around 5 pm. The bus station is more organized than anything I saw in Peru, which is a good thing. Apparently buses to Cochabamba, my volunteer and next site, are frequent, which is good. I think one costs around $8, according to the one lady I asked, but I will ask around more tomorrow. It was very smart of me to screenshot a little map to the hostel I wanted so I could walk two blocks to get there and not hire a taxi.

The hostel is less than ideal. It's large, which is nice because there are a lot of other people. However, the only place with tables is the bar, and even though there are "No Smoking" signs, it smells like cigarettes and makes me want to punch someone. It also has music that is overly loud. Ugh.

On the bright side, the rooms themselves are quiet and do not smell like smoke. They also cost 49Bs, or just over $7 a night, which is good enough for me. The wifi, though terrible, at least exists. Good enough, I guess. Hopefully tomorrow will be a nice day because today has just been ehh.

No comments:

Post a Comment