The next morning we had to wake up pretty early again as we had to catch a flight to Sucre. We would drive to the airport and fly about 45 minutes to get to the capital to sleep one night there before we would head to Potosi and Uyuni.
The timetable was super tight and we didn´t have much time to get ready so I was surprised when Britta shouted: "Elli!!! Come out here!! You have to see that!!
I put on some clothes and jumped out as fast as I could. And there it was. I couldn´t believe it. The day before, we had been driving 12 hrs—830km in one day—to see some wildlife and barely saw any. Then, the next morning, we went out of the hotel room, and we saw this: A wild Toucan! Sitting on a chair right outside our bedroom.
He looked at me for quite a while and then apparently decided that I was harmless as he started cleaning himself with patience and very calm. It didn´t seem like this was the first time for him to come here. He felt quite comfortable and didn´t go anywhere when I walked closer.
It was very fascinating for me to see a Tucan that close. The colors of his eyes and his feathers were very beautiful. He flirted a lot while cleaning himself and then all of a sudden he was finished. So he turned around showed his nice looking red feathered ass and took a shit 😂😂 - Hilarious!!
I was sure that now soon he would leave and time was running out, so I went back inside, took a shower, and changed clothes to get ready for our transfer. But when we came back out with our stuff, he was still sitting there enjoying the morning and watching us with curiosity.
Our driver was already waiting so we drove to the airport and jumped on the plane to fly with Amazonas Airline to our next stop: Sucre
Sucre is the capital of Bolivia and is often referred to as the “white city” due to its many white buildings. The city lies at an altitude of 2,800 m so when we arrived I thought it would be cold again, but it wasn´t! The temperature was quite nice to walk around.
When we arrived we checked in and went out right away as we only had that very afternoon to explore the city before we would head to our next destination the very next day. I thought it would get wild running around the old part of the city, but the relaxed atmosphere, open-minded residents, small museums, cozy cafés, inviting accommodation, and charming surroundings combined with pleasant temperatures made it pretty calm and nice.
Everywhere we had heard that this town is the most beautiful city in Bolivia if not even in South America. I am not sure if it's the most beautiful of the continent but by far the most beautiful we have seen in Bolivia! The capital of Bolivia is not only beautiful but also culturally very interesting and what we also really enjoyed was that Sucre is super relaxed.
It looked totally different from all the cities we had seen so far. In the city center, we found many white-painted buildings from the colonial era with their small balconies and charming courtyards. No wonder it is called the white city!
We learned that the historic center has been even a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. The white city is of great importance in the history of South America because the first call for freedom came from Sucre at the beginning of the 19th century. Bolivia's Declaration of Independence was signed here in 1825. Sucre is the country's constitutional capital, but all government institutions, except the Supreme Court, are now located in La Paz.
Even the people seemed to be different. While in La Paz and Copacabana, the locals treated us like typical tourists, and outsiders and sometimes had weird looks on us, here the residents contributed to the welcoming atmosphere.
They smiled at us and when we had questions about buildings or the way to find something they were warm, interested, and helpful. “Sucre es un pueblo – Sucre is a village,” they like to say. At the markets and public squares, it seemed like everyone knew everyone there. They just sent us from one person to another and we kept walking exploring the city.
Sadly that day we didn't take many pictures, as the battery was low from our Tucan encounter in the morning and the camera had to load to be ready for Uyuni!
I can tell you though that Sucre is a wonderful place to explore on foot. The streets are laid out in a checkerboard pattern and the historic center is manageable. This is where the most interesting sights are.
My personal favorite was the Church of San Felipe Neri. The entrance is located on Calle Nicolas Ortiz (ring the bell!). There is now a school in the church complex. The large inner courtyard is lined with two floors of arcades. But the real highlight is the roof platform.
As we didn´t have much time left we went straight up and enjoyed the view.
Up here at the latest, it becomes clear why Sucre is called 'The White City'. Both the architectural details and the view over the city rooftops are impressive.
Here we stayed for quite a while and enjoyed the view and quietness. We were a little bit exhausted from the past days and super happy to have a break.
From there we walked back to the main square to grab some food. That was the first time in Bolivia we had awesome food! I guess as it is such a travel spot it is in many ways attractive to be here. Also, I saw that many digital nomads were living here, so no wonder it seemed to be a little bit different to the rest of the country. When we ordered dessert, we found out that Sucre is very famous for its Chocolate Specialties! - They had a lot of different flavors!
After that, we had to go back to the hotel as it was getting late and we were super tired. Also, we didn´t want to wander around late at night. We crossed the Parque Bolivar and were surprised once again. There was a small building looking a little bit like the Eifel Tower.
Of course, it was much smaller, but you could climb up! The name of the tower was La Torre Sucrense or Torre Eiffel de Sucre. It was designed by the engineer Gustave Eiffel, the same who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris. However, contrary to what many people think, this tower is not a miniature replica of Paris' Eiffel Tower, as both are very different in design. The Bolivian Tower is unique in the world. - Funny what one can find at the other part of the world 😅 I didn´t expect that!
Anyways, we went to bed early that day and were very much looking forward to our final days in Bolivia! - The crossing of Uyuni desert. - but more about that soon so stay tuned ;)
Cheers,
Liz