5 Things You Won't Miss About Bolivia - Bolivia for Kids

Hello Everybody! Bolivia is a great place to live or just to visit. But today I thought I'd mention 5 things you maybe WON'T miss about Bolivia when you leave:

#1 Poverty

Bolivia is a very poor country so on your travels or just every day life you're bound to find someone living on the street. Sad :( However, you can help these people by giving them a little change if you have some, offering them some food or water, or sharing a book or toy with their kids.

#2 Protests

Though not as common, many times you might find yourself getting stuck on the road while you wait for protesters to go by. If your on vacation in Bolivia you might find your trip a bit delayed by protesters. Sometimes protests can turn to riots or can last for weeks and weeks, frequently accompanied by roadblocks, during which time no one is allowed to pass through.



#3 Taxis

In Bolivia there are two types of Taxis. The Taxis you just find on the streets (usually driven by individual owners - kind of like Uber drivers) or the Radio Taxis. "What's the difference?" you ask.

Well, in Bolivia there are Radio Taxi companies that you can call by phone, and they'll send a taxi to pick you up. You can also find them on the road relatively easily and can flag them down IF they are empty (they're the ones with signs for their business and phone numbers on them). These ones are safe.

However, there are also individually owned taxis that you can flag down from the sidewalk and some average Joe in an unmarked car pulls up. They often (read as almost always) over-charge tourists and foreigners, and sometimes tourists are targeted and mugged. Individually owned taxis also often don't have any safety features or air conditioning and can often be in bad shape. You'll not miss these ones at all after you leave.

#4 Street dogs

Streets dogs can be seen frequently in Bolivia. There are tens of thousands in La Paz alone. That's because everyone wants a dog, but then get bored with them and just abandon them (know what I'm saying?) Most dogs won't bother you but some might not be friendly and may be sick. It's a very, very sad situation and may of them may motivate you to want to help or feed them, but it's best to stay away from them as some of them have rabies. :(

#5 Lack of oxygen

If you've lived all your life below 1000 meters above sea level, it might not be so easy to walk around in some places in Bolivia. For example, in La Paz which is 3660m (or 12,000ft) above sea level, oxygen might be thin so pace yourself and take a very breath every once in a while. You'll not miss the shortness of breath and altitude sickness after you leave.

So these are 5 things you maybe WON'T miss about Bolivia after you've lived here or visited us.