Sucre and the memories of all that drew me to the charming colonial town of Bolivia from Santa Cruz de la Sierra: roadblocks, a nasty twisted ankle (from my unfortunate Amboro trek), and grumpiness brought on by dull, cloudy weather. The morning flight was via Cochabamba and took around 4.5 hours. It was a small prop plane, operated by Boliviana de Aviación (BOA), and flew over the beautiful Bolivian landscape. My heart sang as the little plane lifted out of Santa Cruz and rumbled for a break at Cochabamba.
The flight got delayed at Cochabamba due to a bizarre transit process where all the passengers went through a rerun of the entire check-in to boarding procedure. It was supposedly in compliance with drug control measures, as Cochabamba is a huge narcotic hub.
The flight was uneventful after that, and the landscape became spectacular. Moonscape mountains of different colors rolled under strange cloud formations, and winding rivers cut deep gorges. We landed with a heart-stopping bump at Sucre, and immediately, the altitude sickness got me.
The stunning Sucre is snow-white and colonial in beauty.
A snow-white, stunning Bolivian city
I stumbled out in the cold thin air, breathless, dizzy, and feeling very lightheaded. Before the sickness took a turn for the worse, I hailed a taxi quickly, checked into my hotel, and slept till noon. Cups of coca tea (mate de coca) helped, and by evening, I started feeling better. My Hostal Sucre was a beautiful white colonial casa with a sunny rose-filled courtyard, decorative urns, iron benches, and fountains. I would have been more than happy to have just lingered there by the roses and tinkling water, but the legendary beauty of Sucre drew me out. I left my casa to walk around the official capital city of Bolivia. A beautiful snow white UNESCO heritage city, it has lots of gems in colonial architecture, winding narrow streets, ornamental street lamps, and beautiful purple and gold sunsets.
Sucre rose to prominence as an attractive retreat for wealthy and influential figures connected with nearby Potosí’s silver mines. Although Sucre is considered a ‘colonial’ city, its architecture is more of a later, neo-classical style when new money from mines poured in. While the crooked streets of Potosí in reality reflect the chaotic urban planning of early colonialism and attempt to accommodate the silver rush, well-kept, elegant Sucre displays the result of the wealth that was later spawned by the silver trade. Sucre’s original name is, incidentally, Ciudad de la Plata de la Nueva Toledo (city of the silver of New Toledo).
The stunning Sucre
Everything centers around Plaza 25 de Mayo
Plaza 25 de Mayo lies in the center of Sucre and is circled by the Cathedral, the office of the Prefectura (regional government), the Alcaldía (city government), and the historic Casa de la Libertad. Strings of overpriced and overrated restaurants and bars also jostle for space with these graceful monuments, and I had made quite a few expensive mistakes there. A lion-flanked statue of Mariscal Jose Antonio Sucre, Simon Bolivar’s right-hand man and the first president of Bolivia, stands tall right in the middle of the plaza and scatters silvery sun rays across his beloved city every morning.
The plaza, although not as lively as the one in Santa Cruz, was a very pleasant place. Church bells tolled at regular intervals, and evenings drew families together. They chatted, gossiped, tourists watched, and fed the pigeons. Sucre is more conservative than Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and it showed very distinctly in its residents’ demeanour. The plaza was used as usual, plastered with lovers, and while they snuggled and kissed, their public display of affection was more restrained than their Santa Cruz counterparts. Sucre’s sky was also as gorgeous as the city, and dusk always settled in slowly there. Sunsets were always brilliant, often intense enough to shade the white monuments faintly, and it became very cold at night.
Slow Sucre days
As much as I loved walking around the graceful city, its food scene badly let me down, and my every walk used to end up with meal worries. Restaurants around the plaza promised bad food, poor service, and expensive rates, and every day after my bad lunches there, I used to stroll back to my casa disappointed and a bit hungry. The city’s street food scene and cheap mercado stalls came alive in the evenings, and the vendors around the neighbouring Calle (Street) Argentine used to find me every evening tucking into their enormous cheesy pizzas and freshly fried chicken. Although neither tasty nor healthy, they were at least cheaper than overpriced bad restaurant food and consisted of my dinner every night.
My Sucre days were pleasantly uneventful and lonely. In spite of having the cheapest Spanish lesson prices and a huge number of long-term tourists, it was a very quiet city. Saturday nights did not bring out booming music from speeding cars, and drunken feminine holas did not fill the city at night. For lack of anything better, every night, I used to visit the Irish pub to listen to some Bolivian live music, treat myself to huge sparkling Mojitos, and retire to bed early. This went on for some days, and I even considered taking Spanish lessons there when, on one Sunday, I happened to visit the famous Tarabuco market. Strangely, Tarabuco completely made me Sucre sated, and although intensely touristy, it became the highlight of my capital city visit.
Sucre and its self-sustaining correctional facilities
Catch up on the book Marching Powder, written by Rusty Young, published in 2003. It describes the experiences of the British inmate Thomas McFadden, who was known for offering San Pedro (an infamous jail in La Paz) prison tours to tourists. San Pedro prison, or El penal de San Pedro, is the largest prison in La Paz, Bolivia. It is renowned for being a complex in itself and has an incredibly self-sustaining prison society.
Significantly different from most correctional facilities, inmates at San Pedro have jobs inside the community, buy or rent their accommodation, and often live with their families. The sale of cocaine base (coca is cultivated illegally in shoe boxes within the premises) to visiting tourists gives the inmates a significant income and an unusual amount of freedom within the prison walls.
Elected leaders chosen among the inmates by the inmates to enforce the laws of the community, where stabbings are common. The prison is home to approximately 1,500 inmates (not including the women and children who live inside the walls with their convicted husbands), with additional guests staying in the prison hotel, and is home to a thriving drug business. Needless to say, most inmates are convicted of drug crimes.
How to avoid altitude sickness
Sucre, also known historically as Charcas, La Plata, and Chuquisaca, is the constitutional capital of Bolivia. It lies in the department (state) of Chuquisaca, located in the south-central part of the country. Sucre lies at an elevation of 2810 m and remains cool throughout the year. However, a lot of travelers and visitors feel unwell due to altitude sickness upon arrival, and this should not go untreated. While the prescribed Soroche pills are usually not required in Sucre, lots of rest, eating light, and staying hydrated help. Alternatively, coca teas, which are readily available everywhere, are known for giving relief from this condition.
Save on food costs at Sucre
Food vendors throng around Calle Argentina, and buying dinner from them reduces food cost by nearly 90% (from plaza restaurant rates). They sell fresh pizzas baked in small portable ovens and sizzling fried chicken. Sandwiches, pastries, and fruit juices are also available there, along with the usual coca tea and coffee. There are lots of tour agencies in Sucre and buying Salar excursions from them means paying an extra fee of 300 Bolivianos, than the usual price. It makes more sense to go to Potosi by bus for an overnight stop before proceeding to Uyuni from there, or bus it to Uyuni directly.
Things to do in Sucre
Sucre is a popular tourist town and a renowned place to learn Spanish and volunteer. Spanish lessons are cheapest there, and many interesting Spanish walks are also hosted to help grasp usable bits of the language for travelers. It is also famous for its chocolates, and Chocolates Para Ti and Chocolates Taboada are the most popular.
Tarabuco is undoubtedly a Sucre itinerary highlight and market tours are offered by every Sucre agency. However it is easily a DIY trip and taking the 8 am public bus is the best way to go about it. These buses leave from the main plaza and tickets can be bought on the spot directly from the drivers
For a far less touristy experience, try Candelaria. This village is further away from Sucre than Tarabuco, but it is a part of the same culture that is renowned nationwide for its handicrafts. Prices are also better than at Tarabuco, but since transportation is very limited and it’s best to go there with the help of a tour agency.
One of the most popular destinations outside of Sucre is the Maragua crater. It is a region of unusual rock formations, and the crater is not volcanic (contrary to its name), but was formed due to erosion. Fossils of marine shells are still found in the region and sold by local children. It is possible to spend a night in the village inside the crater. Although the conditions are basic but the experience of living in a village inside the crater is unique.
Quechua is the locally spoken language here, and hiring a guide for long treks is advisable. This area is filled with indigenous communities, and even a Spanish speaker finds it hard to get around on their own. Respecting and being sensitive to the indigenous culture is very important to experience their true lifestyle and be accepted. Sucre is also a good jumping-off base for bus trips to nearly every part of the country.
