Sucre

National emblem of Bolivia as shown on one of the government buildings in Sucre

The Spanish influenced hotel we stayed in

Local entertainment at a cafe - they were sensational - Bolivians have a great beat

A view out from Recoleta

The white city and empty streets on a Sunday afternoon

The flight to Sucre was brief and once again the scenery
spectacular, interesting flying over the Andes and thermal updrafts making some
bumpy flying and quick descents less than ideal for a anxious flyer like myself
but we were fine.
Sucre is known as the white city and is still very Spanish
in its architecture. The hotel we stayed in was very colonial and authentically
decorated in a Spanish style. It all seemed very luxurious. Its quite nice to
not have to plan accommodation or transport for a while.
Sucre was the first place in Bolivia to be settled by the
Spanish hence all the Spanish influence, it was historically the seat of government.
It was also the sight of where the revolution movement started and where the
declaration of Bolivia’s independence was signed.
On our first afternoon in Sucre we walked up to a gorgeous
viewpoint called Recoleta which has a panoramic view over the white buildings
with terracotta roofs. It was a Sunday and the streets were quiet and people
were relaxing in the parks in the city. Several show shine boys/men surround
the main square.
Day two in Sucre saw us head to the markets in search of a
cap – the one thing I have forgotten (well so far). The markets are amazing and
always make me realise that New Zealand does not do good markets. You can find
anything you want in the markets here and it is where the main food shopping is
done. In the middle of the markets is a
large square where on each side is lined with fresh juice bars – any type of
juice you want you can get here.
In the afternoon we went for a guided walk through the
valley following the river into the mountains. It makes a nice change to not have
to follow a well sculpted path just ramble up the river bed. The point of the
walk was to view the dinosaur footprints along the walls of the valley. It is
thought that the footprints got there through crustal uplift as the footprints
are on a vertical wall or by a large meteorite that changed the landscape of
this area. There are several different types of dinosaur footprints in this
area as it is thought to be the location of a watering hole.
It was such a great experience but it makes me questions several
things. First, the validity of these so called footprints. Our guide said they
had experts down to validate them but no documentation is seen, there are other
footprints in the area. The other footprints a more commercial enterprise are
so protected you cant see them closer than 120m. My other concern is the
preservation of these footprints since we could walk up to them and touch them.
The guide told us the land was owned privately and the owner was working in
Argentina in order to get the money to develop the area into a tourist
attraction. It was nice that our Gap tour guide recommend a local organisation
in order for the money to go back into the local economy.