This is the second post on the historical Bolivian city of Sucre – now, stepping a little deeper into the past… some 65 million years ago, to be more exact! 😮
This is the second post on the historical Bolivian city of Sucre – now, stepping a little deeper into the past… some 65 million years ago, to be more exact! 😮
Another opportunity for our traveling family to enjoy some kid-friendly activity during our end-of-the year holidays.
After spending a full day in Sucre, we decided to venture out. A quick bus trip took the 5 of us to the Parque Cretacico – and I understand if you’re not able to replicate our day, so, feel free to take the park’s virtual tour here!
It seems that 65 million years ago the site of, 5km north of the center, was the place to be for large, scaly types. When the construction grounds were being cleared in 1994 for Sucre’s Fancesa (Fabrica Nacional de Cemento SA) cement quarry, some 40 minutes out of town, plant employees uncovered a nearly vertical mudstone face with some 5000 tracks of, at least eight different species of dinosaurs – the largest collection of dinosaur footprints in the world.
Take a look at this, and imagine these images been turned inwards some 90 degrees – now it looks vertical, but this area used to be flat, horizontal, the perfect path for some, let’s say… dinosaur strolling! 😮
Though you can see some of the prints from outside, entering the family-friendly Cretaceous Park gives a better panorama, and that’s exactly what we did, after paying a very ‘family-friendly fee’- gotta love the expatriate life down here in Bolivia!
From downtown Sucre, right across from the Cathedral, we took the 2:30 bus – we’d been told the best light for photographs is during the afternoon. Enjoy the images!
A general view of the surroundings, just outside of the park [the past looking into the present!]
2013 was ending, and our traveling family was in deep need of a quick trip before the new year rang in… it had to be to a kid-friendly place, not too far from our home, La Paz, and yet, a place that offered great sights, tons of history, tales and stories to write home about… We were looking for a visiting site that wouldn’t break our end-of-the-year budget [between the Christmas holidays and the New Year’s!].
We found it – Bolivia’s historical capital, the [sweet!] city of Sucre, whose name, coincidently means ‘sugar’, in French [completely unrelated to this blogpost, but a nice send-back to my high school French lessons!] Again, nothing to do with our trip, so, forgetting now my long-lost French lessons, and back to our reality – family life, parenting & traveling!
2013 was ending, and our traveling family was in deep need of a quick trip before the new year rang in…
…it had to be to a kid-friendly place, not too far from our home, La Paz, and yet, a place that offered great sights, tons of history, tales and stories to write home about… We were looking for a visiting site that wouldn’t break our end-of-the-year budget [between the Christmas holidays and the New Year’s!].
We found it – Bolivia’s historical capital, the [sweet!] city of Sucre, whose name, coincidently means ‘sugar’, in French [completely unrelated to this blogpost, but a nice send-back to my high school French lessons!] Again, nothing to do with our trip, so, forgetting now my long-lost French lessons, and back to our reality – family life, parenting & traveling!
All that said, our family of 5 headed out to Sucre, a comfortable, affordable short flight from La Paz, right after Christmas Day, for a long and well-deserved weekend.
This post showcases several images we were able to capture with our constantly-switching-hands camera. More yet to come: a visit to Sucre’s Dinosaur Park, the largest one in South America – but I’ll leave it for later… too many beautiful sites/snapshots to enjoy for now!
And, if curious about things to do in Sucre [according to the Lonely Planethttp://www.lonelyplanet.com/bolivia/the-southwest/sucre/things-to-do, there are some 112 items to add to any expat visiting list!], feel free to hop over to another friendly site, from a Twitter follower, @SucreLife, and get insider tips, info and advice on traveling to the “White City”[www.sucrelife.com]
Well, this is the very first blogpost of 2014 – a promising ‘blogging year’… Let’s wait and see!
2013 was a fantastic year for our family, and we’ve enjoyed every bit of it – life in Bolivia has proven to be warm, friendly, healthy and joyful. We’re now ready for embracing our last few months here, prepare for home leave back in the US and for our future assignment, Brasilia, in Brazil.
A bit of a regular day in the beautiful city of Sucre: can’t beat a sky like this, right?
Well, this is the very first blogpost of 2014 – a promising ‘blogging year’…
Let’s wait and see!
2013 was a fantastic year for our family, and we’ve enjoyed every bit of it – life in Bolivia has proven to be warm, friendly, healthy and joyful. We’re now ready for embracing our last few months here, prepare for home leave back in the US and for our future assignment, Brasilia, in Brazil.
A bit of a regular day in the beautiful city of Sucre: can’t beat a sky like this, right?
Closing up our travels in Bolivia in 2013, our family had the pleasure to experience the country’s capital, the original historical place, its stories and tales – the city of Sucre.
The city’s main plaza
Right after Christmas Day, we flew out of La Paz for several restful days in the country’s original capital – more on this visit will soon come, but for now, I’ll leave you all with this ‘placeholder’ for future posts.
Sucre (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsukɾe]), also known historically as Charcas[ˈtʃarkas], La Plata[la ˈplata] and Chuquisaca[tʃikiˈsaka](population 247,300 in 2006) is the constitutional capital of Bolivia, the capital of the department of Chuquisaca and the 5th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of 2810 m. This relatively high altitude gives the city a cool temperate climate year-round [Excerpt from Wikipedia].
Thank you for all the comments, and shared tweets! Not only this blog is bringing home a sweet shopping voucher from Amazon, but the Silver Badge on the side – great way to begin this Christmas Week! 😮
[Could not repeat the same feat as last year, when this blog was awarded Gold. Congratulations Jessica for representing so well this year the beautiful country of Bolivia with her ‘Bohemian Diaries’! Keep on blogging!]
Expat Blog Awards 2013 Top List Contest Winners is pleased to announced to the winners of this year’s Expat Blog Awards! The standard was simply breathtaking, with such a diverse range of talented bloggers quite clearly pulling out all the stops to bring you the best they can! Without further ado, here are the Expat Blog Awards 2013 prize and award winners…
Thank you for all the comments, and shared tweets! Not only this blog is bringing home a sweet shopping voucher from Amazon, but the Silver Badge on the side – great way to begin this Christmas Week! 😮
[Could not repeat the same feat as last year, when this blog was awarded Gold. Congratulations Jessica for representing so well this year the beautiful country of Bolivia with her ‘Bohemian Diaries’! Keep on blogging!]
Expat Blog Awards 2013 Top List Contest Winners is pleased to announced to the winners of this year’s Expat Blog Awards! The standard was simply breathtaking, with such a diverse range of talented bloggers quite clearly pulling out all the stops to bring you the best they can! Without further ado, here are the Expat Blog Awards 2013 prize and award winners…
Our Top 3 Prize Winners
Overall Winner: Kathleen Siddell
Contest Entry: The Top 8 Ideas Worth Adopting From the Chinese
1st Runner Up: Becky the Great
Contest Entry: N is for Nomads
2nd runner Up: Emily Calle
Contest Entry: Top 50 Ways You Know You’re an Expat Living in Vienna
Our Fave Reader Comment:Mrs Partly Cloudy
Contest Entry: Welcome to Singapore:don’t look down
Blog Listing: Partly Cloudy
Top FB Likes: Paul Giles
Contest Entry: The Top Six Dangers You Face When Travelling to Colombia
Blog Listing: Colombia Travel Blog
Top Tweets: 3rd Culture Children Contest Entry: Twenty Reasons for Adding Bolivia to Your Expat Visiting List
Blog Listing: 3rd Culture Children
Random Winner: Christie Montague
Contest Entry: 6 Things You Should Know About the South of France if You Want to Blend in
Blog Listing: You can go your own way
Now, here is the Top Tweets Winner Post – with all its colorful images! Thanks again for all who read, commented, shared the link, and learned a bit about Bolivia – and maybe, the ones who are now considering adding the country to theirExpat Visiting List! 😮
From the ExpatsBlog team of editors: “After our hugely successful Expat Blog Awards 2012 last year, we thought we’d take a different spin on this year’s awards! Realising that last year’s scenario would be unfair to recently-joined newer bloggers, we’ve decided to combine the Expat Blog Awards 2013 with a big expat writing contest!” Twenty Reasons for Adding Bolivia to Your Expat Visiting List !
That said, here’s my pitch… If this blogpost here makes you a bit curious… hop over to ExpatBlogs and check out a list especially prepared for this year’s writing contest: Suggestions on why expats should add Bolivia to their visiting list… they’ll be so in love that may want to stick around for a while! And remember: your great comment will help this blog go for Gold… two years in a row… why not? 😮
Bolivia is a culturally diverse, geographically unique and strange in so many other ways that it’s hard to find another place/country quite like it. And this statement is coming from a ‘serial expat’, a traveling mother of third-culture children, a trailing spouse married into the US Foreign Service, and a Latina-born woman.
Hummm… need more examples of the colors and textures? Take a look:
The worldly recognized, the Andean rugs…
Also, here one may enjoy the typical “salteñas“, recipes borrowed long ago from neighboring Argentina…
Craving for more? Let’s go on a quick trip towards this unique place on earth!
What you may find in Bolivia? Take a look at these images, and don’t forget: go visit the Expat Blogs and share your wonderful comment about this travel blog! [Thank you!!!]
dressed in patterns
What looks like a carpet of stalagmites canvassing a desert, Valle de la Luna, or “Valley of the Moon” is what is left of a mountain composed of clay and sandstone that has been battered by strong winds and time.
This is the second part of the ‘contest post’ – the article published on ExpatsBlog about our ‘list on why expats should add Bolivia to their bucket list… and maybe sticking around for a while!’ is getting some feedback! See below what others are talking about the article, and don’t forget to hop on over to Twenty Reasons for Adding Bolivia to Your Expat Visiting List!, leaving your comment about our take on Bolivia for expats.
I’m intrigued: I thought Lhasa was the highest capital in the world. I’ve been there, and the mountains and the light in your pictures, and the way the people look remind me of it a lot. I hope you have a wonderful two years.
Reader 2 wrote 18 hours ago:
I love your writing style and your suggestions make me want to visit Bolivia now! Enjoy your tour
Reader 3 wrote 8 hours ago:
Wow! What a delight to find out about your blog from this contest. Too bad your entry as posted here doesn’t show your wonderful photography. Best to you and your family as you travel across Bolivia and the world with you open loving hearts.
Reader 4 wrote 2 hours ago:
ADOREI SEU BLOG!! Meu Deus…you made me cry, I MISS Bolivia like crazy, everything you posted is SO TRUE…I am glad that you guys are having a great time. Being in EUR its so different from Bolivia, 180 degree change for me…the culture, the people, the weather and the community- there are no comparison, I enjoyed my time there. I miss the warmth and kindness of the people, and that I was called “señorita” by everyone made me feel very special. Great photos, keep it up, GRACIAS! for sharing. Good luck to you! Beijos!
Connect with the past, experience the present and look into the future… Bolivia offers it all! ♥
Bolivia is a culturally diverse, geographically unique and strange in so many other ways that it’s hard to find another place/country quite like it. And this statement is coming from a ‘serial expat’, a traveling mother of third-culture children, a trailing spouse married into the US Foreign Service, and a Latina-born woman.
Bolivia is the country where the Spanish left their living legacy, where ancient cultures still co-exist with modern habits and traditions; a place where the Spanish language is mixed with the neighboring Portuguese [or Portunol, for that matter!] and the visiting English, sprinkled by the native dialects [like Ayamara and Quechua]. Bolivia share cultures with the world and within itself. It’s definitely a ‘Plurinational’ country, and will likely remain that way – people come here, they struggle with the high altitude, they suffer with the constant lack of oxygen, and with no doubt, end up falling in love with its people, its colors, and its blend of climates due in part to its long-standing isolation from the world.
The diversity of Bolivia’s topography and landscapes is not its only marking feature: the Bolivian people display an unpaired psyche and the lifestyles they lead.
From the ExpatsBlog team of editors: “After our hugely successful Expat Blog Awards 2012 last year, we thought we’d take a different spin on this year’s awards! Realising that last year’s scenario would be unfair to recently-joined newer bloggers, we’ve decided to combine the Expat Blog Awards 2013 with a big expat writing contest!”
That said, here’s my pitch… If this blogpost here makes you a bit curious… hop over to ExpatBlogs and check out a list especially prepared for this year’s writing contest: Suggestions on why expats should add Bolivia to their visiting list… they’ll be so in love that may want to stick around for a while! And remember: your great comment will help this blog go for Gold… two years in a row… why not? 😮
Bolivia is a culturally diverse, geographically unique and strange in so many other ways that it’s hard to find another place/country quite like it. And this statement is coming from a ‘serial expat’, a traveling mother of third-culture children, a trailing spouse married into the US Foreign Service, and a Latina-born woman.
Hummm… need more examples of the colors and textures? Take a look:
The worldly recognized, the Andean rugs…
Also, here one may enjoy the typical “salteñas“, recipes borrowed long ago from neighboring Argentina…
Craving for more? Let’s go on a quick trip towards this unique place on earth!
What you may find in Bolivia? Take a look at these images, and don’t forget: go visit the Expat Blogs and share your wonderful comment about this travel blog! [Thank you!!!]
dressed in patterns
What looks like a carpet of stalagmites canvassing a desert, Valle de la Luna, or “Valley of the Moon” is what is left of a mountain composed of clay and sandstone that has been battered by strong winds and time.
As many know, we’re in La Paz, Bolivia, for our current assignment. And a year from now, we’ll be leaving here, heading to our new post assignment. In order to break our 2-year assignment a little, we headed back to the US for a well-deserved “Rest & Recuperation” [R&R} trip. three weeks driving from Florida to Delaware, stopping, snapping photo shots and introducing our children to new cities/states.
First stop: Saint Augustine, Florida.
As many know, we’re in La Paz, Bolivia, for our current assignment. And a year from now, we’ll be leaving here, heading to our new post assignment. In order to break our 2-year assignment a little, we headed back to the US for a well-deserved “Rest & Recuperation” [R&R} trip. three weeks driving from Florida to Delaware, stopping, snapping photo shots and introducing our children to new cities/states.
In Bolivia there’s always an excuse to bring out colors – by nature, in an incomparable way, or through handmade artwork. Our family of 5 has been at post for exactly 11 months now – enjoying life, watching our kids grow surrounded by new friends, improving their Spanish communication skils, and delighting ourselves with the inherent beauty this country has to offer.
Here’s a small sample of past 11 months in-country:
In Bolivia there’s always an excuse to bring out colors – by nature, in an incomparable way, or through handmade artwork. Our family of 5 has been at post for exactly 11 months now – enjoying life, watching our kids grow surrounded by new friends, improving their Spanish communication skills, and delighting ourselves with the inherent beauty this country has to offer. Here’s a small sample of past 11 months in-country:
The fearless colors of a group of bikers cruising the “World’s Most Dangerous Road”
Despite not having access to the ocean, Bolivia hides some wonderful secrets, like the scenery around the Lake Titicaca…
The unique, multi-color display of beauty… not found in many places like here. Where tradition, religion, faith and pride meet!
The perfect combination between blues, greens and earth tones!
The respect and appreciation to others, shown by people from all over the world:
Our 11th month in Bolivia is ending, sealed with happiness, joy and our warmest greetings to our friends and extended family – wherever they are, please enjoy a bit of our “colorful home“…♥ Now, off to our second year at a great FS Post Assignment – thank you all! 😮
I’d almost forgotten! Inspired by Wordpress Weekly Photo Challenge, this blog shares a ‘weekly taste of Bolivia’.
Without noticing, I jumped straight from week 18 [“from above”] to week 20 [“escape”]! Humm, am I trying to ‘escape’ from something? Don’t think so! And to prove that, here is the response for the 19th week of this year, inspired by “Pattern” – the colors of the Seasons in Bolivia, an ode to our 10th month in country [already? time really flies when you’re having fun!].
Without noticing, I jumped straight from week 18 [“from above”] to week 20 [“escape”]! Humm, am I trying to ‘escape’ from something? Don’t think so! And to prove that, here is the response for the 19th week of this year, inspired by “Pattern” – the colors of the Seasons in Bolivia, an ode to our 10th month in country [already? time really flies when you’re having fun!].
A good way, indeed, to begin a peaceful week – the last one of February – sharing images from our surroundings, the municipality of Mallasa, a town 20-30 minutes from the city of La Paz, is a place of family entertainment with a pleasant climate, nature and tourist attractions.
One of the places most frequented by tourists is the VALLEY OF THE MOON, which are land formations that resemble the lunar soil, the Municipal Zoo “Vesty Pakos” animal’s own Andean area as the llama, alpaca, condor and others, the Parque Valle del Sol family recreational place but especially for children.
A few snapshots of the capital of Bolivia [Plurinational State of Bolivia], the city of ‘Nuestra Señora de La Paz’, and we’re looking at a population of over 800 thousand people, just in La Paz. The average elevation of the city, Bolivia is 3,829 meters – what makes one wonder about how we find a way to adjust to ‘life in the high altitude’… But we do, and we’re currently loving it! :oThese are photo shots taken from El Alto, just outside the city, overlooking what seems to be a ‘toy city’, where houses and buildings resemble ‘building blocks’… Above we have, La Paz, during the day, and a snapshot of the city, at night, below. Enjoy!
The average elevation of the city, Bolivia is 3,829 meters – making one wonder about how we find a way to adjust to ‘life in the high altitude‘… But we do, and we’re currently loving it!
The urban peacefully co-existing with the natural
The ‘photographers’… 😮
These are photo shots taken from El Alto, just outside the city, overlooking what seems to be a ‘toy city’, where houses and buildings resemble ‘building blocks’… Above we have, La Paz, during the day, and a snapshot of the city, at night, below. Enjoy! 😮
The “Ripping shot of a gravity group doing the bolivian death road” in Bolivia! One of the many touristic/adventurous things to do while visiting this beautiful and unique country! Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for the amazing shot: it belongs to Gravity Bolivia (c) http://www.gravitybolivia.com, 2012, and I was lucky enough to get authorization to share it over here… Totally worthy, right?
Seriously… look at this! Isn’t it a fantastic photo?
So, what’s it, exactly?
The “Ripping shot of a gravity group doing the bolivian death road” in Bolivia! One of the many touristic/adventurous things to do while visiting this beautiful and unique country! Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for the amazing shot: it belongs to Gravity Bolivia (c) www.gravitybolivia.com, 2012, and I was lucky enough to get authorization to share it over here… Totally worthy, right?
The photo was taken with a cell phone (!) [HTC ONE X, using the HDR function]… a great stimulus to all of us, amateur photographers out there! 😮 Liked what you saw? I sure did… I’m still finding my adventurous side [I’m a mom of 3 little kiddos, remember?], but the hubby is totally sold by the idea of venturing through the death road, biking and bringing back wonderful photos for his beloved wife… I appreciate that. Will keep you all posted… Again, a BIG THANK YOU for letting me share this unique image… That’s why it’s so easy to fall in love with this country… 😮 And, for the curious ones out there, when in Bolivia, go check them out:
Each year we have managed to grow in size while at the same time improve our quality — better bikes each year, more training for our guides and mechanics, new rides, and more information and resources available for visitors to our office. We look forward to seeing you and taking you on “the ride of your life”…
Walks along the beach coast are one of the best ways to temporarily, leave reality, trading urban stressful images for exquisite coastline sites, immersing into natural beauty… Here are a few examples of nature’s hand, samples of the flora collection observed during one of our walks along the Monte Serrote, located at the National Park Jericoacoara (environmentally protected area, APA). Typical flora representatives are Caatinga and Cerrado.
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Found a post I never published… don’t know exactly how it happened… and such a beautiful place, a paradisiac beach, surrounded by… nothing! Just unique natural beauty… the spot some 12 years back I met the one who’d became ‘my guy’…♥ Oh, well, these shots were taken during our ‘solo trip'[no kids!]
Sometimes, even memories fall thru the cracks… 😮 Glad I found it! With you all, the Flora of the Jericoacoara beach, in Brazil! This is the place some 12 years back, I found the one who’d become ‘my guy’… ♥
Walks along the beach coast are one of the best ways to temporarily, leave reality, trading urban stressful images for exquisite coastline sites, immersing into natural beauty… Here are a few examples of nature’s hand, samples of the flora collection observed during one of our walks along the Monte Serrote, located at the National Park Jericoacoara(environmentally protected area, APA). Typical flora representatives are Caatinga and Cerrado.
[gallery}
3rdculturechildren 