Tupiza (Bolivia)

After the terrible busride, we arrived in Tupiza at 4 AM. Not really the best time to arrive in a small Bolivian town. Luckily for us, a local girl called a taxi and our hotel was on her way, so we got a ride to our hostal. In this area, all hotels and hostals close at 10 PM, because there is no reason to be outside after this time. So the taxi dropped us in front of a closed hostal and drove away. We were so happy to see a sleepy concierge who opened the door for us. Finally a confortable bed... and we didn't even have to pay for that night, because it was so late! Very nice people, these Bolivians...

Tupiza is one of the biggest cities in Southwest Bolivia, but with only a handful of hostals, one decent 'restaurant' and no bars, this is rather relative. Tupiza's surroundings are like the Wild West, but more spectacular: deep canyons, red colored mountains, countless cactuses and fabulous views. It is here where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid spent their last months before being killed by local miners. If there's one place in South-America where you want to throw your legs over a horse, it's this place. So that's what we did. Although I never sat on a horse before, our horses went into canter and gallop from time to time. A bit scary on your first time, but unforgettable.

Our stay was a bit overshadowed by a small money problem. There are no ATMs in Tupiza, only 2 banks where you can get cash advance on your credit card. However, there was a connection issue with Mastercard, wo we spent half a day getting money, without success. There we were... in the middle of nowhere without enough money to pay for our hotel and activities. We didn't even have enough money for a bus ticket to another town. The nice people of our hotel / travel agency convinced us their was an ATM in Uyuni, where we would pass on our 4 day trip to the salt flats. So with a huge open bill, we booked our tour (which we were going to do anyway), hoping that the damn ATM in Uyuni would work.