We’re kicking off a brand new feature here on the tinberry travels to showcase some of the places we’ve not yet been to and featuring some wonderful contributions from fellow travellers.
We asked some of our favourite travel bloggers to share any place that they’ve fallen in love with and tell us what makes it special to them. Our very first City Spotlight feature comes from Amanda of Amanda Around the World who gives us a quick round up of why you should check out Sucre, Bolivia.
Sucre, Bolivia – The Perfect Place to Relax on your Journey through South America
Sucre is the constitutional capital of Bolivia, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Located right in the middle of South America, the city is known as one of the prettiest towns in the area. Its narrow streets and white-washed buildings give it a certain charm that makes it a popular place to stay and hang out for a few weeks of a year-long journey across the continent. Sucre isn’t a huge city, but there’s lots to do for every type of person.
If you’re into food and drinks: South America is a great place to be because everything is really cheap. Some of the favourite snacks are salteñas (like an empanada) and most bars have happy hour, where you can get 2 for 1 beer or cocktails for about 20 Bs ($4)!
If you’re into cultural events: You’re in luck – there are constant festivals all over Bolivia. Where we live in Sucre (near the plaza) you can hear fireworks and marching bands nearly every weekend! The biggest festival of the year is Carnival (in February) but there are also other festivals throughout the year. The entire month of September if the International Cultural Festival with free concerts, dance performances, and plays all around the city!
If you’re into nature: South America loves its plazas, and Sucre takes great care to make sure they’re constantly filled with beautiful flowers all year round. There are many places to hike in the hills nearby (since Sucre is nestled in a valley). Even if you want to stay in the city, there’s no better place than the cemetery, full of beautiful green trees, to read a book on a bench in the afternoon sun.
If you’re into history: The architecture is beautiful, and features tons of colonial-style elements like beautiful balconies overlooking the streets. If you want something even older, head over to the ancient cliffs which contain the largest number of dinosaur footprints in the world!
If you’re into cultural immersion: There are lots of places to visit in the city and the surrounding area that give you a feel for what it’s really like to be a Bolivian. Everything from learning to make bread in a traditional outdoor oven to helping farmers plow a field with oxen in the traditional way, from learning a local dance to studying an indigenous language, from watching a soccer game with the home team to watching women weave artisanal handicrafts.
If you want to learn Spanish: Many of the travellers who plan on staying in Sucre for just a day or two end up staying weeks or months to practice Spanish! The people here speak quite slowly and clearly compared to many of the other Latin countries. There’s also tons of different options, from formal group classes to language exchanges.
So, if you’re ever in South America, don’t forget to stop by Bolivia and take a visit to Sucre. No matter what type of person you are, you won’t regret your trip!
About our Guest Blogger:
Amanda is a Canadian who works in international development. Her job lets her move to a new country every year, where she takes the opportunity to explore surrounding areas. She has been living in Sucre, Bolivia and working with a technical college for marginalized youth for the past 8 months. You can find her travel adventures over on her blog Amanda Around the World and see new daily images of travel/expat life on her instagram. Amanda has a passion for learning about new cultures, and loves to travel off the beaten track in “developing countries” that not many tourists take a chance to visit.
All images courtesy of Amanda.
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