10 Weird Things About Bolivia

Most travelers going through Bolivia hit the tourist attractions on the west side of the country before heading to Chile. Somehow I managed to spend nearly three months in Bolivia. My friends are intrigued by how long I spent there, so I thought I'd make a little list of the best and weirdest things about Bolivia. Clearly they are missing out.

1. Kangaroos Are From Africa

When people ask me where I'm from my stock routine is to make them guess. I have a few clues to help them out and the last is "Where they have kangaroos". In Bolivia I just made this my first clue and the most common response was "Africa?"

2. Fat and Round is Sexy

Why else would all the indigenous women be like that? I can only presume that the original Bolivian men had a preference for women who could travel by rolling.

3. The Bus Stops in No-Mans-Land

It was freezing outside, we hadn't seen a building for at least an hour and the horizon was barren. Then someone stopped the bus to get off. Where on earth where they going? I have no idea, but it happened often enough.

4. Sloths

When I saw this sloth in the park I thought it was a gremlin, or perhaps an alien from another planet coming to steal all our water. I tried to warn the locals, but they seemed pretty used to it.

5. Driving on Roundabouts

Although traffic rules are generally non-existent, vehicles on a roundabout do give way to those which are entering the roundabout. I don't know whose fantastic idea this was, but judging by the chaos it results in I wouldn't recommend proposing it to your local government.

6. Change Sweet Change

Like most countries in South America, Bolivia has a perpetual shortage of change. In Bolivia, instead of change you may get lollies of equivalent value (at least I hope they were equivalent value).

7. Los Menonitas

That sounded a lot more like German than Spanish, I thought as I passed another strange looking man in britches and a cowboy hat. Actually, it was German. Sort of. Somehow a community of people originally from Germany with this unique fashion sense has established itself around Santa Cruz.

8. Virgins Are Everywhere

Virgin de Cotoca, Virgin de Fatima, Virgin Maria. It seems like most of the streets and landmarks are named after virgins. I wondered vaguely how the population was maintained with so many virgins around, until I noticed the...

9. Teen mothers

Despite the reverence of virginity it looks like business as usual for most young Bolivians. In this case, "usual" means getting pregnant at sixteen, married at twenty-one and divorced at twenty-five. This may be happening because...

10. Weddings Are Cheap

I got married in Bolivia in for less than $2 including wedding cake. Sadly our photographer flaked on emailing the photos and my girlfriend confiscated my wedding ring.

But that is another story for another time.

About Roger Keays

Roger has been traveling since 2009 just to see what is over the next hill. His curiosity has led him to over 20 countries, from the fantasy worlds of Japan and Korea through the paradises of South-East Asia, across Africa, Europe, Central America and even to prison in Ecuador. His travel experience has tested his language skills, and his ability to adapt and solve problems.