SUCRE

We didn't know what to expect from Sucre but we certainly didn't expect to stay for nearly a week. There are many touristy day trips you can do from Bolivias second city but we didn't do any of them. So what did we spend our time doing? Climbing and Spanish lessons!! It is known as one of the cheapest place in South America to brush up on your Spanish and is a lovely city to settle for a week or so. White washed buildings, cobbled streets, a lively market place and a traditional old town square make this a picturesque little place. Private lessons start at £5/hour which we thought was too good to be true, especially as our teacher Jazz was so knowledgable about language and grammar, whilst also being infinitely patient and enthusiastic in his teaching. He is also a poet and has been published a number of times.

Add to this that I could go climbing on some awesome rock and you've got a pretty good week right there. We found a cheap place to stay in the north of town, with an (obscured) view of the city.

Days roughly followed the same pattern, with me climbing in the morning and Will having a mammoth four hour private Spanish lesson, and me having a lesson in the afternoon, or on days when I wasn't climbing, we'd both have two hours private in the morning and then a group lesson together later. According to Jazz we are very different in our learning styles. I jump on specifics and have to understand something fully before I can move on. Will is a bit more easy going... but I'm the one who does a lot of the talking.

The city is known as the white city because of its beautiful colonial white buildings. It's height is much lower than La Paz and other places we've been recently so we found we could breathe easier and walk around without having to stop to catch our breath. Because it is lower, it is also a lot warmer. I noticed there were a lot more beggars and people needing help here. Up until now we hadn't seen much in South America and it came as quite a shock. Everywhere you walk there is someone trying to sell you something to make a living and we found ourselves becoming regulars for a week at many stalls, including the alfajore lady who was rarely in the same place twice but was always near by when we had an alfajore urge, and the avocado lady who let us try all the different types of avocados she had before buying, even though we bought the same ones each day.

The city itself has a lot of history as it was the place where the document that passed Bolivias independence was signed in 1825. Bolivia was the last country to be freed from Spanish rule and has had a bit of trouble holding on to a leader as Will explained in the La Paz post. In the Casa de la Libertad we saw portraits of a handful of Bolivias past leaders, looking splendid with their Bolivia sash.

After wandering a through a little archway and up a small fight of stairs we pushed open a door to find a man in a white lab coat restoring old documents. Unlike most restoration labs full of priceless antique documents that would be off limits to the public, he beckoned us in and rushed about unrolling old papers and maps to show us how old they were. He then lead us through a handsome old wooden door to a small balcony in the rafters of a chapel. I don't think he gets many visitors and was enjoying the company.

The Textiles Museum at the top of town was an unexpected gem, with gorgeous examples of weaving from the nearby regions. The detail and the story telling was exquisite and seeing a lady painstakingly pick out which threads she needed to lift and drop to make one line of some woven cloth really hammered home how complex and skilled these women are. The larger weaving were priced at many hundreds of pounds, and if we could rely on the postal service here, I would have bought one for sure. Our favourite style was by the Jalq'a people, famous for using only red and black thread. The final designs were really bold and eye catching and depicted examples of mythical underworld creatures.

As for the climbing, it was run by a guy named Carlos but I actually went climbing most times with Rosie (after a slightly disastrous first session with a guy who spoke zero English and who I really struggled to communicate with - kinda important when your life is in their hands). Rosie was great though and helped me not only to climb but to improve my Spanish which was an added bonus. The routes were fun and challenging, climbing up cracks which I've not done much of, and other routes that were more crimpy and more of a balancing act. One of the crags was interesting to get to as you approached it from above and scrambled down. I booked my climbs at Condor Cafe. I would definitely recommend them if you fancy climbing around here plus the cafe does a great brekkie,

Sica Sica - 10 mins from town

Garcilazo - 15 mins from town

On our last two nights we were joined by Blonde and Red Beard who we'd last seen in El Chalten, and had some great nights catching up with the two of them on their adventures. Unfortunately most of Brant's beard was missing due to miss judging a shaver setting. They have been spending more in time in Patagonia, meeting family there and seeing more of northern Chile and Argentina. It was so lovely to see familiar faces and reminisce.

Recommendations for cafe spots if you're in town and need somewhere to get your Spanish homework done (or if you just fancy a beer)

Para Ti
Chocolate shop that has three branches in town. Go to the cafe one with a courtyard out the back and have the espresso hot chocolate. It has no coffee in but it's a strong thick delicious hot chocolate. Have it with an alfajore if you can manage a double chocolate hit!

Recoletta mirador
Here is the best spot for sunset beers. Expensive but beautiful. Have a Chufly, apparently the national drink, its strong and tastes a bit like a Pisco sour.

Market
Go for the cheap set lunches with questionable meat, or buy your own ingredients to make an avocado sandwich. There's also a lady who sells a peanut biscuit shaped thing that's a cross between fudge and cookie dough.

El Patio de Salteña
Famous place for salteña's. Get there early (before 11am) as they sell out and you'll be disappointed!! (This was a great tip from Maria in La Paz)

Nouvelle Cuisine (Great steak)
We were the only gringos there. Steaks are big enough to share between two as you get lots of extra stuff on the side and a salad bar. Just try to avoid the night with a lady singing over a Yamaha keyboard backing track. It was a bit painful.

Chicken place - a couple of block up the street from Nouvelle Cuisine, opposite a Belgium beer pub
Traditional little roast chicken restaurant / living room. The menu is as follows... Full, 1/2 or 1/4. It was so good we went back with Blonde and Red Beard.

Cafe Abis
Great coffee and alfajores.  Or so Will says... I never went.