Sucre

Finding yourself at 4,000+ meters, it is often the case that you will find oneself coasting downhill. As we left the twisting warrens of Potosi, we found out how true that can be. We started near the top of some high rolling grassland just outside of the city, buzzing past a sleepy power plant, and a bus stopped at a highway checkpoint. As we rode by, the colorfully dressed women and children selling snacks alongside the checkpoint laughed and waved at us. Soon, the descent began in earnest, and we quickly lost some altitude, and gained a lot of scenery. The rolling grasslands began to be punctuated with tortured ridges of rock, cutting through the earth.

The city of Sucre presented us with a different view of Bolivia than we had seen thus far. Having entered the country in the middle of nowhere (the roadless salt flats) and having cranked through the poor agrarian countryside, we noticed the first signs of wealth as we approached town.