Enjoying Bolivia 195the in-bus monitor. Bus fares are quite economical. By air,
it’s only a 35-minute trip. Cochabamba serves as Bolivia’s
neutral ground; since it is neither lowland nor Altiplano, it
remains aloof from regional antagonism between Cambas
and Kollas.
Cochabamba’s liabilities include occasional cholera
outbreaks and a nagging drought, and the region is not
exempt from floods when the rains come. Cholera is
avoided by boiling drinking water, cooking vegetables and
maintaining normal sanitary habits.
Exciting sidetrips are numerous and include scaling the
5,035 m (16,519 ft) Cerro Tunari (with a base camp about
25 km/15.5 miles from the city), the Fiesta of the Virgin of
Urkupiña in nearby Quillacollo (15–18 August), the Macchu
Picchu-like ruins of Incallajta (132 km/82 miles east of the
city) and the Toro Toro National Park with its fossils, caves,
waterfalls, ruins and dinasaur tracks (198 km/123 miles
south-east of the city). With the exception of Quillacollo,
access to these exciting places is diffi cult and a formalised
tour is recommended.
Tarija
This lowest and warmest of Bolivia’s high valley cities
dozes at 1,924 m (6,310 ft) in southern Bolivia near the
Argentine border. Dr Gustavo Zubieta Castillo laments
that this Andalucia-like paradise of 60,000 inhabitants has
passed from the acoustic to the electronic age, sacrifi cing its
romantic heritage. But those of us from New York, Sydney
or London will still fi nd a rural Mediterranean soul, including
long afternoon rest periods, in this clean and friendly city
of festivals. The Iglesia de San Roque is the Eiffel Tower of
Tarija, watching the city from a hill—the best balcony in
town. Other impressive views are found in the gardens of
Iglesia de San Juan and at Mirador (lookout) de San Juan, a
student hangout.
Other features of Tarija include its festivals, whose musical
harmonies are brighter and more joyous to Western ears
than their Altiplano counterpart, palaeontological sites
and wineries. The Museo de Arqueología y Paleontología