130 CultureShock! Bolivia
the lower the rate of dog bites. If there is a dog bite, victims
as well as their attackers are observed for 10 days, and all
medical care is free.CRIME TIME
The preferred crimes are pickpocketing and auto parts thefts
from newer four-wheel drive vehicles. Hijackings are rare,
so we’re not trying to sensationalise by mentioning that
a US citizen was murdered in November 2003 during an
attempted carjacking in Santa Cruz.
Bolivia is not a crime-ridden country, but it doesn’t hurt
to take precautions anyway. If a disagreeable substance is
suddenly present on your backpack or handbag, do NOT
accept an offer of a good samaritan to clean it. Nor should
you become distracted if water is sprayed on your neck,
lest you fi nd after drying your neck that your wallet is
missing. Some thieves even pose as policemen. If a cop
asks you to accompany him in a taxi to the police station,
tell him you’d prefer to fl ag down another policeman in a
real squad car.
The United States Embassy is good at reporting such
crimes, since they are among the fi rst to receive complaints
from tourists. If you compare US Embassy reports from Bolivia
with embassy reports from other nations, even developed
countries, it would appear that Bolivia is a relatively calm
place to be, but since the fi rst edition of this book, crime has
suddenly become a topic and certain neighbourhoods hire
their own private police.INTERIORS
Once you get through the basics of settling in, you can
begin to see Bolivia from the inside. The interior gardens,
courtyards and backstreets are a metaphor for delving into
the urban secrets of this extraordinary country, discovering
the most authentic lodes of a different way of life. In
Bolivian Spanish, the ‘interior’ also means those parts of
the country that are more remote (in space or in spirit),
including traditional rural villages and a most challenging
geography.