154 CultureShock! Bolivia
Trekking or climbing: the Inca trails are literally built into
the Bolivian culture and hundreds of magnifi cent but
attainable peaks of over 5,000 m (16,404 ft) await the
amateur climber, with higher ones available if you have
something to prove.
Art fusion: artists have created a colourful fusion between
the indigenous and European heritage.
Street life: most Bolivian cities are pedestrian friendly, with
mixed-use zoning and a hyperactive informal economy.
Pluricultures: this country is not a ‘melting pot’ and some
degree of autonomy for Bolivia’s more than 30 ethno-
cultural groups is foreseeable, if not already established
in some cases.
Wild geography: a feast of microclimates, topographies,
cloud forests, glaciers, rainforests, high-plain melancholy,
tropical exuberance, raging rivers, old growth forests and
people who gather to defend this diverse environment.
Political agitation: democracy in Bolivia is considered a
participatory happening, and activist groups don’t wait
around for an election. Since the last revision of this book,
two presidents were toppled and one of the most powerful
multi-national corporations expelled by non-violent grass
roots movements.
Creative, non-mainstream business: lots of untapped voids
and niches in the economy.
Unpredictability: if your motto is ‘The best surprise is no
surprise,’ Bolivia is not for you.GETTING INVOLVED:
Non-Governmental Organisations
Bolivia’s struggle for survival breeds an extensive community
of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), most of which
have their main offi ces in urban areas.
NGOs serve the poor and the handicapped, operate medical
outreach programmes, provide assistance for business,
support the arts, do important research in ethnology, social
sciences and human rights and defend the environment.
Some of these organisations fi ll a void that would be
occupied by the government in wealthier countries. Sceptics