Oh Bolivia....

So I thought it would be a good idear to write a little bit about Bolivia. No, it is not an Eastern European country. You may be thinking of Bulgaria. Bolivia is a landlocked, South American country. It borders Peru to the west, Brazil to the north/east, and Paraguay, Argentina, and Chile to the south. That means lots of nearby countries to visit! Yay! I am a little bummed about it's landlocked status. What's this California baby to do!?! Those damn Chileans! I personally blame Pepe for this ;)

Bolivia is probably best known for it's high altitude and is home to the world's highest capital city, La Paz (~12,000 ft) and the world's highest navigable (not sure exactly what that means) and silliest named lake, Lago Titicaca. It has been called the Tibet of the America's for it's remoteness and altitude. It is probably more recently known for it's 'radical' president, Evo Morales, and his stance on the controversial coca industry. Coca is the raw plant material from which cocaine is made. You should take a minute to check out the links I've put on here and read some good articles on Evo and the whole coca issue.

Bolivia was once part of the mighty Incan empire and still has a huge population of indigenous peoples (over 60%). In addition to Spanish, there are three official indigenous languages! I was reading over a brief introduction to the Quechua language (materials sent from the Peace Corps.) and you could say I'm a little bit freaked out! But I guess I'll worry about that when I get there.

Bolivia is the one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere and has a long history of political upheaval. From reading my Lonely Planet (and I know my Lonely Planet should not be thought of as the authoritative guide to the history of Bolivia, but it's convenient) it sounds like Bolivia has had some really bad luck and has basically been dumped on for the most part of recent history.

So it's gonna be crazy!It's going to be a big change, but I can't wait! And hopefully I can do some good...