Review of Boliviana de Aviacion flight from La Paz to Santa Cruz in Economy

Resuming…

I have spent a bit more than a week in Bolivia. Fell ill on the second day, with a sudden cough and fever. Ended up in a clinic, with the doctor scratching his head. Gave me antibiotics, just in case.

By now, I feel like absolute cr*p. I have constant tickling in my upper airways, and coughing feels like breaking all my ribs. And I'm weak. Very weak.

That is the background for this flight that I'm taking the day after this…

Tour to Lake Titicaca

I should have stayed home, I know. But I already canceled a tour to Sucre, the White City. I don't want this bad health to ruin my whole trip. 😭

To make things worse, the thin air of the Altiplano leaves me coughing and gasping every two or three steps, so I have to pause and (try to) breathe in deeply.

And to make things EVEN WORSE, Bolivia is going through one of those phases. Supporters of former president Evo Morales want him back in power and are blocking roads, so now there's a critical lack of fuel, among other things.

So the tour operator asks us to leave at 5 in the morning, one hour earlier than originally scheduled, in order to avoid the blockades.

Since I'm staying at an Airbnb, they won't pick me at my door, but at a nearby hostel. It's just two streets away, but oh God… it takes me AGES to get there, panting, gasping, stopping every few meters to breathe. It's a disaster.

Thank goodness the bus is OK and I can sit comfortably. We leave the crooked streets of La Paz and go up to El Alto, a former shanty town that grew to become a monster shanty town. It's considered a city on its own right now, and it's the finest example of the most horrendous Andean architecture.

In Peru and Bolivia you won't pay property tax if the house has not been finished. I think it depends on each city - or province? - individually, but it's evident that this is the case in the Altiplano. So El Alto is made up of these unplastered, windowless, three-or-four-storey-high buildings that are an utter EYESORE.

And if their owners happen to care for the looks…

…they will come up with the tackiest ornamentations possible. 🤦‍♂️

And the dirt… and the trash… and the dogs… MOUNDS of trash in the corners, and dozens - DOZENS - of stray dogs roaming around them. Whole packs of them.

I almost hate myself for saying all this. Is it my bad health that's making me grumpy? The thing is, the landscape won't change much for the rest of the trip. In fact, I barely slept three hours last night and I'm fighting to stay awake because I really want to see the landscape, BUT IT ISN'T WORTH IT!!! The road between El Alto and Tiquina - our first stop where we'll have time to take a piss in bathrooms that I won't describe because I don't want to make you sick - is ruined by more of the same eyesore.

So I prefer to sleep.

I picked some photos where the natural landscape still lets you know what this place would look like without human intervention…

…like these views from the bus…

…right before we arrived at Copacabana.

Well, this is Copacabana, our last stop before boarding a boat that will take us to Isla del Sol.

Bolivians tend to name stuff after things they like, like Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano, which was given a British name "associated with reliability and professionalism." (Thanks, ChatGPT 😅) But, as you will see, this Copacabana has NOTHING to do with the Brazilian version. It's just more red brick eyesore…

…and a waterfront that reeks of piss, as if a whole army had been pissing here.

I preordered my lunch on the way here - Titicaca trout - which was the most expensive dish on the menu. This is the view from the third floor of the restaurant. The white anchor is the meeting point for touring groups. At this point I'm just suppressing my cough and praying this day will come to a end soon.

Again, is it me? Am I just in a terrible mood today? Or is this trout really disappointing? The fish is paper-thin, covered in tomato salad with some slices of onion and bell pepper, half a cup of white rice and a similar amount of French fries.

Two hours later we take a boat to Isla del Sol. It's a 90-minute boat ride, and the only moment of the day when I can really close my eyes and enjoy the rocking movement of the boat. I think I fell asleep.

As we make it to the island, we are told that we can get off the boat, and walk along a path that will lead us to Puerto Yumani (I keep calling it wrongly "Jumanji" in my head 😂), where we will board the boat back to Copacabana. But you can go on with the boat to Puerto Yumani if you like.

Most of the passengers get off and start the 90-minute walk to Puerto Yumani, except for an elderly couple… and me. 😅

But we are given some minutes to roam around. This is when I find these small flowers (forget-me-nots?) growing between the rocks. They look like gems to me, so colorful and beautiful after so much dryness, so much dirt, and bad smells.

And this duck with its funny little "hairdo" makes me smile.

I say "thanks" for this little display of natural beauty in the middle of so much human-made ugliness. And can't hold some tears. I want to go home… 😭

Eventually, we make it to our final destination, Puerto Yumani. You are charged 10 BOB for the right to access. The locals seem to spend that money well. The place is well taken care of, and the bathrooms are gloriously nice and clean!

An hour later, we board the boat back. This time I get the hot sun on my face, and my cough seems to worsen. Then I struggle to keep up with the rest of the group, mainly young, tall, slender gringos walking with long strides that my short steps can not match. Nor can my irritated lungs get the necessary air for that.

Once on the bus, I brace for a long, bumpy road. The sunset is certainly beautiful. But it's a miracle that I made it to my apartment alive.

So, do I recommend a trip to lake Titicaca? It depends. If you are young and strong and want to be able to say "I was there", you can go if you like. But you can be sure that you won't miss anything if you just sit and watch the lake on YouTube.

LPB - El Alto Airport

Now, about a month after the Titicaca experience, I'm feeling much better, and going through these photos as I write this report I can't help remembering the previous time I arrived at LPB along this same road, back in February 1994.

But in that occasion I was coming in a taxi at full speed…

…because I forgot about the time difference between Chile and Bolivia…

…so I arrived at LPB one hour too late! 😅

My plane (LanChile) was on the apron…

…but boarding had finished…

…and the door had been closed.

And that's how I spent…

…one extra week in La Paz. 😅

I was terrified, because that was my first time abroad ever…

…and had no idea what I was going to do. 😂

This is supposed to be the same hall along which I dragged my bag (no wheels then!) trying to figure out how I was going to solve that problem. But everything looks so different now!

There were only check in counters around here back then. Now LPB has plenty of  shops and services…

…like any first class airport around the world.

I'm feeling better than yesterday, but I still need to find a seat. I'd better take the escalator to security check.

However, my few brain cells that didn't succumb to hypoxia eventually collapse when they see…

…this signage! What's this supposed to mean, for God's sake?! Turn… downwards? Hop and dig a hole? Bend down? Yes, I'm THAT stupid. 😅

I'm really confused. Where on earth is security check? I look to the right…

…and then to my left…

…and, oh, there it is! B… but… how do I get there??? There's a shop blocking the way!!!

I look to the right again.

Oh! Duuuuuuh…!!! I can see now.

When you get to the top of the escalators, the access to security check will be BEHIND you! I hope no one was filming this. 😩

But my numb brain forgets to read the signage carefully again, so I overlook the information about N gates being on the left, and R gates being on the right…

…which is an important fact because my flight, OB672…

…is departing from gate R18 - a gate for international flights - because it has connections at VVI.

(Oh! If you're interested in the process of purchasing my ticket with Boliviana, please check my previous report.)

So I happily stroll a bit around…

…and take a seat until it's almost boarding time and I realize that all gates around here are N gates!

Luckily, an airport staff member happens to walk by and I ask her about the R gates. She looks so horrified when she says "What?! But, sir! R gates are NOT HERE!" She makes it sound like I will have to take a train to get to them. I see myself missing my plane for a second time at LPB! Is this some kind of curse??? 😭

She asks me to follow her. What a relief when I see that I don't need to go through security check again, or passport control, or anything. I just have to walk through this duty free, which is the size of a classroom…

…and get to the R gates. Phewww!!!

The R concourse is quite small. It begins here…

…and ends over there. Don't ask me to go all the way there. I just want to sit.

As I'm waiting, a lady is going around the room offering a massage, same as at CBB. Ain't gonna happen. I don't like to be touched, even less kneaded.

At 12:33 we are called for boarding. Not a great crowd.

CP-2925 will be in charge of taking me to the warm - but more oxygenated - land of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

Only 23 years old, it's the youngest of the three planes I flew withing Bolivia.

In spite of this, this is one of the few times flightradar24.com has not been able to follow this flight.

I could bet one of my kidneys that the passenger in front of me…

…is not feeling much better than me. 😂

Surprise, surprise! Gone are the old seats of my two previous Boliviana flights, softened by hundreds of buttocks before mine.

These are the standard hard, punishing ironing boards. And what's more, here between us… They look cheap!! 🫢

They can be reclined, but they're not your usual Recaro economy seats. Anyway, they have kept the usual ample legroom, which makes everything else tolerable. Kudos to Boliviana de Aviación for that. 👏

Check the seatback pocket content in detail in my previous report.

If you ask me, I would gladly come back to La Paz, in better health.

The city has a unique personality…

…and it deserved to be explored with time. I wish I had been able to visit it's parks and markets.

But I will definitely stay away from El Alto…

…and its sea of red brick unfinished buildings.

My previous two flights with BoA were short 40-minute hops, so no snack was offered. I wonder if this time, being a one-hour flight, things will be different.

The answer is no. There's no onboard snack. So I languidly bid farewell to the Andes…

…(though I will be seeing them tomorrow again)…

…and see the mountains give way…

…to the greener landscape…

…of the warmer and wetter Bolivian Amazon.

As we descend above the suburbs of Santa Cruz…

…I wish BoA will some day…

…add Chile to its destinations.

Why not? Diplomatic relationships were cut…

…in 1978, but Lloys Aéreo Boliviano was flying to Chile in the 1990s…

…so I don't understand why…

…Boliviana is not doing the same now.

I think they would give LATAM…

…a run for their money. I wouldn't think twice…

…when choosing between LATAM's cramped cabins…

…and Boliviana's superb legroom.

Even without a snack service!

As I walk along this corridor…

…and take the chance for a last photo of CP-2925…

…I realize that I can walk without going out of breath.

Oh, happy day! Viva el oxígeno!

How did I take this photo with the guard in front of me? I didn't see him!! 🤭

Anyway, I will sit for a moment while I wait for my Uber and reflect in the last two weeks. Regardless of all the suffering, I had a memorable time, not pleasant, but unforgettable.

And I'm ready for my next visit to Bolivia.

Thanks for reading! 😁