Larry Memmott's Blog

Huchusuma Chapel is the first of the Curahuara-area chapels on our route.  In fact, in the area of Curahuara de Carangas and Sajama there are more than 50 chapels, most of which were constructed in the colonial era.  Some are mere ruins, at this point, while others are beautifully constructed and maintained.  Huchusuma Chapel is […]

–       El programa revaloriza la participación de las mujeres en el marco de un Municipio Productivo y Libre de Violencia El domingo 24 de noviembre el proyecto “Fortalecimiento de Microempresas de Costura para Incrementar los Ingresos de Mujeres Indígenas Rurales en Bolivia” dará inicio a las actividades de dos cooperativas de costura con la participación […]

Chulpas (also Chullpas), the tombs of the ancestral peoples of the altiplano, are found almost everywhere on the high plains of Bolivia.  They seem to be particularly common along the road to Curahuara de Carangas.  There are many Chulpas, and I see more every time I take the road, so if you keep your eyes […]

  This is one of the must-see sites in Bolivia, in my view.  The 28 almost life-sized paintings of angels displayed at the church of Calamarca represent the most complete series of angels still together in Bolivia, or likely anywhere.  They are spectacular, and well worth the small trouble of turning off the road.  The […]

This post is the first of two that serve as the “backbone” of this guide.  They focus on providing directions to the churches and other sites of the Curahuara de Carangas and Sajama areas and link to descriptions of each of the sites.  The guide is written from the perspective of someone traveling from La […]

Note: This is the first of a multi-part guide to the churches. As further portions are completed, they will be linked from this post and from the Bolivia Guide Index. This is a route for exploring the beautiful churches of northern Oruro Department, including 12 which have been restored/repaired in recent years and others, which […]

There are many incredible biological reserves and national parks in Bolivia which are relatively little known.  Somehow, those seem to be the ones I usually get to.  The Cordillera de Sama Biological Reserve sits on the edge of the altiplano, above Tarija.  We were driving to Tarija in March, 2013 and took the opportunity to […]

Lago Chungara is just across the border into Chile at 14,600 feet of altitude.  In fact, you will be at the lake before you pass through Chilean immigration. The lake, set among volcanoes, is spectacular and thus often photographed. You should make a point of looking to the south for Nevado Guallatiri (sometimes Guallatire or Wallatiri), a 19,918 […]

This drive takes you south from Uyuni towards the colored lakes of Los Lipez.  Start out along Highway 5 from Uyuni.  Villa Mar is the location of the very pleasant Jardines de Mallku Cueva hotel, a great jumping off point for further explorations.  At x miles is the unmarked turnoff to the right to the […]

The Train Cemetery is not a train museum, even one with limited maintenance and development like the one in Putumayo.  No, the Train Cemetery in Uyuni is where trains end up after they die.  Don’t let that put you off, though, it’s a blast. The cemetery is an open air space with the remains of […]