Changes

== Experiences ==

<i>"Bolivia is a rapidly changing country, and with Evo's third term as president about to begin, one can expect the trend to continue. One of the big focuses of the current government is a massive expansion of infrastructure and this includes the widening and paving of highways. So people's stories from Bolivia will likely quite rapidly grow outdated. At present, most highways alternate between asphalt and dirt or cobblestone, so be prepared for a smooth ride to turn bumpy, especially when in the back of a truck. In our experience, Bolivia was not particularly difficult to hitch, even when exiting cities, though inside cities it proved virtually impossible much of the time (as is the case in most places). Wait times were usually only long in low-traffic rural areas where very few vehicles would pass, but in those scenarios, when one came they stopped more than 50% of the time. An ability to speak in Spanish and a map or knowledge of your route seems crucial for hitching in Bolivia, because as described in the beginning of this page, most people speak only Spanish and are generally terrible with directions. We began every exchange by saying up front that we had no money (No tenemos plata... ¿está bien?) and never paid for a single ride. This was almost always fine with every driver (except most taxis, though even some taxis would still help us out) and avoided any awkward scenarios down the road. As explained above, it is customary, especially with trucks, to pay the driver a small amount - 3 to 10 Bolivianos - upon disembarking, so it's important to work that out ahead of time, especially if you can't pay. [I'll add more info later when I have time.]"</i> - [[User:jhoule|jhoule]], hitching in October-November 2014