Getting Views of a City

Wherever we travel, one of the things that we always try to do is go to a location that provides wonderful views from above the city. Whether climbing to the top of a bell tower, going to the observation deck of a skyscraper, or climbing to the top of a hill that overlooks the city, the views are always amazing. There is something that is truly special about looking over the historic rooftops of the city’s buildings and getting a sense for the narrow streets. Obviously we enjoy getting up close and personal with the architecture of a city, but taking it all in at once has its own reward. Do you look for locations that overlook a city when you travel?

Chennai, India
View from Piazzale de Michelangelo in Florence
San Francisco Skyline
View of Athens from the Acropolis
Interesting Architecture in La Paz
Old World Prague with Modern Prague in the Distance
Panama City, Panama
Heidelberg, Germany
Empire State Building from the top of the Rock in New York City
Winding Streets Below from the Seville Cathedral
Quito, Ecuador
Views from the Guinigi Tower in Lucca, Italy
View of Nuremberg, Germany
Arc de Triomphe in Paris from the Eiffel Tower

 

Cochabamba in the Heart of Bolivia

Located in the center of Bolivia, Cochabamba is a wonderful city to start an adventure in this diverse country. Like many cities in South America, Cochabamba has a history that was dominated by the Spanish and many of the buildings and churches date back to 1500’s. In addition to the city itself, Cochabamba is also an excellent location to launch several different short trips, including going to Carrasco National Park. Cochabamba is considered the gastronomical heart of Bolivia as well and was where we had our first taste of Pique Macho.

Fountain in Downtown Cochabamba
Templo de la Recoleta
Dome in the Santa Teresa Convent
Parrots Outside of Our Hotel
Church Tower

There are several churches in Cochabamba, including the Metropolitan Cathedral, Iglesia Santa Teresa with its accompanying convent, and the colorful Templo de la Recoleta. The Santa Teresa Convent has been converted into a museum and is definitely worth taking the time to tour. In addition the churches, another noteworthy site to visit is the Palacio Portales, which is a mansion that was built by a local tin baron who actually never lived in the beautiful building. The palace also offers tours in both English and Spanish and is worth spending the time to visit and to walk around the beautiful garden.

Courtyard at the Convent
Walking the Hallways
Metropolitan Cathedral
The Main Square of Cochabamba
Beautiful Church

One of the things that makes Cochabamba such a wonderful city to visit is that the temperatures remain spring-like all year long. There are several parks and squares in Cochabamba with beautiful flowers that take advantage of the moderate temperatures. Families come out to these common areas to play, relax, and walk through the open air markets that are located nearby. As is typical, these parks and squares feature fountains and monuments at their centers. To get better views of the city, you can take the cable car to top of San Pedro Hill where the Cristo de la Concordia overlooks the city.

Colorful Flowers in the City
Families in the Main Square

 

Cristo de la Concordia
Beautiful Park Downtown
Colorful Building in Cochabamba

One of the day trips that we took out of Cochabamba was to visit the ancient ruins at Incallajta. Walking around these amazing ruins was truly amazing, especially due to the fact that we were able to walk all around this historic site without any other visitors. Making our day even more interesting was the discovery of an old Spanish church on the road to Incallajta that our guide had never seen before. At the end of the day, we went to the “ghost village” of Chimboata where we saw how truly difficult life can be for the rural people of Bolivia.

The Ruins of Incallajta
Ghost Village of Chimboata
Ancient Spanish Church
Santa Teresa Convent
Walking Among the Ruins of Incallajta

We also took a two-day trip into the Amazon Jungle where we stayed at an ecolodge and had our first taste of the rainforest. We took what was called a canopy tour, which was really an afternoon of ziplining from the tops of trees across rivers and canyons. The following day we took a tour in Carrasco National Park that had us hiking through the jungle, climbing into caves with rare birds and bats, and seeing cocoa fields that were intruding onto the park lands. Driving from Cochabamba to our ecolodge was probably as interesting of an experience as seeing the park itself and would prepare us for our trip down “Death Road” later during our trip.

Soaring Through the Jungle
An Interesting Drive
Getting Into Carrasco National Park
Looking Out of the Convent
Palacio Portales

With so many opportunities for adventure, Cochabamba is a wonderful city to visit in the beautiful country of Bolivia. The people are extremely friendly, although you will not find too many people who speak anything other than Spanish or Quechua. We spent about five days in Cochabamba, which was about the minimum amount of time if you want to take advantage of doing some day trips from the city.

Unique Architecture in Cochabamba
Condors are an Important Symbol in Bolivia
Statue Outside of a Church
View from San Pedro Hill

 

Cristo de la Concordia in Cochabamba, Bolivia

One of the first things that we did upon our arrival in Cochabamba was to visit the Cristo de la Concordia, which is a statue of Jesus Christ. The statue sits on top of San Pedro Hill and is accessible by a cable car or you can walk the 2,000 steps to the statue if you prefer. The statue is quite interesting, but since San Pedro Hill is almost 900 feet (265 meters) above the city of Cochabamba, the views are worth the visit as well.

Steps Leading Up to the Statue
View of Cochabamba
Riding the Cable Car
Views of the City are Amazing

The Cristo de la Concordia statue was modeled after the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. The similarities are obvious, but the statue in Cochabamba is actually slightly larger. The statue is position such that the left hand points south and the right hand points north. Visiting the statue and seeing the views of the city should certainly be part of any visit to Cochabamba.

Close-Up of the Statue
View from the Cable Car
Cochabamba Sits at the Base of the Mountains
Definitely Worth Taking the Cable Car Instead of Walking