Cochabamba Travel Guide

ahh beer... the fermented yeast that we all love to have. OK, in Bolivia you got two choices... Pilsners or some Weird Thick tasting stuff called El Inca, that tastes a bit Stout-e but has 3.5 percent alcohol. boo!!!! OK so beer here is all Pilsner, which sucks.. I am an IPA man myself, I love a good Stout too. That being said Beer selection is real slim.. The local beer is Pacena, Huari, Taquina, and Bock. Now Bock is the 7% beer thats like Malt Liquor in the states.. You have been warned. It tastes like a malty Budweiser. Lots of malt, no hops, so.. its pretty bad but for 7% its not that bad. You can go to places in Bolivia that sell German Beer, but that's at restaurants. YOu want beer from the Liq store, or stores on the corner you are limited to Pilsners. Now.. If you want a can or bottle of beer, 12oz it will cost you 7bs, or 1 USD. Now the bargin is the 750 ml brew that are 11 or 12 bs. Now.. the catch is you need to A) bring an empty 750ml bottle in exchange, or put down a 5bs Charge for the bottle, which you will get a receipt for and you get your 5bs back if you can stumble your way or find your way back to the store the next day, or week.. I mean whose gonna keep a beer bottle?? So it sucks that you can't get the big 750ml without a major hastle, but you can drink them in stores, they will even pour the whole thing out and put it into a plastic bag.. I am not sh*ting you!! Also its legal to drink in the street after dark. You can walk around with a cold one or settle into a park bench and lay a blanket out and give to the needy. So enjoy your pilsners responsibly.. God.. I miss good beer! :(

Radio Taxi's are like cabs in the states, you can hail them from the street, but there is no telling if they are in route to somewhere else, i.e no light indicator on the roof. Prices for cab rides varies by driver and cab company. You will get the best prices with the rattier looking cabs, but many people warn about the danger of taking those cabs since they don't have numbers written on the insides of their doors so you can indicate the cab driver and the company.
NOW.. for the trap.. if you look White or like a extranjero you will be given the "tourist price" which can be double or triple the rate normal bolivan's get!! It all depends on the driver really. The best thing to do is to hail the cab and then ask the driver from the street how much the cost would be.. Now YOU MUST DO THIS ALL THE TIME!!! Because
At night the price almost doubles automatically if you call a Radio Taxi from your location. You can request from the operator how much the ride will cost and you will get a better price.. Remember to always ask first, no matter how broken your spanish is.. You can negotiate with the drivers before getting in. If they say 15, you say 10, then work your way up. Extra passengers will cost you as well, usually its 1 to 2 bs a passenger.

Your best bet is to get to know how to take Trufi's. They are packed and sometimes uncomfortable, unless you get in the front passenger seat. Trufi's cost 1/10th of the cost of Radio taxi's. Now Radio Taxi rides can be beneficial if your going long distances. They are super cheap compared to US and European Cabs..