I'm over it

From Peru, Bolivia was next on the agenda.

Fact: Bolivia is the poorest country in South America.

Other travelers had told me Bolivia is very indigenous. I was thrilled by the thought of this. What more could a curious traveler ask for than raw indigenous-ism?! Yea, I know that's not a real word, but it helps me get my point across.
Bolivia was an unpleasant experience for me. No lie.
From the moment I stepped foot in the county, to the minute I left.
First of all, Bolivia throws a hefty $135 visa fee at you when you come knocking at their door. Do they charge any other country this fee? The answer would be a big fat NO.
Gee, thanks for being discriminatory, Bolivia.

He's over it too

I had heard that paying in American dollars at the border would save a lot of headaches.
Arriving by bus at the dumpy border, I patiently wait my turn in line. When my turn is up, I slap down my $135 on the counter in front of the customs agent. He examines my dollar bills like the owner of a pawn shop. He slides back one of my $20 and $5 bills and tells me they had tears on them and that he would not accept them. I scour the bills carefully and finally found the minuscule imperfections he was referring to.
"Are you serious?", I ask him seriously. (I learned how to say this in Spanish, since I say it a lot in English)
Yep. He was serious. After a few blatant eye rolls and scowls, I searched my bag for some more American money, which I hadn't used a whole lot of in the last 5 months.
He was lucky, or I was, because I found another $20 and $5 in the hidden pocket of my backpack.
He found these bills acceptable.... barely.

"What is up with the visa fee for Americans?!"

So, beware, if you are American and will be getting your visa at the Bolivian border, save yourself the stress and bring nice, crispy bills to keep the picky customs agents happy! :)

Making me pay a fortune to enter your poor county, then scrutinizing over my precious American dinero?
We are not getting off to a good start, Bolivia.
I'm over it. 
Seriously.
I'm really over it.
I felt a huge sense of dread fall over me. I had flashbacks of my travels through Laos, where I'm positive the man upstairs was testing me to the max.
I've learned to be a more patient person from traveling. 
Feeling impatient is a horrible feeling. It's something I really have to work at constantly.
A challenge loomed over me.
I had an uneasy feeling, but I decided to take on this difficult task. It would make me a stronger traveler.

I'll bet she's really patient

It wasn't that the people weren't nice. Cause they were.
It was the fact that Bolivia lacked all the conveniences of a first world country, which I was really craving at this moment.
Duh. It's dirt poor. Makes sense.
Pair this with the fact that this girl had hit a brick wall as far as traveling went.
I was so over it at this point.
Can you really blame me? After 5 months and one too many cold water showers, you start to reach a breaking point.
I know, I know, I sound like a spoiled first-world-country brat. You're perfectly right. 
I'm usually a pretty hardy traveler. I can handle the dirtiness and frustrations that come along with traveling in 3rd worlds. 
But there comes a point in every long-term travelers life where they want to throw in the towel. Some vagabonds crack from the pressures of navigating foreign lands solo.
I said SOME.
I am not included in this generalization.
Only the strong survive, and I, my friends, am strong. Therefore, I survive.
The show must goes on!!!

Stay tuned for the ups and downs that Bolivia brings!

What will happen when the heat is on??
Dut-dut-duuuunnnn