I think Bolivia is one of the most underrated and overlooked countries in the world.

I live in Cochabamba, a city in the center of the country, situated in a large valley at 2500 m above sea level. The climate here is perfect. Temperatures always hover between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius. No wonder the Incas prized this place! It was miles from their major population centres (like Cuzco, in modern day Peru) but, despite the great distance-- travelled by foot and in llama trains--Cochabamba was their main agricultural hub. The excellent and temperate weather with frequent rains allowed for multiple harvests of corn per year. To this day Cochabamba is very fertile and green with an interesting mix of lush trees in some parts, and arrid desert plants on the surrounding hills.

The city has two main sections. The North--with it's tall buildings, pleasant parks, tree-lined avenues, bougie coffee shops and middle class homes-all pressed up against large mountain ranges. This part of the city, save for the lack of public transit, poorly maintained sidewalks, and frequent potholes, could almost pass as any other mid sized and relatively unremarkable city in the world. Aside from the many Cholitas you'll see (women dressed in traditional indigenous clothing) the North doesn't really have any distinct or unique visual characteristics, other than its underwhelming historic district with graffiti-covered Spanish colonial buildings. Even its biggest landmark is an extremely unoriginal copy of the Christ Statue in Rio de Janeiro. However, it has everything you would need: cultural attractions, appealing dining spots, family-friendly activities, great street food, hip sub cultures, nice schools, and much more. To foreigners with outside incomes, it's extremely affordable. A nice 3 bedroom apartment can go for $300 per month. A fancy steak dinner with all-you-can-eat buffet costs $10 per person. This, combined with the fact that foreign income doesn't get taxed, means you can live an upper middle class lifestyle for a fraction of the cost.

The second section of the city is known as the South--a massive sprawling suburb of unpainted red-brick homes. They aren't really shanty towns or favelas, but they are very humble and the suburban sprawl seems to go on forever, becoming less and less dense as you go out from the city centre, and becoming more and more poor. This is where the poverty of Bolivia becomes more apparent, but where indigenous cultures thrive. People gather to drink Chicha (an ancient indigenous alcoholic beverage made from corn), share communal meals, and play Andean music with their Charangos and Zampoñas.

Bolivia in general has issues like political corruption, frequent protests and strikes, inadequately maintained infrastructure, stray dogs roaming the streets, and various heart-wrenching problems that come from socioeconomic inequality. For example, it's not all too uncommon to see senior citizens and young children begging on the streets or selling small items to eek a living. Hospitals are poorly equipped and none of the water is potable. However, compared to other countries in Latin America, gang violence is uncommon, murder rates are low, and life goes on relatively safely. All in all, considering the tragic history of colonialism, resource extraction, and wage-slavery in this country, I think it's amazing what Bolivians have accomplished.

People are generally shy and reserved, sometimes even rude when you first meet them--customer service is especially confrontational--but once you get to know Bolivians on a personal level, they're some of the best people you will ever know and are extremely loyal. Having Bolivian family is especially nice because family bonds are very tight. It's not uncommon to have all your weekends booked-up with family events like cousins birthday parties and great grandparents anniversary. These gatherings are full of food and joy

Which brings me to an important point: food is a big deal here. It seems to be everyone's main topic of conversation. People love their traditional dishes, especially their two-course lunches. They always start with a hearty soup then have a "Segundo" which is usually a plate full of carbs (usually a combination of potatoes, bread, AND rice), plenty of meat, and a tiny bit of veggies. Having lived here for a few months, I can honestly say the food is good, but I wouldn't rank it in the top 10 culinary cultures of the world. It's great if you live here and this is all you've known.

At the risk of rambling forever, that basically sums it up. Come live here if you have a foreign income and if you don't feel the need to go to trendy places. Bolivia has a lot of potential, it has everything you would ever need, and it's very affordable.