l mountain vistas, and the temperate, high-altitude jungle climate. To get to Coroico, we had to travel down “The world's most dangerous road,” a winding, mountainous descent which to us seemed far less dangerous than the tiny, cliff-hanging dirt roads we'd suffered through the mountain passes in Peru. Still, despite that being said, I did count over 15 road-side memorial shrines on the road to Coroico before our passage was socked in by a fog so thick that we couldn't see the cars in front of us. The fog added to the anxiety of the trip, but in the end, the world's most dangerous road wasn't all that (which we were quite happy about.) Coroico sits along the side of a fairly 
steep hill, overlooking a river valley far below. We lugged our packs up and down hills looking for a decent hotel, but everything we found was either very basic or ultra-luxury (the town depends largely on tourism). As the basic lodgings were over-priced, we finally opted for the upscale Hotel Bella Vista, aptly named for the panoramic views from full-wall windows of the rooms. We had an absolutely breathtaking view of the mountains and valley from our bedroom. As it turned out, we paid mostly for that view – the other amenities of the hotel were a bit lacking, but the afternoons spent gazing out our window at the soaring hawks and river valley were worth the price.
There was very little to do in Coroico. There were some interesting hikes on o
ffer, but they required a full day with a guide, and we were only planning on a short stay, and decided to simply relax. We found a little restaurant offering swiss fondue, which seemed such an oddity that we needed to try it. The Bolivian cheeses they used actually weren't that bad. We never felt that we were in a swiss alp ski chalet, but we enjoyed the meal – a nice change from the typical bolivian fare we'd been eating.
We found 
the people in Coroico a bit stand-offish, perhaps because the town gets so many tourists. We were happy, though, that the dogs were much friendlier, always wanting to play and share their fleas with you. After a day and a half, though, we were ready to head back up to the world's most dangerous road to La Paz, from where we could continue on to Cochabamba, where Rosita's sister, Julie, lived. (Julie is the mother of our friend Gigi in Seattle.) We spent one more night in La Paz, and were happy to be able to share a great meal with Rosita in one of La Paz's oldest restaurants.
Talor: Though the views at the Hotel BellaVista were simply magnifico!, the non-existent services and the surly staff made the stay unpleasant. We were happy to get back to La Paz and the rundown Hotel Torino, where we paid a third of the price for the accommodations, but which came with a hot shower and a friendly staff who welcomed us back.
The dinner with Rosita was definitely a highlight! We searched high and low for an appropriate gift for her, but all we found were Bolivian tourist trinkets so we settled on one of our silly momentos from Peru (a hand-woven couple with traditional clothes) and took her out to dinner. Of course, before we said good-bye, she presented us with the most thoughtful gifts... a set of antique silver spoons wrapped in a beautiful woven cloth and tied with ribbons representing the Bolivian flag and a book from the Bolivian International Film Festival... WOW! But more than anything else, we really enjoyed spending time with her. Muchas gracias Rosita!
Below is a link to our Coroico photos:
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