A Touch of Compassion

Cochabamba Bolivia

 

The city’s name is derived from the Quechua khocha pampa, meaning ‘swampy plain’. Cochabamba is located in a fruitful valley surrounded by a patchwork landscape of mountains, and farm fields that produce abundant crops of maiz (corn), wheat, barley, and citrus fruits. 25km long by 10km wide, set in a landscape of fields and low hills, to the northwest rises Cerro Tunari (5035m), the highest peak in central Bolivia. Busy, buzzy Cochabamba is one of Bolivia’s boom cities and has a distinct, almost Mediterranean, vitality that perhaps owes something to its clement climate. While much of the city’s population is typically poor, parts of town have a notably prosperous feel. The spacious new-town avenues have a wide choice of restaurants, eagerly grazed by the food-crazy cochabambinos, and the bar scene is lively, driven by students and young professionals. Despite this, Cochabamba remains a very affordable city, with prices far below those in Sucre or La Paz. You could easily find yourself staying a lot longer than you planned. Cochabamba is famous for its chicha, a fermented corn drink that is the locals’ favorite tipple.