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Bolivian Coco Leaf: The Red Bull Of The Andes
Blog: AlpacaSuitcase - 29 May 2011
Hoja Sagrada (Holy Leaf)We’d decided to take the overnight sleeper bus from La Paz to Sucre, given our somewhat rushed itinerary and desire to save time and the expense of a hotel room.
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Sneaking into Bolivia’s San Pedro Prison
Blog: Landlopers - 27 May 2011
Today’s guest post is a very unique story by Jason Batansky, from Locationless Living, a location independent traveler who apparently has no fear. Although sneaking into a Bolivian prison may not sound like a tourist activity, Jason shares his very unique experience doing just that....Copyright LandLopers All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
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The La Paz Witches' Market
Blog: AlpacaSuitcase - 24 May 2011
Llama fetuses outside a shop in the Witches MarketAs I glanced through my Lonely Planet guidebook to Bolivia, I scanned the sights for something that looked interesting until I came to the following: El Mercado de Las Brujas…the
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Surreality In Bolivia
Blog: AlpacaSuitcase - 20 May 2011
The Salar de Uyuni in Southwest BoliviaThe area around the Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat in southwestern Bolivia, is an other-worldly landscape of hallucinogenic visions and poses s
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Lunch In Uyuni, Bolivia
Blog: AlpacaSuitcase - 15 May 2011
Humorous signs are everywhere in South America and this one is from Uyuni, Bolivia, where we sat down for lunch after completing our 4-day tour of the Salar de Uyuni.
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Microlending Behind the Scenes: How MFIs Judge Credit Worthiness
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 5 May 2011
By Nila Uthayakumar, KF14, Uganda, With the help of several other Fellows in the field I’ve met all kinds of borrowers. From age 16 to 76; from orphans to a former beauty queen; from potato sellers to auto parts saleswomen to motorcycle transportation tycoons. I’ve met them in urban slums, in villages, in homes, on [...]
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Update from the Field: Farewells, Mistaken Identities + Micro-Microfinance
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 2 May 2011
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa We've officially hit the point in the Kiva Fellows cycle where the current batch says goodbye just as the latest group is getting their bearings at Kiva HQ. Fortunately, there are a number of posts this week to help us through the transition and cheer us up. If you're interested in a comprehensive image gallery of the hot designs for share taxis in Rwanda, we've got you covered.
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Update from the Field: Earth Day, Celebrations + Exceeding Expectations
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 25 April 2011
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky Kiva Fellows observed Earth Day by sharing projects initiated by their partner microfinance institutions and host countries and by celebrating Kiva.org's first batch of "Green Loans". The upbeat mood also extended to anniversary parties at MFIs in Jordan and Armenia, enthusiastic endorsements to travel to Colombia, and reporting on a great opportunity for Kiva clients in Mongolia. Fellows also visited with borrowers in the Philippines, South Africa, and Armenia, and took us on a typical commute in Mexico City.
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Eight Destinations that Make Us Dreamy-eyed
Blog: Seat of Our Pants - 22 April 2011
We may not be on the road at the moment, living as we do in the great comforts of our San Francisco apartment. There are times, though, when we take a bit of time away from our busy schedules to poor over maps and travel guides, dreaming of the next trip. In anticipation of [...] No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
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Happy Earth Day from Kiva Fellows around the Globe!
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 22 April 2011
Compiled by Caree Edson, KF 14, Armenia One of the unfortunate sight-seeing adventures that you never sign up for when you travel (especially in developing countries) is the unseemly amount of trash cluttering the otherwise beautiful landscapes. In Armenia, it isn’t possible to see the horizon through the smog most days and the streets are covered in cigarette butts and litter. I found no exceptions to this as I inquired from other Kiva Fellows about the dire situation in their countries. Environmental education and reform are simply not a top priority in many countries.
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Update from the Field: Trash, Delicious Treats + Community Outreach
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 18 April 2011
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa Let’s take a moment to vicariously consume baked goods in Colombia, coffee in Nicaragua, tomatoes in Ukraine, and a traditional meal in Nepal.
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Salar de Uyuni Bolivia Photo Tour
Blog: Two Backpackers - 6 April 2011
The most popular multi-day tour available for visiting the Uyuni Salt Flats is driving a 4×4 between Tupiza and Uyuni, Bolivia. This photo essay will take you through our 4-day tour beginning in Southwest Bolivia and ending with a sunrise over the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flats in the world. Tupiza to Salar [...]
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Salar de Uyuni Bolivia Photo Tour
Blog: Two Backpackers - 6 April 2011
The most popular multi-day tour available for visiting the Uyuni Salt Flats is driving a 4×4 between Tupiza and Uyuni, Bolivia. This photo essay will take you through our 4-day tour beginning in Southwest Bolivia and ending with a sunrise over the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flats in the world. Tupiza to Salar [...]
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Update from the Field: April Fools, Terrible Coffee + Getting Attached
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 4 April 2011
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa We hope you enjoyed our April Fools post on Friday! While we were entertaining ourselves pulling it all together, we also found the time to attend to some serious matters: coffee in Colombia is no joke (in a bad way), some borrowers are easier to locate than others, and oftentimes Fellows must say goodbye to people and places before they’re ready to.
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Update from the Field: Fun Facts, Field Visits + Back to Basics
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 21 March 2011
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa For many Fellows, this week was about getting back to basics: the borrowers. In between fun facts about Kiva Fellowships, doing database detective work, and reflecting on the internal dynamics of Kiva's partner microfinance institutions, Fellows found themselves in the field again and again, much to their delight and often to the delight of borrowers.
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Highlights of 1 Year in South America
Blog: Never Ending Voyage - 11 March 2011
Last Tuesday we celebrated one year of travelling (and 10 days before that our blogoversary), all but four days of which were spent in South America. It’s an important milestone for us, as when we left the UK we had saved a years worth of travel funds to give us the chance to make Simon’s [...]
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Celebrating Women around the World!
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 7 March 2011
Contributions from Kiva Fellows around the globe, compiled by Mei-ing Cheok. The beauty of microfinance is that it gives people at the wrong end of the income spectrum opportunities to step out of the poverty trap. It also provides women the confidence and security that comes from earning their own income, leading to greater gender [...]
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Participating in the Dialogue: The Role of Microfinance Critics (Part 2)
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 24 February 2011
Julie Shea, KF13, Bolivia A few months ago, I wrote a blog post that drew on my experiences as a Kiva Fellow in Bolivia to discuss two points of criticism about microfinance, specifically from Aaron Ausland’s Huffington Post article, “How Microfinance Lost its Soul”.
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5 Awesome Thrill Seeking Things To Do Around The World
Blog: Canada's Adventure Couple - 24 February 2011
Anthony of the Travel Tart writes about five thrill seeking activities that he enjoyed on his travels around the world. He writes about offeat and weird aspects of travel, but also the odd Adventure Travel activity here and there too.5 Awesome Thrill Seeking Things To Do Around The World is a post from: The Planet D: Canada's Adventure Couple
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Last Week in the Field: “Christmas”, Trekking, Adversity + Good Company
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 21 February 2011
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa Members of the 14th class of Kiva Fellows have officially hit their stride. While we never know where the next dispatch will come from or what interesting topics the Fellows will cover next, we always know we'll be transported, entertained, and edified.
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Photo of the Day: Virgen de la Candelaria Festival Copacabana, Bolivia
Blog: Two Backpackers - 18 February 2011
Copacabana is the main Bolivian town on the shore of Lake Titicaca, from where boats leave for Isla del Sol, the sacred Inca island. The town has a large 16th-century shrine, the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana. Our Lady of Copacabana is the patron saint of Bolivia. The town is a destination for tourism [...]
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Microfinance and Healthcare Revisited
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 7 February 2011
By Julie Shea, KF13, Bolivia A few months ago, I wrote a post discussing the advantages and drawbacks of financial institutions offering their clients healthcare services. Throughout the course of the past few months, my time spent working in ProMujer’s office has afforded me the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of clients’ healthcare needs and the services provided to them by ProMujer.
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Visa Run: Cusco to Copacabana
Blog: The Brink of Something Else - 7 February 2011
Nothing takes the thrill out of a border crossing like a visa run to a small town you’ve already seen. I did the Cusco to Copacabana run, again, a few days ago. It’s not a whole lot of fun, at least not after you’ve already enjoyed la Isla del Sol, but it doesn’t have to [...]
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Festival de la Virgen de Guadalupe – A Photo Essay
Blog: Hecktic Travels - 4 February 2011
In September 2009, we began our South American journey with our first stop being Sucre, Bolivia. Our timing couldn’t have been better if it was planned, as we unexpectedly arrived [...]
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Photo of the Week: Cactus on Incahuasi Island, Bolivia
Blog: Never Ending Voyage - 30 January 2011
In a month’s time we’ll have been travelling in South America for a year. As we start to look back on our favourite experiences, Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni or salt flats is definitely one of our highlights.
