Sucre and Setbacks

Now we had visited the highlights of Samaipata, it was time to head to Sucre. It was a good seven-hour drive and we therefore planned to do a big chunk of it on the first day, camping somewhere nice within striking distance of the next. It was a long and fairly uneventful drive through a dry and deserted landscape. We arrived at the tiny village of Compuerta after six hours and dropped down off the road to camp by the river. In the photos it looked like a pretty spot, but it had clearly changed since then, and they were doing construction work along the bank. As it was nearly dark, we pulled away to a quieter spot at the side and stayed anyway. It was only going to be a brief one.

In the morning, we had planned to head straight into Sucre, but our plans were somewhat slowed down by the fact that one of our tyres had gone completely flat. We managed to get enough pressure into it to drive back out of the stony riverside and onto a lay-by on the main road, where we could jack it up and swap it over on firmer ground. Then I drove carefully onwards. Our spare tyre is not the same size, and as it was a rear one that had failed, this meant a whole load of extra load on our diff. Luckily, it wasn’t far, and that was just as well because we were also about to run out of fuel.

As we climbed into the final miles into Sucre, we began looking out for a tyre shop and fuel. Both were not hard to find. As is often the case, the mechanics and relevant shops and garages are on the outskirts of the town. Here too was supposedly a friendly fuel station. I parked up out of sight around the corner and Lee went with the jerry can. After a while he returned, victorious, but only because he had a local buy it for him with their details. A piece of luck. Just down the road, we got the tyre fixed. This was very quick, as it was already off the car and on the bracket on the front. Then we were in a position to head to the nearest supermarket and the free camping, a small park outside a little church.

One of the main things we wanted to do in Sucre was see the local dance show. Aptly named ‘Origenes’, it told the story of Bolivian cultures and traditions through some interesting dance and utterly fantastic costumes. It was only on two nights a week, so I messaged to see if there were tickets. Our luck seemed to be holding, and soon we had arranged for a table for two with dinner for the show that night. This would be a lovely treat and was also within walking distance.

The nights were now colder as we were higher again, and as soon as the sun dropped, a chill spread through the air. We wrapped up and headed off to see the show. It’s probably one of the most sophisticated things we’ve done for a long time. We paid on the door before being shown to our table. Restaurant tables and chairs sat in the centre of the room, with a wooden bar running around the three sides that weren’t the stage. It was optional to have dinner, but we decided to try it, considering they actually had a vegetarian option, and eating afterwards would have been too late. We took our seats and were presented with a drinks menu. After ordering a bottle of the local wine, we sat in front of the plush red stage curtains, sipping and waiting for them to open.

The show was a hypnotic mix of dances, lights and costumes. It’s hard to describe the experience except to say it was very impressive, and you didn’t really need to understand what was going on. The costumes spoke for themselves.

Our next day was a relaxed one. After quite a lot of driving recently, we were happy to chill out. We had a long live chat online, as the next day we’d be celebrating four years on the road. We did have plans to rotate our tyres and fit the repaired one back on, but they never transpired and we enjoyed doing not a lot.

It wasn’t until the following day that we got our tyres on and sorted. Now that we could drive normally again, we headed into town. It was time to take Aimee to the vet. Ever since the second night in Canon del Pato in Peru, she had not been herself. She had been aggressive—to us, to Lexi, to anything that came near her. She seemed very unhappy, but we couldn’t see anything wrong with her. Nothing had happened that night that we were aware of, and she didn’t seem hurt. The prices in Bolivia made us think this might be worth investigating. After the quotes we’d had to spay Lexi back in Peru, that country was out of our price range, but here it should be more affordable. We headed for Arc d’Noe in the north, making an appointment to come back later in the day. While we waited the few hours for our appointment, we drove into the south of town, something that despite its short distance took a very long time in gridlocked traffic.

We found a shaded car park to safely leave the van and cats and went for a walk around the town. Our go-to time-killing favourite of finding the local brewery was thwarted by its closed doors, so we sat in the park and ordered a particularly toxic-looking drink from one of the local vendors. I used the opportunity of free Wi-Fi to do some betting without a VPN, the importance of which would become clear later. Then we headed back to the car.

It didn’t take me too long to realise that I didn’t have my phone on me. It seemed that my party trick for Bolivia was leaving things on park benches. We drove out of the car park and straight back to the square—there’s nowhere to park, so Lee pulled over while I ran out of the van. A couple sitting on the bench I was running up to obviously registered my panicked face and waved my phone. It was still there. Phew. An unexpected relief. Now we could go back to the vets.

It was a pretty modern-looking facility, and it didn’t take them long to shave all sorts of bits of Aimee. He gave her a check-over, then took her for an ultrasound and some X-rays. He said her kidneys were enlarged and that the metal plate in her leg from back in Baja didn’t look good. We made an appointment to come in the morning for blood tests and headed back to our fairly quiet little park.

While this free spot had served us pretty well, that all changed the following morning. While packing up the van ready to go back to the vets, we were approached by the local gardener. She came over in a flap, accusing us of breaking her hose. We had woken to find the garden somewhat flooded, and apparently she thought it was us. She muttered about gringos and so on as we repeatedly told her we had nothing to do with it. After a long time she left us alone, but it had somewhat soured the air and we decided to stay somewhere different that night. We don’t like to stay places we aren’t welcome, after all.

First things first, we went to the vets. Aimee now had a reputation as being rather violent after not enjoying being shaved the day before. They fitted a little hat over her head and tried to take blood from her neck. This didn’t go down well, especially as they kept jabbing her with the needle and not finding a vein. I didn’t blame her for crying and felt bad that I was one of the ones helping to hold her down. Hopefully this would be of benefit in the end, though. After eventually getting some blood, they told us to come back at 4pm for the results.

In the meantime, we went and scouted out a different free spot for the night. This was also more convenient as it was within walking distance of the vets, and we could easily pop over whenever we needed to. When the time came, we did just that. It was easier to walk than drive anyway, as there were only a couple of spaces outside for street parking, often full.

After waiting over an hour for the vet, as seemed customary here, we finally got in to speak to him. He told us that she had the beginnings of chronic kidney failure, and while it wasn’t too bad yet, it might be causing her discomfort. He said the best course of action was to remove the plate in her leg. He explained that some of the screws were no longer properly attached to the bone and were loose. This would be causing discomfort and creating a weak point that might actually cause her leg to break in the future. He said there was a chance that if this was sorted, her kidneys might return to normal and that they were just reacting to the plate. Before they would operate, however, they wanted her to come in for a series of injections to improve kidney function. We were to return at 4 the next day.

We had now committed to staying around a week to do the surgery, but hoped it would be worthwhile if it sorted Aimee out. The following day we went to get some bits for the van. We planned to drive the Salar de Uyuni soon and temperatures up there could get cold. Right now the coolant in our engine had no antifreeze, so we went off in search of some concentrate. We also needed a new alternator belt, as ours had been torn by the poorly refitted alternator workshop in Santa Cruz. A torno shop would also be useful to start fitting the second alternator by creating a metal version of the plastic bracket I had mocked up.

All these shops were in the same direction, and we headed out of the city and parked up in the main district for car repairs. We left our template at a torno and in the meantime located antifreeze as well as some oil to top up our leaking engine or gearbox. We didn’t manage to find a new belt, and now our newly fitted alternator was making a horrible squealing noise. You win some, you lose some, I guess. We headed back to park in time to take Aimee for her first injection.

The following morning I tried to mount the new alternator bracket, but it turned out the bolts we had bought were the wrong size, and when we went back to buy others, the right ones weren’t available. Instead, when we returned I swapped the two alternators over. The bearings had failed in the one we had just bought anyway, so it would need rebuilding before it could be used. While I did this, Lee took Aimee back to the vet again.

Our little girl wasn’t too happy at being dragged off to the vet to be stabbed every day, but today would be the final one as she was due for surgery that afternoon. At this point, we decided to head for a paid campsite. Not only would this be a better place for her to recover, but we really needed water and to do some clothes washing. We opted for Isabella’s Parking. Not really a campsite as such, but a car park that let you stay overnight. It was the only reasonably priced option and, despite not being pretty, it offered a secure spot, water, and—most importantly—hot showers.

The access was up quite a steep hill requiring a sharp left turn into the driveway on uneven concrete. It looked like a manoeuvre that required momentum, so Lee went ahead to check it out and get the gates opened while I waited at the bottom. On his signal, we careered upwards and swung through the gate in a rather dramatic entry. Inside, we parked on a small square of what would probably be grass if there was any rain. Isabella showed us the bathroom and let us settle in. That meant doing serious clothes washing, including the sheets, which were particularly gross. I was not surprised when I realised we hadn’t washed them in four months. If you ever need to lower your life standards, life in a camper can do that.

The good news was that it was still walking distance to the vet. I think I had the impression of Sucre being larger than it was, mainly because it took so long to drive across in bad traffic. In reality, it’s pretty much possible to get around on foot, so we loaded a reluctant Aimee into her bag and set off.

At the vet, they were ready for her quickly. We went into a small side room and they gave her a sedative and us a plastic bag in case she threw up. Then they left the medication to take effect. It was nice to be there as she fell asleep; I think she was calmer knowing we were there. Once she was under, they whisked her off to surgery while we walked into the square to get cash. By the time we returned, she was finished. The receptionist brought her out completely floppy, and we paid and got her home before she was anywhere near waking. That’s something I can never get used to here—getting your totally drugged pets back from the vet and watching them wake up.

Coming round from anaesthetic is not a good look on Aimee. So far we’d seen both Lexi and Lizzie get spayed. They were comically ungainly for a while, accidentally dipping their faces in the water bowl, but otherwise fine. Aimee is a whole other kettle of fish. She gets very, very angry. Perhaps she feels vulnerable and compensates with rage, but whatever the reason, it is never pleasant. That night we wouldn’t get much sleep as the growling started.

Our next follow-up appointment was for 11am the next day, but after a late night where we finally got some sleep as Aimee sobered up, she wasn’t having any of it. She hid in the engine bay of a nearby car and refused to come out all day. I apologetically messaged the vet and said we’d bring her when she emerged. As the day wore on, I asked what time they closed—6pm. With impeccable timing only a cat can manage, Aimee appeared five minutes after closing. She trotted out as if she knew exactly what she’d done. Luckily, the vet agreed to wait, so we scooped her up and rushed off for her antibiotic injection.

It seemed Sucre had some slightly odd opening hours at its breweries, but that night Brewcraft was open and we headed over. It was tucked down a residential street, the bouncer and spiral ramp giving a club-like feel. Upstairs was a cosy bar with a pool table. We ordered drinks—I went for an orange lager—and sat in the corner. It had been a long time since we played pool, but at least it was free here, so our terrible skills wouldn’t cost us anything except dignity. The orange beer was delicious, and over a second drink we listened to live music. Sometimes going out just the two of us isn’t the most exciting, and we wonder if we should have stayed in. But with good drinks and entertainment, it turned into a very fun night, and I hoped we’d get to go back before we left.

The next day in Sucre was a first for us: annual pedestrian day. In an effort to cut pollution, Bolivian cities designate a Sunday in September where cars are not allowed. While it may have a minor effect on air pollution, for me the noise difference was most noticeable. It was taken seriously, with police on every corner monitoring the streets. No screaming mopeds, no blaring music—just kids on bikes and people walking.

We went to the market, but it was closed, so we wandered instead.

We didn’t have much to do, just waiting for Aimee’s antibiotics to finish. That meant another vet visit at 7pm. She tried to hide when she saw the backpack, but at least the worst seemed over. After the vet, we met another English traveller from a WhatsApp group. We sat in Cheers near the square, eating falafel with our pints while we waited.

It felt like a long time since we’d spoken to other travellers, and we enjoyed the company. Around us the staff stacked chairs and wiped tables, so we took the hint and left, picking up a few cans on the way. Despite the cold, we sat outside and chatted for hours. Eventually Steve left—but then we realised he was locked in. We had assumed the gates could be opened from inside after 10.30pm, but we were wrong. So in the early hours we stood in Isabella’s garden, trying to lift him over the gate while dogs barked. We nearly managed it, he hopped over—and as he left, the door behind us opened and we found ourselves apologising for being in her garden at 2am.

After that late night, we had no big plans. We went back to the now-open market and stocked up on vegetables and bread. For the first time in Bolivia, and at a very reasonable price, we found proper French-style bread and couldn’t get enough. After dropping groceries at the van, we headed back to the vet.

Now we were speaking to the vet himself. He explained he hadn’t been able to remove the plate—it was too embedded in bone. He had removed loose screws but needed more time and tools for the rest. It was a disappointment, as he still recommended removing it long term, meaning our little bean would have to go through it all again. We told him we’d be back in about six weeks and asked if he could do it then. He agreed, gave Aimee her final injections, and showed us out. That was that.