Before getting to know Bolivia a little more I wanted to cross it to get to Brazil and visit the Pantanal. There was a problem though; the immense bus terminal in La Paz remained closed because of the strike. I asked around and found out that some smaller busses were leaving for Cochabamba, which was one step closer at least. I spent one day in La Paz and then took that bus. It was a very uncomfortable ride because it was a small bus and there was little room for my legs. Even the local people seemed molested by the bad condition of the bus and we had to make pit stops twice to change tires. The route was fascinating though, incredible views and you can see the change of the vegetation from the grassland of the altiplano to tropical rainforest in just a few hours. Cochabamba is very different from La Paz, while you see many women with their traditional dresses, hairstyle and typical hats, down here there is much less tradition to be seen, the people are of different origin. I spent the night in Hostal Ecuatorial, close to the terminal; it was very cheap and included private bath room with hot water, cable TV and breakfast, one of the best deals I’ve encountered so far.