Edline Login     

Life in Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Life in Santa Cruz, Bolivia
 
Bolivia often seems to escape international attention but you may have heard of La Paz, Lake Titicaca, Copacabana or, at least, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Most tourists in Bolivia find themselves biking the World's Most Dangerous Road in the mountains of La Paz (pop. 835,000; elev. 12,000 ft.), touring the silver mines and open markets of Sucre (pop 247,000; elev. 9,000 ft.), enjoying the wide open salt flats of the Uyuni (elev. 12,000 ft.) or experiencing Carnival in Oruro (pop 216,000; elev. 12,000 ft.). Each of these cities is located in the better-known western highlands of Bolivia but what do you know about eastern Bolivia?

Santa Cruz (pop. 1,397,000; elev. 4,200 ft.) is located in eastern Bolivia and is the most populated as well as the fastest growing city in the country.  Although it still maintains an interesting small town atmosphere, the city is a thriving metropolis rapidly expanding in a hot and humid climate.  And, while Santa Cruz may not have the dramatic natural background of the Andes like its western neighbors, the city is drawing attention for its tropical pace, lush vegetation and economic progress.

The City
The city roads are set up in eight concentric rings extending out from the central plaza. Most of the business activity in Santa Cruz can be found within the first four rings. Santa Cruz Cooperative School is located between the third and fourth ring on the west side of the city.

As in much of Latin America, upper-class Bolivian households typically employ maids, gardeners, and maintenance personnel. Living free from household chores creates opportunities for adventure during non-working hours and offers ample time to explore the amazing sites of Bolivia.
Things to Do in the City
Residents in Santa Cruz, like residents in any South American city, spend a lot of time socializing. Every night of the week, you can find a spot in the crowd to have coffee at a street side cafe or go out to dinner at your choice of a variety of restaurants. New restaurants are constantly popping up and you can find many different types of cuisine in the city. You’ll find Japanese, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Korean, and North and South American restaurants and along with traditional Bolivian churrasquerías which typically offer grilled beef, sausages, rice and potatoes or yucca. The churasco, perfected in Santa Cruz, is a special type of barbeque and is the most popular mode of preparing home- or restaurant-style food. Fresh beef tenderloin runs about $4 per kilo (2.2 lbs) at the grocery store so the cost of a steak dinner is not as intimidating as it is in other parts of the world. And, the idea of a backyard barbeque takes on a whole new meaning when you can grill steaks that melt in your mouth for a reasonable price.

There are many ways to entertain yourself on a day off in the city of Santa Cruz. The central plaza is a great place to begin the day. The beautiful plaza, remodeled in 2006, is located exactly in the center of the city and is surrounded by restaurants, an art museum, a historic catholic church, a movie theater, and many souvenir and knick-knack shops. At all hours of the day, the plaza is filled with people relaxing, older men playing chess, shoe shine artists, and friends and family in leisurely conversation. Within blocks you’ll find plenty of shopping opportunities or you can venture out to one of the many open-air markets, which sell everything from shoes and clothing to kitchen supplies and fresh vegetables depending on where you go.

Saturday is a day for running errands for many people in Santa Cruz. Since many businesses are closed on Sunday, Saturday is a big day for managing life’s little details that do not get done during the work week including things like going to the mechanic, the hair/nail salon, working out at one of many gyms or country clubs or going grocery shopping at a market or large grocery store.

There are many discos and karaoke bars throughout the city and the nightlife often includes drinking, dancing, and singing. Equipetrol is a popular concentration of nightclubs where young adults go to dance and have fun. While clubs open around 10 p.m., the nightlife in Santa Cruz follows the typical South American custom of beginning around midnight and staying strong until three or four in the morning. Other nighttime activities include bowling, going to the movies, attending professional soccer games, and of course, going to restaurants and coffee shops with friends.


Day Trips
Sunny afternoons are easy to come by in Santa Cruz and a quick trip out of the city is a great option. There are innumerable options but favorite destinations include some type of water activity to keep cool. The Rio Pirai is a fifteen-minute drive from SCCS and you can frolic in the river, have lunch, and enjoy a lazy day with friends. A thirty minute drive will take you to the Sand Dunes, a great getaway which provides a unique ecosystem and clean, natural pools to swim in most months of the year and, of course, an amazing view. Within an hour or two, you can also drive or take a taxi to other natural water sources like waterfalls and river pools that provide comfortable places to spend sunny afternoons.

In addition to nature’s provisions, there are many resort hotels with all the trimmings including impeccably kept grounds and amazing food like La Rinconada Resort, which boasts the world’s largest lily pads. Sunday is a family day in Bolivia and families enjoy activities like taking the kids to Aqualand or to the Mariposario, an amazing natural reserve with butterfly gardens, an orchidarium, a restaurant, and of course, pools for swimming. You can also travel outside of the city’s rings to enjoy some real small town atmosphere, have lunch and, if you are lucky, watch a local soccer game.


Overnight Trips
The weekend is a good opportunity to see a bit of the countryside. Whether you go for a day or for several, finding your hidden paradise is only a matter of time. Many Santa Cruz families own quintas (country homes) within a few hours drive of Santa Cruz and families spend weekends with friends and family there. For those without a quinta, taxis are ready and willing to drive to any resort destination for as little as $4 per person.

Two and a half hours southwest of Santa Cruz is Samaipata, a sleepy town in the foothills of the Andes. Samaipata is a popular destination because it is higher in elevation and usually about 12º C (10º F) cooler than Santa Cruz. Time goes by slowly in Samaipata and you may find yourself just enjoying the relaxing atmosphere or leisurely walking through town shopping for local artisan works. For the more adventurous traveler, a day in Samaipata may include a drive to the Andes section of the Parque Nacional Amboro where you can see the largest fern forest in the world, a trip to El Fuerte, a site with preserved pre-Incan ruins and a possible alien landing site, or an excursion to Laguna Volcán, a crater-made lake in the foothills with amazing walking trails and a resort with a 9-hole golf course. Continue down the road from Samaipata to Pucará and La Higuera and you’ll find the site of the final struggle that ended the life of Ché Guevera, the famous Latin American social revolutionist.

Buena Vista, a quiet town northwest of Santa Cruz, is another gateway town to the 430,000-hectare Parque Nacional Amboro where you can take any number of excursions into the marshy wetland or the Amazon Rain Forest. Buena Vista is smaller than Samaipata and, other than the church built in the early 1700s, the town itself does not hold much for site seeing. However, if you visit during November, you may be a part of a local festival, which includes food stands and a bullfight.

If you have the time and the right vehicle, there are many places to drive in Bolivia. North, south, east, and west, you can find interesting cities with unique experiences. Several hours drive to the east of Santa Cruz, you’ll find San José de Chiquitos and the Jesuit Mission Circuit. Or, drive north and west for about nine hours to the city of Trinidad, a truly unique town. If the Wild, Wild West still exists anywhere in the world, it is in Trinidad. In this small, dusty town you can rent scooters, have a bite to eat, and find incredible excursions into the Beni, the Bolivian province north of Santa Cruz. Among the most popular excursions are one- to four-day trips down the Rio Mamoré, one of the many tributaries that feed into the Amazon River. On a trip down this river you can see crocodiles, pink river dolphins, and a number of birds that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world.

Trips out of Santa Cruz can be anything you make them. The possibilities for experiencing nature, finding a place to relax, or seeing something you’ve never seen before are endless in this beautiful part of the world. Come to Santa Cruz and enjoy the good life!

For more information about Santa Cruz and Bolivia, check out these sites:

   • Bolivian Times: Bolivian and other Latin American News from the World News Network.
   • Destino Santa Cruz: Information about Santa Cruz as a tourist destination.
   • Enjoy Bolivia: Tourist information, pictures, articles of interest and a map of Bolivia.
   • El Deber: The main newspaper in Santa Cruz. (In Spanish)
   • Bolivia.com: News and historical information about Bolivia. (In Spanish)

 
 
STUDENTS
 
 SCHOOL CALENDARS
   2010-11              English | Spanish
 
 CAFETERIA MENU
   Menu       English | Spanish
 
 SUPPORT CENTERS
   College Counseling
   Library Media
PARENTS
 
 ADMISSIONS
   Instructions       English | Spanish
   Application Form            Bilingual
   Application & Acceptance
 
 NEWSLETTER
   Jaguar News              Bilingual    
 
  UNIFORMS
   School Supplies Order Forms
 

COLLEGES & NEW STAFF
 
 USEFUL INFORMATION
   Teaching at SCCS
   Opportunities Site
   Job Openings
 
 PROFILE FOR COLLEGES
   School Profile
 
 
 
Website powered by ALTRA Soluciones