Feb 6, 2019
Tarija, like many other small cities I’ve arrived at through the airport, doesn’t have fancy terminals. Instead, stairs are wheeled to the doors and you walk out. They designate the walking path, a few military police giving directions. The second you walk out the plane, you hear the sound of a band playing. Looking down, there is a large crowd, most of whom school children, waving at you; what a great warm welcome!
To get to the city center where my hostel is located, I could either take taxi or bus. Airport taxi costs a whopping 50Bs but if you walk outside of the airport area, taxi only costs around 5Bs. Tarija is a very safe city and nicknamed the capital of smiles so I chose the latter option. However, once outside the airport, I noticed taxis were shared and my Spanish not being the best, I opted to take the bus, a mere 2Bs. Many buses go towards the central plaza so it seemed like a more fool proof option. Buses also have signs posted on the front window indicating where it is headed. There are no designated stops so you wave the bus as you would a taxi.
When you get on the bus, you reach forward while the driver reaches back to hand him the fare. Not knowing this, I got on the bus and sat down, trying to figure out how to pay. The driver didn’t say a word and let me ride. After observing many locals, I finally handed him the money I owed but was never asked for. To get off the bus, either you tell the driver or do it whenever the bus is stopped.
I walked a couple of blocks to the hostel, exhausted from a very long 24hrs spent in planes and airports.