GIRL ON A MOTORBIKE: You CAN Buy Gas In Bolivia (and the facts about the rest of the country, too)

The Salar de Uyuni--a truly unique experience to ride on!

I sat in the audience burning up, trying not to cough, surreptitiously swiping at my ever-leaking nose, being terrified about what I was hearing. With the temperatures at the BMWMOA Rally in Salt Lake City, UT topping out at about 104F everyday, and my own just slightly lower, I thought the best use of my afternoon would be to attend a session about traveling through Central and South America. Sitting in the cool, air-conditioned room, getting valuable information pertaining to the trip I was about to embark on seemed like a damn fine idea, but as I listened, I grew a bit more frightened by what I was hearing.

The one hour session that afternoon was being led by a man from Texas, with a thick southern drawl, who had not only recently done the trip, but had also published a book. It was clear early on that our travel sensibilities were different. He pretty clearly was new to the GS world, and when someone told him to ditch his camping equipment because it made his bike too heavy and he would never use it, he promptly did. But as I listened more, and he talked about countries further and further south, I internally debated whether the AC in the building balanced my growing distrust for his travel style.

Then, he got to Bolivia.

And I sat up, listening carefully, and I suddenly became very nervous. The presenter spoke of how he had ridden into Bolivia with a friend he had made along the way. His friend was Australian, and boy was he glad he had an Aussie friend. He quickly found he couldn't buy gas in Bolivia because he was American. He talked about how Bolivia requires a gas station attendant to input your license plate into a computer, then choose your country prior to dispensing fuel. He stood with the first attendant searching for the United States in the list of countries "permitted" to purchase gas, and found it was not there.

For the rest of his gas purchases in Bolivia, they would use his friend's license plate and country of origin, and he would just pay the Aussie back after fueling up. Eventually, in a country other than Bolivia, the two parted, and the Texan continued on his way.

I know very little of the rest of his story, as I had stopped listening, and was focusing on my coming problem. What do you mean I can't buy gasoline in Bolivia? I'm going to Bolivia, how do I get through the country? Do I need an Australian friend? How do I find an Australian friend? Is there a Facebook page for that, or maybe a meet-up group? Can I put up a search on ADVRider--"Wanted, one Australian friend for about a week in the country of Boliiva! Me: I like long walks on the salt flats and 220 Km rides through sand and dirt. You: Must have Aussie-plated bike and good sense of humor."

That rally was in July. Five months later, we find ourselves getting ready to cross the border from Peru into Bolivia. This thought has weighed more and more heavily on my mind as the time has grown nearer. A couple of nights before we cross, I PM a Facebook aquaintance who has recently gone through Bolivia, and ask him what the deal really is. He reassures me, saying its a bit of a process, but not to worry--I'll be fine.

At my insistence, we top off fuel at the Peruvian border town. Despite the hoops Americans have to jump through, and the money we have to dish out to get a visa to get into Bolivia, the border process was a breeze. The immigration and Aduana officials were very nice and we came prepared--we were through all of it in half an hour.

Then, it was on to La Paz. One thing Mr. Texas had talked about were the horrors of the traffic in Lima, Peru. After hearing this from one or two others, we were prepared for it, though I was surprised as we made our way through the city at rush hour time that it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. However, now we're in La Paz, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be run over by one of the bazillion collectivo or taxi drivers. Traffic was worse there than any city we had yet seen. How did you miss that one, Mr. Texas?

We stayed the night, paying about $15US for a hotel room, and just under $3US for dinner. The next day we motored to the southern part of the city where we found Flor de Leche--a dairy that makes magnificent cheeses. We ate cheese and bread, then headed south.

Ah. May. Zing. Cheeses.

I knew, at some point that day, we would have to buy gas...

Right outside of the city, we pulled off the highway, and headed into the gas station, my stomach in knots. As I rolled to a stop and pulled off my helmet, the attendant walked out to us. He promptly told me the foreigners' price per liter, we chatted a little, he filled the tanks, we payed, and we were on our way.

And I heaved a HUGE sigh of relief.

So, what's the real story? It sure as hell is not that "Americans can't buy gas in Bolivia." After being reassured by Chris on the Facebook, I attempted some research. In a nutshell, this is what I found...

Bolivia has heavily subsidized gas for Bolivianos. I don't know why as I didn't bother to get that deep into it, though I would guess it has to do with poverty levels and massive distances some people have to travel as the country is so scarcely populated outside of La Paz. Anyway, years ago, many providences (this is not a correct term, but I'm using it for demonstrative purposes) which bordered neighboring countries, and also ones further inland, refused to sell to foreigners to keep people from those other countries from border-hopping to buy cheap gas.

This was not good for tourism. Bolivia is one of the least-visited countries is South America, and this didn't help them in that area. So, Bolivia created a second rate to charge fuel at, for non-Bolivianos. This worked well for the most part, but some places would still refuse to sell to foreigners. Let's be honest--many people who travel through the country via land, whether they are over landers or tour companies from Chile or Argentina, are driving at least SUVs, and often much larger rigs. They suck up a lot of local gas.

However, in 2011, Bolivia actually passed a law stating that ALL areas of the country must sell gas to foreigners. Bolivianos get the subsidized rate--right now about 3.50BOB/liter--and foreigners of ANY country get a higher rate--about 8.67BOB/liter. For reference: $1USD=$6.80BOB and approximately 4 liters=gallon.

Gas stations can simply fill up a Boliviano's tank, and the pump will read the correct price. For foreigners, the attendant must record the license plate and country of origin, pump the gas, and calculate the correct price, often on a calculator. At larger, brand-named stations, they are fancy enough that the pump will switch to the foreigners' rate. Now, all that said, there is one other rate that although not entirely on the up and up, is pretty widely available. This is referred to as "sin factura."

At the smaller stations, the "sin factura" rate comes into play. Savvy attendants know drivers don't want to pay more than $1.25US/liter. They also know that, if there are no cameras around, they can pretend it's a Boliviano filling up, while pocketing the rest. But, drivers know what the rates are, and that an attendant might like to take a little home. So, it becomes a bargaining tool. Now I would never be part of something like this, but I can illustrate how it works. I shall use a motorbike rider named...Leslie. It goes kind of like this:

Leslie (pulling up at the pump, whipping her helmet off and flipping her hair, while smiling her flashy grin): Hola. Buenas tardes!

Him (caught a little off guard--oh crap, it's a girl...): Buenas! Es $8.67 por litro.

Her:...y sin factura?

Him (smiling): $7

Her (giving a little snort of laughter): $5

Him (holding up six fingers and smiling more): $6

Her: Esta bien. Llena, por favor.

Leslie winds up paying more than a Boliviano, but considerably less than the foreigner price. He winds up taking a bit extra home. The entity screwed is the government as they don't end up being able to charge the gas station the extra taxes the foreigners "should have" paid.

An American--and anyone else for that matter CAN buy gasoline. This is not to say there aren't places that might refuse to sell to you. That happened in Oruro, and had I been interested in bullying the attendant and citing the law until I broke him down, I could have bought gas. But, there were other gas stations, and someone would happily sell me gas. Movin' right along...

So, with gas not really being an issue--and apparently anyone spouting anything can publish a book and author a session at the BMW Motorcycle Ownwers of America Rally--there is one issue moto travelers should be aware of in Bolivia.

There is a very specific speed trap on the Pan-American Highway that, by all accounts, seems to be aimed at foreign moto-travelers. I had read a report of the speed trap on the iOverlander app, and knew to look for it. Someone had been traveling at 115 K/hr when he was pulled over for exceeding the speed limit of 100 K/hr. It took a lot of smooth-talking it sounds like, but he managed his way out of a speeding ticket--or something else--by finally showing the cop his broken speedometer cable.

This particular speed trap is crafty, because there is not only one station of cops with radar guns--in a very obvious spot where you can see them for miles--but because of the second part of it just over a rise from the first. Once you get over the rise and start heading downhill, the cops are waiting there with the radar gun pointed right at you. Locals know about it. They slow down for the two kilometers of dealing with the cops where the speed limit is not 100 but 80 K/hr. That is about 50 Mph on a 4 lane, divided highway...completely stupid.

Now, it's not like we would be speeding through this area, but let's refer back to what Leslie and her riding partner may have encountered at this speed trap. Leslie and Partner slowed down to the speed limit, with all the other traffic, as they approached the speed trap. Being unaware of the second set of cops, they may have sped back up to get up the hill, then as they crested it, came down the other side slightly over the speed limit.

Boom.

Cops standing in the median waving Leslie and Partner to stop at the side of the road where an unmarked station wagon sat at a small intersection. Leslie, being the woman and not leading, would be completely ignored. Partner would be told to put down his kickstand, and go with the officers. The Partner would do so, grabbing his passport and Aduana papers--most likely, Partner speaks no Spanish.

But, no Spanish is needed, and really, neither was the paperwork. Officers never ask for paperwork, they only threaten Partner with a huge ticket--one huge ticket because Leslie was just following.... After threatening the huge ticket and the round-trip to the bank to pay said ticket, Officer number 1 would send younger, less-experienced Officer number 2 to continue to man radar gun, and would quietly tell Partner to follow him to the beige-grey car, telling him he could probably just give the officer a couple hundred Bolivianos and forget the whole thing.

And Partner does.

He gets back to the bike, stows the paperwork, and he and Leslie ride off, while he recounts the story in their helmets.

And Leslie fumes.

She knew the speed trap was coming. She also knows that of all the reports she's seen of this one, it is only ever foreign motorcycles who get pulled over. Leslie knows she was speeding, and has no problem saying what she did was wrong, but she also realizes those cops are nothing but self-serving liars. That money would never go to the police, to funding a force to make things better in that country. She knew Officer number 1 would take 75-100% of it, while telling Officer number 2 he had gotten way less or nothing. Officer number 1 and his wife would have a fancy dinner. It's not much different from gas station attendant....

Oh well, such is the way of life in other countries. I have no doubt we have our share of dirty cops in my home country, but if I ever encounter one, you can bet I will punch him/her in the nuts. There is no reason to prey on foreigners. Take the damn tourism money and be glad others are spending in your country!

Our first stop in Bolivia. YAY! Bolivia!

So, there are the two bad possibilities of Bolivia. But, really, that is it. Beyond gas and speed traps, the country is amazing. It is full of wonderful people, beautiful scenery, and a mind-boggling number of llamas and vicuñas.

Llamas, as far as the eye can see. And a few sheep, too.

Bolivia can feel tiny when you're in one of the small towns, wandering at sunset with the town's residents. Bolivia can feel immense and isolated when you're in the middle of the Salar de Uyuni, with no one else in sight for hours. The long 220K stretch of dirt (sand road) that stretches to a quiet, lonely border crossing into Chile can send you back in time, believing that the scenery and the primitive road could not possibly come from the 21st century, nor could the wooden boats used to ferry vehicles across the strait of Titicaca.

None--NONE--of those wooden planks are fixed. They just lie there and you hope they stay in place as you ride onto them. The bus was not as lucky as we were...

None of the wooden planks on the boat are fixed. Don't put a foot in the wrong place...

Gawd, I loved Bolivia. I can't wait to go back. But, it's kind of like my favorite Mexican restaurant. I want to go back and experience the rest of it, but what I've already encountered has been so good, I want to go see that again! How do I choose? I guess I'll find out in early 2018 when I return.