Do's and don't do's in Bolivia

expat.com Your favourite team

Member since 01 June 2008

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expat.comYour favourite team30 July 2010 21:27:41

8393

Hello,

Are you living or have you been living in Bolivia? We would like to collect your advice on things on is allowed or not allowed to do in Bolivia.

And another question: is it easy to adapt to local culture / customs?

Thanks for sharing your expat experience with us!

ChefJeff Member

Member since 12 April 2011

ChefJeffMember15 October 2012 16:30:18

depends on your demeanor...the culture shock wearoff-timeframe.
keep in mind most missionaries are specifically trained to adapt to customs and fit in successfully for a purpose over a year or two and (they tell me) over the last presidency 80 percent of them have departed for their own benefit and abandoning the mission which should clue you into to the political climate towards foreigners here-just an FYI for your consideration. if you are just coming to try and fit in for awhile, it's not impossible. i find life in bolivia to be a study of socialism and oppression and tolerance. as far as whats legal or allowed or not, the laws here are surprisingly very similar to or the same as in most places, there just isnt a group of people here to maintain the order so its a given that people will naturally play when the cats away like paying taxes on things or communicating honestly and with integrity to each other. there is no cunsumer protection agency or better business bureau or governmental oversight division-like group in place actively seeking to observe the goings on and protect the consumer here.
my advice is "Enter At your own risk" like it says at the pool.

Aurélie ViP

Member since 02 May 2012

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AurélieViP16 October 2012 06:28:48

22735

laurielf New member

Member since 21 January 2014

laurielfNew member26 January 2014 01:22:37

don't be in a hurry, it ain't gonna happen when you want it....

and don't be on time, you will just embarrass your host, ask what time they actually expect visitors to show up, expect the time to be 2-3 hours after the stated times.

Gringo in Bolivia Member

Member since 17 August 2014

Gringo in BoliviaMember17 August 2014 22:03:07

Do's:
Greet everyone in the room with a handshake or kiss check (males only handshake other males, females kiss chick everyone)
Say "buen provecho" at the end of the meal
Offer to pay at a restaurant or accept for someone else to pay. It's rare to split bills in social situations.
Have a lot of patience, things happen very slowly and many times don't work at all

Don't:
Deny receiving a gift, it's offensive.
Expect people to turn up on time for anything.
Have faith in directions on the street, people prefer to give false directions than admit they don't know
Be offended if someone doesn't come to a party when they say they will, people prefer to say yes and not come than say no

I'm sure there's many more that I can't think of the top of my head.