Last day in Santa Cruz

 I ate breakfast, packed my bags, then headed downtown to check out the 24 de Septiembre Square, and the Catedral Metropolitana Basílica Menor de San Lorenzo de Santa Cruz, and climbed up the bell tower for the overlook. I also walked via Museum Beni Altillo, Noel Kempff Mercado Natural History Museum, and art museum. 

I walked into the Shopping Bolivia Mall to hunt for 30-day 10-gb SIM then was told to the cell carriers direct stores. TIGO declined that they carry any such SIM and insisted that I renew the current 7-day unlimited plan or longer plan via their app when expires.  Bolivia Entel said the same thing, regardless other backpackers online sharing of such longer term SIM cards. I chatted with another backpacker in  Bolivia Entel store who shared the same frustration. He also kindly introduced me to some money exchanges with good rates and stores that provide privacy and safety. 

I shopped for the overnight 10-hr buses to Cochabamba tonight. I would rather take a daytime bus so to see the views, but unfortunately, the route only has overnight buses.

My next stop was the city cemetery that was on the way back to the hostel from the bus terminal. Around 4:30 pm, I walked towards Centro De Reflexologia Taiwan to meet Dr. Toto Lin, who grew in Taiwan then got his medical education in South America to practice  acupuncture and physical therapy in Bolivia. I found his contact in a Taiwanese backpacker’s post and had a chat with him. Toto likes Bolivia for its people and slow paced life. His mother was very kind to treat me Taiwanese fried rice noodles (台式炒米粉）and seaweed soup （紫菜湯） for dinner before I caught 8:30 pm overnight bus to Cochabamba.