My routine for finding lodging was:
- Private Room
- Hot Water (I always got a Si but it was not true most of the time)
- Parking for the GS
- Internet access
If they had most of the above I considered it a good place to stay and I would take their room. Since I had an extra day in Oruro I wanted a hotel with internet access so that I could do some of my online work. It is difficult to do online work at an internet café because normally their computers are old and slow.
The hotel that I selected had all of the above and since everything was going to be closed the next day this was my opportunity to work on my website and also to get caught up on my emails. I tried connecting to the hotel internet with no luck. I had experienced some issues connecting to the internet ever since I had entered Bolivia. I was not sure if there was a problem with the internet system in the entire country or if I was having a problem with my laptop. My concern was that if I was having a problem with my Apple laptop, getting it to a shop would have to wait until I reached the next major city which was Santiago, Chile. What a pain. Nothing to do and no internet – a wasted day.
As the day dragged on I decided to take a walk. Since the time was now approaching 5 P.M I wanted to locate a place for dinner. On this little adventure I walked further than before. I made a turn onto a new street and to my surprise there was an Apple Computer Store. An Apple Store in Oruro, of all places – a small town in the middle of nowhere. A place where I had a very difficult time locating fuel for my GS I find the only Apple Store for hundreds and hundreds of miles. I walked over to the front door and happened to catch the owner, Fabricio, who was there to pick up something he needed. We talked briefly. He give me some ideas for troubleshooting and told me to stop by in the morning if I was still having problems.
The suggestions provided by the Apple store owner did not help. First thing the next morning I was back at the Apple Store and I had him check out my laptop. To my relief, my laptop seemed to be working correctly and it seemed the Bolivian internet system was very poor. Fabricio was very generous by allowing me to do about three hours of work using his computers. He also called up some of his friends who are experts on the Solar area of Bolivia. I had been trying to research that area but had difficulty getting information. Fabricio also helped me locate Sucre, the next city I was traveling to.
If you ever find yourself in Oruro, Bolivia and need an iPod or an Apple computer, visit Fabricio.