HI-Hostal Versalles
This active town in a highland valley (2’500 m) is right in the middle of Bolivia and enjoys an eternal spring climate. Thanks to its nice little garden and sun-terrace all rooms are warm plus we have hot water available 24 hours a day. We also have international phone service, common breakfast room and TV room. We pride ourselves on our quality and cleanliness and an international atmosphere is waiting for
travellers
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Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the third largest city in Bolivia with a metropolitan population of more than 800,000 people. The name derives from a compound of the Quechua words qhocha, or swamp, and pampa, or open plain. Residents of the city and surrounding areas are commonly referred to as Cochabambinos. Cochabamba is known throughout South America as the "City of Eternal Spring" and "The Garden City" due to its warm temperatures year round and abundant well kept parks.
Currently, Cochabamba is an economically active city and tends to be one of the more socially liberal locations in the nation. Like other large cities in the Andes, Cochabamba is a city of contrasts. Its downtown core, around areas such as Plaza Colón or Plaza 14 de Septiembre, is generally quite modern. There are bright lights, bustling streets, and countless automobiles and internet cafes. It is in these locations where the majority of the city's business and commercial industries are found. An active nightlife is centred around Calle España and also along a broad tree-lined boulevard called El Prado. As one moves further out from the city centre, however, the communities become less technologically advanced. Cochabamba's outlying neighbourhoods often find themselves with higher crime rates and lacking electricity, indoor plumbing, and paved streets. An extreme example of this is the area immediately south of the airport where half built adobe homes lie on unpaved dirt streets - which is often the first impression visitors get when flying into the city.
The city's racial demographics consist of the following visible groups in order of prevalence: western hemispheric Indigenous (mainly of Quechua ethnicity), Mestizo, Castizo, Caucasian and Asian. Racial or ethnic groups of lesser visibility include: Afro-Bolivian (black), Mestizo-Zambo (mainly descendants from the Bolivian city of Potosi or Peru), Mulatto (mainly from Brazil's interior regions), Middle Easterner/North African, and subcontinental Indian.
