The only problem I had to get gas was when the energy was gone everywhere for half a day. Even then I could convince a truck driver who delivered gas to the nonworking station to give me 2o l directly. In teamwork with the lady of the gas-station ("no pictures") the deal was done and I had to pay about the same as the bolivians. Once more, coming back from the Death Road, I paid the bol.price. Phil uses the coca-number: when he pulls up to a gasstation he puts some coca-leaves in his mouth and asks the attendant if he also wants some. Result:ways better atmosphere and price : ).
Being stuck in Monteagudo for some days, with no ATM in sight, several people gave me free gas, money, shelter, food...incredible!!
Gotta love Bolivia : )

From Bolivia with Gas
 

Here is our experience. After a 5 hour delay with fun, friendly and helpful Bolivian officials rigging an entrance visa for me (u s citizen with DNI for permanent residence in Argentina) I had to buy a red pen to color background of 2 required photos and write myself 3 letters regarding an invitation to visit Bolivia, hotel reservations and itinerary and provide a copy of deposits into an account for the last 3 months. We also had to provide proof of moto insurance and all documentation for our 2 Argentine registered NX400s. And, of course, our yellow fever jabs doc...

Elisa who is Spanish did not require a visa and was issured a tourist card on request. I walked with a five year multiple entry visa at a cost of the standard entry fee for u s citizen of $135.00 US.

Then decided to top up tanks and paid the international tourist price approx 3X local price at the station in a city called Prof Salvador Massa where we entered Bolivia.

I vowed to pay only local price which I have done so far once inland about 100K.
No probs. we are at the former Peace Corps hostel in Santa Cruz and loving it.

Any one close. PM for a beer. Whoever said NX400s we're not overland bikes has never ridden one overland....We even found after market bash plates which we needed for Ruta 40 and off road.

Xfiltrate

TMI - too much information
 

Five hours, wow, they put you through the wringer. It could be you provided the Bolivian border officials with too much information. I guess you were hoping your Argentine permanent residence application would spare you. Bolivia and Argentina have a friendly history, but borders are about collecting fees for the homeland. Wonder how long it would have taken if you just showed your US passport and paid the $135 USD. Were you trying to get more that the standard 90 days per year visa?

What a drag that Bolivia is charging US citizens a tourist fee when entering overland. Argentina started the overland collection at the beginning of 2013.

I make it a habit to only give a border official the minimum number of documents. One time I accidentally gave too many documents and the official started studying them, until I interrupted, saying something like "oops...you don't need that one..." Giving officials more documents than they need is just opening the door to problems. Immigrations and Customs are nosy folk that love to study documents and find problems. As a duel citizen of Ireland I avoided the fees and special visa requirements several times...but do you think I pull out two passports and ask them to pick one? No way! Although I heard a story from a rider (duel citizen of US and UK) who would slap one passport down and if it raised issues he would grab it back and slap down the other one.

My motto is, "keep it simple." I have ready two small stacks, copies of the key documents: title of ownership, vehicle registration, drivers license, passport...full stop. Original license, registration, passport in a separate neat stack, and the original title in a presentation book with plastic sleeves. Officials respond well to those that are prepared. They might want to give the original title a quick look, sometimes they skip that part. Having the original title in a plastic sleeve keeps it in handy and in good shape. Like government works everywhere, they want to process the paperwork, fill out the dumb forms (paper or electronic) and get you out of their space. It helps to gently point out on the various documents the info they they need: location of the VIN on the title and/registration, license plate number, color of bike, your name (it needs to match the rest of the documents...)

In the presentation book with plastic sleeves, I have carried an International Driver Permit, once current, the second time I carried the expired one...and a yellow fever card. Glad I had the paperwork, even if it never was needed. As far as having a yellow fever card, I was bitten by a few mosquitoes here and there, so who knows. All of the papers that were given to me at a border go right into the presentation book, the one with plastic sleeves. I never lost an important scrap of paper in months and months of international travel, across dozens of borders.

Enjoy Bolivia! It is brutal and beautiful.

Perhaps if you ask your government to drop the fee when their citizens visit, they may do the same ? :-)

oh yeah
 

I totally agree that the US government has its collective head stuck were sun don't shine. On this point and many others. And US citizens that don't travel outside of the US borders typically have an inflated opinion of how their country is perceived by others. In the words of Richard Freeman (New York Times), "you gotta go to know."

Regarding dropping the reciprocal fees, there is little chance of the US taking lead. I assume the following: high fees keep poor people out of the US and give a few US citizens pause before taking their money out of the country. What is the downside from a isolationist politician's point of view?

So when I paid 2.5 times to price locals paid in Bolivia, I chalked it up to the price of adventure and kept in mind how poor the country is. Anyone that complains is really whining. The problem I had was getting gas. Pay extra? No problem here.

That was part of the fun :-)