South America Bolivia travel essay |
Now available online through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
Written by essayist Jooyoung Kim
[Essay Overview]
The first English-language travel essay by freelance journalist and travel creator Jooyoung Kim, who blogs as “Jigu Byeol Sigoljwi (@joonimism),” was published on Amazon on May 9, 2023. The book is titled A Korean Nomad’s Travel Logs: Bolivia Part 1 – My Time in Cochabamba. It captures the landscapes, people, food, and culture she encountered while living and traveling in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
You can currently find it on Amazon as both a Kindle ebook and a paperback.
Q&A Collection
Q. What kind of book is it?
It’s a travel record from my time living in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in 2018–2019 while working there with the Rural Development Administration. Rather than a quick roundup of famous sights, the book focuses on the kinds of moments you only notice when you actually live somewhere: local markets and food, the scenery of the Andes, and conversations with residents.
Q. Why did you publish it in English instead of Korean, your native language?
At the time, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing—better known as Amazon KDP—didn’t support publishing a Korean-language edition. So I decided to lean into it and write the essay in English instead, hoping to share my Bolivia travel experience with more readers around the world.
How scattered travel notes turned into a real book
Hmm. Where should I even begin with the story of creating the first book of my life?
To start with the ending: a book I wrote is now being sold on Amazon. And this wasn’t a book someone else made for me—I handled the entire process myself, from writing and cover design to editing, ebook conversion, and listing it for sale on Amazon.
I assumed publishing would be as simple as clicking a few buttons, but the reality was very different. I hadn’t used English much for quite a while, so even finishing a single sentence felt hard at first. There were definitely moments, while wrestling with natural phrasing and manuscript formatting, when I honestly wondered why I had started this in the first place.
Even so, the moment I finally hit publish and saw my name and book cover appear on Amazon, all that effort turned into a pretty wonderful memory.
It all started in Cochabamba, Bolivia
The starting point for this book was my time working in Bolivia with the Rural Development Administration in 2018–2019. I’ve always loved travel, so whenever I had a weekend or a holiday, I set out to explore Cochabamba and other parts of Bolivia.
Cochabamba felt different from the flashy South American cities that usually dominate travel wish lists. Its colorful buildings, lively markets, the Andes rising around the city, and local foods like salteña, a juicy baked pastry, and chicha, a traditional fermented drink, all blended naturally into everyday life. I still vividly remember drinking coca tea to adjust to the altitude and meeting locals who generously shared their stories with a stranger passing through.
I didn’t want those experiences to slip away, so I started recording them one by one in OhmyNews travel articles and on my personal blog. I was also preparing a KCI paper related to my work at the time, so I didn’t exactly have extra hours to spare, but I still finished the Cochabamba story. In the end, it was selected as an OhmyNews “Editor’s Pick” and reached 18,721 views.
From travel article to English travel essay
Through my blog and travel features, I heard from South America travelers who told me, “Thank you for sharing information about a place that isn’t widely known.” That response became the reason I gathered my scattered notes into a single book.
A Korean Nomad’s Travel Logs: Bolivia Part 1 isn’t a travel guide to luxury resorts or famous tourist attractions. It’s closer to a short, easygoing essay told through the eyes of a Korean traveler who lived locally, walked the side streets, tasted the food, and listened to people’s stories firsthand.
Reader reviews have described it as “a charming voice with humor,” “a book that makes you want to travel,” and “a vivid record of travel beyond the usual tourist route.” When I read one comment from a reader saying they were already waiting for the next story, I felt truly glad I had put my first book out into the world.
Who I recommend this book to
I’d recommend it to anyone planning independent travel in Bolivia or South America, especially if you want to get closer to local life and culture rather than just checking off famous attractions. It could also be a great fit for readers looking for a short English travel essay that feels approachable, or for aspiring writers preparing to self-publish through Amazon KDP and wanting to see a real-world example.
I didn’t start this essay because I thought I was some exceptionally gifted writer. I started because I wanted to hold on to my travel memories before they faded, and because I wanted to show other people the Cochabamba I had come to love. That’s how one article became one book.
Seeing the author name “JOOYOUNG KIM” on the Amazon page still makes it all feel real. The travels of Jigu Byeol Sigoljwi will keep going, and I hope one day I’ll be able to return with Bolivia Part 2.
Written by
Jigu Byeol Sigoljwi, a reading-and-travel lifestyle blogger and YouTuber
Thank you.
I’ll keep uploading my travel videos on YouTube, so until then, happy travels, everyone.
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