Rurrenabaque

A month ago, on Halloween weekend (Day of the Dead is celebrated here on November 2nd), Dave and I explored Bolivia’s Amazon rainforest, via the small town of Rurrenabaque. Rurrenabaque is in the North West of Bolivia and is not very accessible; travelers have two transportation options, to either take a small plane from La Paz to the dirt runway of Rurrenabaque, or to take a 20 hour bus ride from La Paz, but caution, the road is impassable when it rains; we chose option A, the flight.

Rurrenabaque (Rurre) is popular as a traveler’s base for trekking into the Amazon or touring the pampas. With only a long weekend, we had to choose, and chose to explore the Amazon for two days in Parque Nacional Madidi. We arrived in Rurre on Saturday afternoon and booked our trip with a tour operator for the following morning. On Sunday morning, we awoke to torrential rains, and realized we needed to put our ponchos on and meet our tour guide down at the river to start our two days in the jungle. Soon we were in a motorized dug out canoe (with a cover), in our ponchos, cruising down the Río Beni in the rain with three fellow tourists from Germany, and after three hours, we reached our camp site.

After lunch, we headed out on our first hike with our guide, Eloy. We saw several small yellow monkeys and explored the amazingly dense Amazon forest. We came back to camp for dinner, and then ventured out on a night hike. With our flashlights, we navigated the forest, staying close to our knowledgeable guide. When we came upon water (a stream or swamp), Eloy would chop down a few small trees, and make a bridge for us. On the night hike we saw tons of spiders, to include a tarantula! It was the size of a kitten and black and hairy! Unbelievable, literally beyond anyone’s imagination (Aunt Jane and Callie, you would not have liked the night hike!) Our guide’s sense of direction was astonishing; in a vast forest, with seemingly no landmarks, he was always capable of orienting himself with the camp site, and finding alternate paths.

The next morning, we woke up and enjoyed a huge breakfast of pancakes and fruit. We set out on another hike with Eloy, who told us that for the next few hours, he was going to show and tell us about the natural medicines in the Amazon. Again, his knowledge was really amazing; he would stop and tell us about a tree that produced a syrup that you could drink to cure malaria, another tree whose leaves you crushed and made into tea to ease your throat, another whose leaves acted as Viagra, and so many more. On our walk we also saw a herd of wild pigs (cerdos de la selva), which looked like wharthogs. After lunch, we got back in our canoe and headed back to Rurre where we spent our last afternoon lounging in hammocks.

Centro Medico Wiñay

I wanted to share a little bit more about my volunteer position with Centro Medico Wiñay to give you a better idea of what I’ve been doing every morning for the past five months.

My day starts by catching a trufi, a shared taxi van with a set route, two blocks from our apartment that I take for 30 minutes to the town of Quillacollo. I get to the clinic, on Quillacollo’s central Plaza Bolivar around 9:00 AM, when the clinic opens (the clinic closes from 12:30 to 3:00 PM, and then reopens from 3:00 until 8:00 PM Monday through Saturday). The staff is the receptionist and assistant nurse, Aida, the administrator and head nurse, Jimena, the lab technician, Nery, the sole gynecologist/doctor, Melania, and the rotating dentists, Ximena and Marlene.  Wiñay also has a central office and clinic in La Paz, and occasionally Doctora Rosemary from the La Paz office will come for a visit, to check on accounting, and overall clinic productivity. 

I spend my mornings at the front desk, caja, checking patients in, helping to fill prescriptions, organizing patient histories, and helping out wherever someone needs me. Since Wiñay has no appointment system in place, patients will come in, inquire about how many patients are waiting, and then decide to come back in an hour, or some wait for two hours until seeing the doctor. Since it is not an emergency center, patients are usually coming in for a routine check up or regarding a specific ailment. There are mornings where by the time I walk into the clinic, there is already a mass of patients surrounding the front desk: a woman picking up her PAP results, a mother with her son who has a toothache, or a young woman seeking a family planning orientation. When this is the case, we usually have to start turning patients away by 11:00 AM, asking them to return in the afternoon since we only have one nurse, one doctor and one dentist. About 90% of our clients are women, with the occasional male coming in to visit the dentist or for a general medicine consultation.

For the past two months, I have been collecting data for a research project that I am conducting for Wiñay and for their previous funder, Planned Parenthood International. In total, Wiñay has over 18,000 patient records on file since their opening in 2000, and of those 18,000 files, I randomly chose a sample set of 200 histories to look at and collect data from. I have been looking at the client population, to include gender and age and level of education and specifically what services they have come to the clinic for. As a sort of sustainability report for Planned Parenthood following their funding, I am also looking into the productivity of the new lab at Wiñay. This project has been a great way to learn more about the clinic, the services that we offer and also about our client base. My last day at Wiñay will be this coming Tuesday, and it has been an amazing learning experience.

Samaipata

Two Fridays ago, Dave and I made our way to Cochabamba’s Wilsterman airport, and boarded a flight to Santa Cruz. We arrived in the tropical climate of Santa Cruz around 8:30 on Friday night, and quickly made our way to where the trufis leave for Samaipata. We were told that the trufis only run until 9 PM, so we were lucky to catch the last ride. After a bumpy three-hour ride, we arrived at our hostel in Samaipata, eager for a bed.

Samiapata, in Quechua, means “rest in the highlands”, and it is becoming a popular tourist destination, as well as a retreat for the residents of Santa Cruz. It is such a beautiful and charming town, that many foreign travelers have come for a visit, and ended up staying, for good! Many foreigners have settled in Samaipata and began hostals, restaurants and tour agencies. They have also helped to make Samaipata the slow food movement capital of Bolivia.

On Saturday morning, we explored the town’s Plaza, which included trying out a delicious French bakery, walking through their market, and Dave stopping at the barber for a shave. We had heard from fellow travelers about La Vispera, a hostel and restaurant outside of town, that is run by a Dutch couple, who have built a beautiful large organic garden and café. Filled with coffee and fresh bread, we hiked up to La Vispera for lunch. We ordered fresh salads and sandwiches and watched in amazement as the waitress walked down to the gardens to collect the ingredients for our lunch; it doesn’t get much fresher than that! Keeping true to their name, of slow food, we played Scrabble and wandered the gardens as we waited for our amazing lunch.

After lunch, we walked back in to town and hopped in a trufi heading towards El Fuerte. El Fuerte is one of Bolivia’s most famous archeological sites, 2000 years before Incan occupation of the region, somewhere before 1000 BC. The name of the site is misleading (the complex was named by the Spanish), and it is not a fort as the name implies, but rather a site for ceremonies and religious rituals.  At the center of the complex is a large sandstone rock that has been carved with abstract designs; surrounding the central rock are the remains of 50 Incan buildings.

Sunday morning, we took another trufi a half an hour outside of Samaipata to the waterfalls of Las Cuevas. Las Cuevas is a popular weekend spot for families and friends with several waterfalls and shallow river pools for swimming. We bought vegetables and fruits at the market in town, and some more fresh bread, and had a picnic by one of the waterfalls.

Villa Tunari

Last Friday, we took our second trip to Villa Tunari. Villa Tunari is about 3 hours North East of Cochabamba and is known for it’s tropical weather, swimming holes and beautiful rainforests. Villa Tunari is located in the Chapare region of Bolivia, a region that is known for producing coca leaves, and is one of the main cocaine producing regions within Bolivia. Since the 1970’s the DEA has attempted to squash the farming of coca in the Chapare, and thus resulted in conflicts between the DEA, coca farmers and the Bolivian government. It has calmed down since President Evo Morales was elected in 2004; Morales has promised to protect the coca farmers of the Chapare and encourages the making of coca products such as tea and other food products, except cocaine. In recent years, local authorities have worked to turn the sleepy rainforest town into a tourist destination, and it’s working!

Our first visit was in July, and since July it has really heated up in Villa Tunari! Part of the reason we love Villa Tunari so much is that there really isn’t much to do but walking along the river, cool off in the swimming holes, pozos, and relax and read in the hammocks. We did leave our hotel sanctuary to walk in to town, enjoy some ice cream and stop by Parque Machía, an animal sanctuary where we saw small monkeys swinging in the trees. We stayed at the same hotel where we had stayed the first time, about a 30-minute walk from town, tucked in the forest, very quiet and a great bird watching post.


We’re hanging out in Cochabamba this weekend, planning to check out the Botanical Gardens and check out some restaurants on our Cochabamba bucket list. I hope you have a great weekend!

Tarija

Dave and I changed our plans, and instead of heading to Salar de Uyuni this past weekend, we decided to check out Tarija instead. Tarija is one of Bolivia's largest cities known for it's laid-back character, and is located in the Southern most tip of the country, close to the Argentine border. Since the bus ride/flota to Tarija would have been 26 hours long, and Dave had to work on Monday, we decided to treat ourselves, and take an hour long flight instead. We arrived on Friday evening and happily settled in to our hotel room right on the main plaza and enjoyed some local wine and dinner on the plaza. 

Saturday morning we toured the city, trying out some local salteñas, coffee, the Tarija speciality, saice, which is a ground beef (?), potatoes and peas stew at the market and arranging a wine tour for the afternoon. After lunch we met our guide, Julio, at our hotel and we were off to the first winery, El Potro. After enjoying ourselves at the small family own boutique winery, we hopped in the car and were on our way to Las Duelas, a wine shop that is also a cooperative for local small wineries. But, in true Bolivian style, our tour was impeded. As we were driving on the highway, we noticed quite the traffic jam ahead, and spectators lining the other side of the highway, as if waiting for something. We got out of the car and Julio informed us that it was the Tarija cycling team that was biking 80 km. ¡Tour de Tarija! For what seemed to be an hour we watched and cheered as the cyclists passed on their way to Tarija's city center. Most were well suited in biking outfits  but there were some who were wearing sandals and no helmet; we couldn't really figure out how they made the team, but we cheered anyway. An hour or so behind schedule, we arrived at Las Duelas and were able to squeeze in our tour and enjoy some wine and singani (a potent distilled white grape alcohol) before they closed. We had one more tour on the list, that Juilo was sure would still be open, Casa Vieja. We drove farther out into the country and we came across our second bloqueo, this one was man made, piles of stones and large dead branches/shrubbery in the road, impassable. Julio asked a local man for another route, and we took a dirt road down to the river and hit another dead end. We all decided that we were satisfied with the day and should just head back to Tarija. We spent all of Sunday relaxing in the plaza, reading and eating. 

In other news from Cochabamba, Tuesday, September 14th is Cochabamba's 200th anniversary! Most offices are closed Monday and Tuesday, giving Cochabambinos a nice long weekend filled with celebrations and parades! The parades, similar to those we saw in Ecuador, are made up mostly of school marching bands and their classmates. ¡Feliz anniversario Cochabamba!

"Winter" has officially ended in Bolivia, and we are moving into spring. The days are slowly but surely, getting a little bit longer, and buds are appearing on once dormant trees and bushes. It doesn't sound like the weather will change too much, according to Bolivians, it will finally get warm, but according to us, it will be getting a little hotter. We have asked around and it seems as though the rainy season will not start until January, which is great timing for us, but flying out of Cochabamba this weekend, it was apparent how dry the landscape was. Spring showers?

Virgen de Urkupiña

The week before we left for Brazil (mid- August) was Cochabamba’s famous Fiesta de la Virgen de Urkupiña held in Quillacollo. The story is that long ago the Virgin Mary appeared several times to a shepherd girl at the foot of a hill. Later on, these visits were witnessed by the girl’s parents and other villagers; they exclaimed “There on the hill!” (In Quechua, Orkopiña) as the Virgin ascended to the sky. The villagers then discovered a stone image of the Virgin at the summit of the hill that is now kept in the church in Quillacollo.

Working in Quillacollo, I was able to see the weeks of preparation, offerings and parades leading up to the celebratory weekend. La Fiesta de la Virgen de Urkupiña is the largest annual celebration in the Cochabamba department. People from all over Bolivia, and South America come to Quillacollo to celebrate and honor la Virgen de Urkupiña, attracting up to half a million visitors. It is a tradition for many worshipers to walk from Cochabamba to Quillacollo, 13 km (8 miles), the night before the festivities begin as a sign of devotion.

Dave and I decided to take a trufi out to the crowded streets of Quillacollo one morning to check out the parades of traditional folkloric music and dancing that lasted for two days. Plazas were filled with games, food vendors, chicha, and people selling every imaginable item (similar to the Cancha).

Brazil

My recent trip to Ecuador with my mom in May was my first trip to South America. Since May, I have learned so much about the continent: it’s geography, cultures and languages. After living in Cochabamba for two months and learning about Bolivian customs and history, I joined the Felson family on their annual family vacation, this year to Brazil. Dave had not seen his family since he left home in January, so this reunion was highly anticipated.

We flew in to Salvador late last Thursday night and met Dave’s parents, sister and brother at the Pousada Redfish (hotel) in the Pelourinho neighborhood of Salvador. Salvador is the center of Afro-Brazilian culture and in 1985 this area was named an UNESCO’s World Heritage Site, and the preservation process is noticeable in the architecture and brilliant colors. The cobble stone streets of this neighborhood were lined with vibrant colored art galleries, shops and welcoming pousadas. Salvador is the capital of the Bahia State of Brazil, and it was also the original capital of Brazil. Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and has the sixth largest population.

Friday was spent cruising the streets, window-shopping, eating, learning African-Braizlian drumming lesson for Ben and Dave, watching capoeira (a style of movement originating among Brazilian slaves (from Angola) treated as a martial art and dance form), and we ended the day with a great dinner of moqueca, a traditional Bahian coconut curry stew of fish or shrimp.

Saturday morning, we left the Hotel Redfish and set off for the island of Morro de Sao Paulo. We took a two-hour catamaran boat ride from the port of Salvador to Morro. As we hit the open seas, and the waves that come with it, we were all feeling sea sick, and we were not alone. The boat company had anticipated this and had thoughtfully tied personal barf bags on to the back of each seat. I will spare you the details, but for someone who “doesn’t get seasick”, those bags came in handy. I have never been so happy to arrive somewhere. It could have been Cleveland in February, and I would have been elated, but lucky for me we arrived on the tropical beaches of Morro.

After arranging our island taxi, we followed our “driver” to the third beach (there are four beaches on Morro- the first two are the party beaches, lined with a boardwalk and restaurants competing for your business- and the third and fourth are more removed and quiet) where were settled in to the heavenly Pousada Villa dos Corais. Vacationing during the “winter”/off season, you run the risk of less than sunny days, but we all cashed in our good karma and enjoyed two days relaxing in the sun; reading, jumping in the pool and/or ocean to cool off and walking into town via the beach. 

Dave’s sister Rachel introduced us to Acaí while we were on Morro. Acaí is a berry that is found in the Amazon, and is commonly consumed in juice form (I am told that you can buy it at Whole Foods). The Acaí berry has one of the highest antioxidant levels of any fruit or berry, and tastes great! We enjoyed some on the beach with granola and bananas- a great breakfast or snack.
(On the left is a photo of the second beach).

            We rode our favorite catamaran back to Salvador on Wednesday, this time we had loaded up with Dramamine and assumed positions on the deck for some fresh air. Upon arriving in Salvador, we buckled up for a six-hour drive inland to the town of Lencois. Lencois is in the Chapada region of the Bahia State, and is surrounded by the Chapada Diamantina National Park. Lencois was a prominent diamond mining town in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1985 when the land officially became a National Park, the diamond mining industry of Lencois came to an end, mostly because of the negative environmental impacts of mining. The town of Lencois is a quiet, colorful small town surrounded by lush forests, rivers and mountains- hard to beat! We all fell in love with the town and with the natural beauty that surrounds it. Thursday we spent the day orienting ourselves, and enjoying a short hike from town to a waterfall. Friday we went on an all day hike with our guide, Levi, through the woods and along the river. Saturday we explored another area of the National Park and were able to swim in natural swimming holes and climb a mountain for a memorable sunset.

Overall, it was a perfect vacation, filled with sun, beautiful scenery, a new and exciting culture and family. Dave and I returned to Cochabamba on Sunday rejuvenated and completely relaxed. Thank you so much Felson family!

In other news: Dave and I are planning a trip to the Salar de Uyuni next weekend. Wiñay is going well and I am looking in to doing a research project for them, which I am really excited about. I'll keep you posted!

Mountain Sun

The last few weeks have been busy with friends, volunteering, exploring more of Cochabamba and working on my Bolivian residency/immigration process. Here are some highlights:

Two weekends ago, Dave, Clara and two of her friends from her volunteer program decided to climb Cerro Tunari. Tunari is the highest peak in central Bolivia, reaching 5,035 meters (16,520 feet above sea level). We decided to climb with a tour agency, and they picked us up at 6 AM, drove us for two hours straight up into the Andes surrounding Cochabamba. Around 9 AM, we arrived, freezing, on Tunari, our guides had driven us up a good portion of the mountain, and we were going to climb from there to the summit. We slowly started our ascent, and Clara taught us the power of switch backing (zigzagging your path) while we savored our coca hard candies and water from our guide Alberto (who was Clara’s host family’s uncle!) Along the way, there were patches of snow, similar to the end of winter in the North East/Midwest- when piles of snow are the only evidence of a brutal winter. With La Paz being the highest in altitude I have ever been (and before that Colorado Springs, CO as my maximum altitude), I felt out of breath on the hike and experienced the feeling of empty lungs for the first time, but overall I felt pretty good. After three hours, and a few breaks to catch our breath, we reached Cerro Tunari! It was so beautiful (and windy) and provided an unrivaled view of the entire Cochabamba Valley. We hiked down, enjoyed some lunch brought by Alberto and crew, and descended back into the valley. We passed through Quillacollo on our way home and Alberto asked us if we had tried chicha. None of us had, so he insisted on sharing a pitcher at a restaurant before heading back to the big city of Cocha. Chicha is a popular alcoholic drink made from fermented corn, and that is to be enjoyed slowly by large groups of friends. After our early wake up, hike, and chicha, we were all ready for an afternoon siesta.

This past Friday was Bolivian Independence Day, so we all enjoyed a day off of work and a long holiday weekend! The parades, desfiles, started in full swing on Thursday, with all of the local school children marching in costumes next to their classmates in the marching band. Thursday and Friday were filled with parades, marching bands, Bolivian flags, carnival games and treats. Quillacollo, where Wiñay is, is famous for their parades- and the town was completely taken over by students dressed to the nines in beautiful gowns and elaborate military outfits. The parades lasted all day on Thursday and Friday, from dawn till dusk, still feeling the beat of the drums long after the streets cleared.

This was also the last weekend for my amazing “airport friends”; Clara headed back to Colorado on Sunday, and Hillary is leaving on Thursday! We celebrated their final weekend in Bolivia with celebrating Bolivian Independence day at a favorite café, CoCafé, eating delicious homemade pizza, and a day relaxing at a pool/family country club outside of Quillacollo, La Cabaña- complete with a tennis court, zip line, soccer field and tons of space for families to run in the grass, sunbathe and relax. With Clara and Hillary leaving, I realized that two months in Bolivia have really flown by.

Dave and I are super excited to go to Brazil next Thursday with his family! His parents and brother and sister are meeting us in Salvador, Brazil for a 10-day vacation. We are going to be spending our time between Morro de Sao Paulo island off the coast of Salvador, and Lencois, a town about 5 hours inland. Details and photos to follow!

On the Road

Two weekends ago, Dave and I took a 20 minute trufi ride to the nearby town of Tiquipaya. A suburb of Cochabamba, Tiquipaya has a relaxed feel and is known for it's weekend markets. We shopped for produce at the market, enjoyed the views of the snow-capped mountains, had some lunch, relaxed in the plaza and then headed back to Cocha; a great Sunday afternoon!

This past weekend we had a bit longer ride to La Paz (8 hours overnight via bus.) While Sucre is the judicial capital of Bolivia, La Paz is Bolivia's largest city and legislative capital. La Paz is situated at a staggering 3660 meters (12,000 feet above sea level). After spending almost two months in Cochabamba at 2558 m (8,400 feet), it was still an adjustment for me. This is a photo of the looming Mount Illimani of 6402 m (21,000 feet!!) seen from La Paz.

Arriving in La Paz at 6:00 AM, we were startled by the cold winter morning temperature (around 35 degrees F), and quickly tracked down our hostel. We hurriedly put our bags down and brushed our teeth, and were off in search of breakfast and coffee. By 7:00 AM we were in the center of La Paz at Iglesia San Francisco, eating warm llauchas – a empanada filled with a gooey cheese sauce (see one of Dave's earlier posts on his experience with this tasty street food.  http://curiousgringo.blogspot.com/2010/03/street-food-heaven.html)


That afternoon we visited the Southern region of La Paz, called San Miguel- an affluent and trendy neighborhood filled with shops and cafes. We also spent time in two great museums, and tried out a few other street food treats that La Paz has to offer, including some amazing tucumanas, which are fried empanada like pastries filled with meat, eggs, potatoes and other flavors. We also took a stroll through the famous Mercado de Herchicería (the Witches' Market) where you can find any herbal or folk remedy, including dried coca leaves to cure your altitude sickness or llama fetuses for good luck. 

Day 2 in La Paz started off with an all you can eat pancake breakfast (both this and a free beer from their microbrew were included in the price of our hostel, The Adventure Brew Hostel.) With full stomachs and a sense of nostalgia for home, we headed to the El Alto Sunday market. El Alto is the city above La Paz and is the Aymará capital of the world. The Aymará are an indigenous people of Bolivia whose women are known for wearing black bowler hats accompanied by the traditional long pleated skirts. (The two large groups of indigenous people are the Quechua, of the valleys, and the Aymará of the Antiplano/high regions of the country.

We caught word that there was a soccer game in La Paz Sunday afternoon between one of La Paz's teams, The Strongest, and Aurora, from Cochabamba. So, we bought some paper visor hats from a vendor and some popcorn, and settled in to a half empty stadium to watch Cochabamba's Aurora lose to The Strongest. Regardless of the outcome, like every live sporting event, we had a great time! After the game we stumbled upon this (above) parade, we aren't sure of the occasion, but it was a bonus. My friend, Shahib, who we volunteered with in Quito, a British Indian, recommended an Indian restaurant in La Paz, The Star of India, that we had been looking forward to all weekend. And we were not let down; we both enjoyed some amazing vegetarian curries. We then headed to the bus terminal for our overnight bus home. Overall, a very FULfilling weekend in La Paz! I can't wait to go back.

PS- Speaking of the road, this week I experienced my first South American bloqueo. The road blockade appeared on my way to work on Wednesday morning. Our trufi approached the bloqueo and the passengers quickly noticed why we had stopped, and everyone started to pile out of the mini bus. Bewildered, I followed suit and tried to follow a man from my trufi through the maze of police, tires, flags, rocks, buses and masses of people that were acting as the blockade. I made it through the obstruction, trying to wrap my head around what was going on, and why, while trying to determine where I was and how I would get to work. I found a taxi on the other side, who took me to the clinic and told me, along with everyone else who I asked, that he had no idea why there was a blockade, and that they happen all the time. Hmmm... let's hope not. 

Wiñay

This past week I began volunteering at Wiñay, a progressive health clinic that offers women's health services as well as a great dentist; you can get a PAP and a cavity filled in one stop!

The clinic is located in a suburb of Cochabamba, called Quillacollo, about a 30 minute bus ride away. Wiñay has a gynecologist, two dentist who rotate days, a counselor, a lab technician, and two nurses (who are all women). The clinic administrator/boss is the only man on staff, and most of the time, is the only man in the busy clinic. The clinic is set up similar to a doctor's office, with a waiting room with a big cable TV adjacent to the front desk, and patients are called by the nurses to proceed to the doctor's office. Wiñay is a privately funded clinic, patients do not have to show an insurance card, simply pay a small fee (i.e. a pediatric check up is 25 Bolivianos, which is equivalent to about $3, and a visit to the gynecologist, including a PAP, is 70 Bs, just under $10). A large percent of the patients who come to the clinic are Quechua indigenous peoples.
(The photo on the left is the Wiñay informational brochure on cervical cancer.)

I am learning the medical vocabulary and working on my Spanish through conversations with new friends. For now I am helping out with checking patients in, retrieving prescriptions and test results. Once I feel more comfortable with the language, the system and the doctors, I will occasionally shadow doctors and take on new projects. 

What Not To Miss (in Cochabamba)

Lonely Planet (the travel guide book that you learn to love/hate while traveling) describes La Cancha market as: “Cochabamba is Bolivia’s biggest market town. The main market is the enormous La Cancha, which is one of the most crowded, chaotic, claustrophobic, and exhilarating spots in the country. Around the markets you’ll find just about everything imaginable.”

La Cancha is a colorful maze of insanity, and during my trips there I have found myself too busy clutching my bag and trying to follow my guide, that it’s been hard to appreciate the vendors and the bustle. This past weekend I went back to La Cancha with my friend Clara on a Saturday, which is busier than usual, if that is at all possible, and I was able to slow down and enjoy (some of) it. One of my favorite sections is the cake section, a maze with an overwhelming aroma of sugar and beautiful cakes on display- with the option to buy just a piece! And I also love the flowers section, where you find yourself surrounded by calla lilies and irises. You can also find every DVD, CD, soccer jersey, type of fruit or vegetable, spice, tire, sock or juice, just to name some of the items for sale. La Cancha really defines excess, you could find 100 of any one item you were searching for, and then find that it comes in 10 different colors or flavors; it’s fabulous!

Another popular excursion in Cochabamba, is Cristo de la Concordia (Christ of Peace.) This massive statue of Christ was built between 1987 and 1994, and reigns over the city from a hill in Eastern Cochabamba. The Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Cristo de la Concordia in Bolivia are both 33m (108 ft.) tall, because Christ died when he was 33 years old, but Bolivia's Cristo de la Concordia is 33m and a few centimeters. Cochabambinos pride themselves that Cristo de la Condcordia is the largest statue of Christ in the world, and say the extra height is appropriate, because Christ actually lived "33 years and a bit." 

There is a cable car (teleférico) that takes visitors up to the Cristo and once you think you're "close to Christ", you find out that you are able (only on Sundays) to climb up into the head of Jesus to get an even better view of Cochabamba valley. 

I start my volunteer position with Wiñay (a medical clinic for mothers and children) on Monday in a suburb of Cochabamba, called Quillacollo. I'm really anxious to start working, to see the clinic and to meet the people I'll be working with and those we'll be helping. I really hope what I've learned in my Spanish classes will shine through!

Picturing Cochabamba

I wanted to share some images that are common sights here in Cochabamba.

This is one of the various methods of transportation here, a micro, a brightly colored small bus that has a set route. There is also a shared taxi with a set route that is called a taxi trufi. It is just a regular cab that is open to other passengers and is much cheaper.

This is La Recoleta church, the center of our neighborhood and the best place to go for cafés and great restaurants. 

                                                                          

Our apartment is located on the corner of a main street, Avenida Santa Cruz and a side street, Beni. Santa Cruz runs from the suburbs to downtown Cochabamba. Here is a photo our apartment building, taken from the steps of Dave's office.

Street art/graffiti is everywhere here, and it is rare to find a wall or street that isn’t covered with tagging or images.

Sarah, meet meat.

For the last two years, since our trip to Tanzania, I have been a vegetarian. It started because the meat in Tanzania was not very desirable (lacking meat on the bones), and after not eating/enjoying meat for four months, I decided to research the vegetarian movement when I got back to the US.  After reading some of the popular slow food books by Michael Pollan and Barbara Kingsolver and watching Food Inc., I realized that leaving meat out of my diet for a while wasn’t such a bad idea. My reason being that animals should be treated fairly and humanely… before we eat them. For those of you who have seen Food Inc., (and if you haven’t, go rent it now) it highlights the mistreatment and the unnatural ways in which so much of the meat in this country is handled and prepared for consumption; it is terrifying, sad and shocking to think about animals (meat) being stuffed with hormones, unsanitary food, and living in conditions unfit for pigs. Free range (literally meaning they have the ability to cruise around a nice field of grass), living without hormones to fatten them up, and without living on top of each other in dismal conditions, is the wholesome way an animal should be raised on a farm. So, enjoy your burger, chicken, or steak tonight, but check out where it’s from, how it was raised, make sure it was a “happy chicken or cow”, (as my DC roommates would say.)

Which leads me to my Bolivian story. I knew coming to South America that I was going to have to throw up my hands and eat some meat. Dave reassured me that here, the majority of the meat does not come from factories, but is actually free range. Dave also gave me the heads up it is rare to find dishes that do not contain meat in the Bolivian culture. Alright I thought, well a little natural chicken or beef would be good for me, I’m ready. And in the month that I have been here, we usually cook a vegetarian dinner in the apartment, but I have had my share of pollo y carne in other delicious Bolivian dishes.

Like this pork salteña

The other night we were out with a bunch of Dave’s co-workers (from ILS) to celebrate Dave’s birthday and also for a farewell party for his close friend, Javier, from ILS, who left on Sunday for an assignment in Nigeria and Qatar for the next year. As our night of celebratory drinking and eating pique macho (of which I managed to eat only the vegetables and fries) came to an end, Dave’s good friend Patty told us that we were going with her and her husband to get her favorite meal, anticuchos, cow heart.

Even after my shpeil on eat all the meat you want, as long as it lead a nice life, cow heart?! I looked at Dave in terror and we both smiled and said, “Great!” Dave and another American friend had both told me that this was a great dish, wonderful meat and “you would never know it’s cow heart!” Hmmm, well I do know it’s cow heart, so now what? Dave’s plan was that he would order one and I would have a bite. As soon as we sat down at the late night, outdoor food stands of Las Islas, Patty quickly ordered two for each of us. Before I knew it, a plate with yucca and two skewers of dark meat landed in front of me.

They looked like shish kabobs I told myself, “mind over matter, mind over matter.” Dave, to the rescue, began explaining to Patty, Carlos and Boris that I had not eaten meat for two years so this was a big step. They all laughed and supported me, asking “What do you think? Do you like it?” Ok, here we go, I thought, Patty is the nicest woman in the world, you are in her country and this is her favorite meal, eat the cow heart. And I did. And it wasn’t too bad.

Afterwards, I told Dave that the hard part was that I knew it was a cow’s heart, it was completely a mental battle. We all laughed at my success and had a wonderful time enjoying our anticuchos (well, Dave had most of mine.) I’m sure you have all tried some interesting dishes on your travels, and I’m sure they all involve a great story. Please leave a comment below if you're bold enough to share!

Looking back on that night, filled with meat and Dave’s close friends, who have taken me under their wings, I’m so glad that I was invited to share their favorite dish with them. At the heart of it all, food is meant to be enjoyed with company, bringing us all around one table.

On the menu for tomorrow, llama empanadas. 

The Frugal Traveler

http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/all-advice-leads-to-cochabamba-bolivia/


In last week's New York Times, the Frugal Traveler wrote about Cochabamba and it's neighboring Bolivian cities. This professional outlook is fun to read and will hopefully give you a good sense of where we are. 

The Swing of Things

Unlike our last trip together to Tanzania (in 2008), we are really settling in here, for the next seven months at least. In my first three weeks, I have met the lady at the laundry mat, FaciLav, (who knew who I was the second I walked into her shop to drop off our clothes- "A gringa? Must be David's girlfriend"), I have gone with Dave to pay our utility bills for the first time this past weekend- I think our gas bill for the month was a little over a US $1- (very similar to a long line at the bank- you bring your bills to the front, they stamp them and you pay); I have signed on to join the neighborhood gym, Dave has his regular women at the Saturday market whom he buys produce from and I have become a familiar face to them, and I have gone out to dinner with his amazing boss and his wife, Marcelo and Ximena, to a very trendy new restaurant in our neighborhood and to their house for lunch. I feel very comfortable in our neighborhood of Queru Queru (on the border of another neighborhood, Recoleta). It is very quiet and the streets are lined with hibiscus trees in front of stores, restaurants and apartment buildings. While we may be the only gringos in our neighborhood, no one ever makes us feel out of place, Cochabambinos are very welcoming.

  Local (&) Art                                                     Dave REALLY enjoying some Pique lo Macho

View of our neighborhood from Dave's Office

This weekend we are going to Villa Tunari, a small town in the Chapare region of Bolivia (to celebrate Dave's birthday!) Villa Tunari is in the jungle and is rumored to be hotter and more humid than Santa Cruz, an amazing climate change for only a four hour bus ride away. Villa Tunari is known for its quiet and relaxing atmosphere, hiking and the numerous natural swimming holes along the beautiful river San Mateo, I can't wait!

I have made two fabulous new friends from Chicago and Denver, who I met on the plane from Miami to La Paz. They are both here in Cochabamba for the summer volunteering in health clinics, and we have been able to meet up a few times for coffee and dinner. It is nice to talk to newcomers to Cochabamba like myself- "Have you been to this café? Where is the movie theatre? How do you say...? How was your weekend trip?/Do you recommend it?"for an information (and book) swap. I hope to make some Bolivian friends once I start my volunteering. 

(Pique lo macho is a huge plate of beef, with hot dogs or sausage, hard boiled eggs, lettuce, tomatoes, olives and cheese, oh and can't forget the french fries!)