|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bolivia, 2001 Home More Cochabamba
Cochabamba: Arrival
July 12, 2001
(Click on Images for Enlargement)
At last we’ve arrived in Bolivia! We’ve been planning this trip since returning from our visit in December 1999. The year-and-a-half process seemed to grow in intensity and complexity with each passing day - the last month was a blur – but finally all the planning came to an abrupt halt when we stepped on the LAB (Lloyd Aereo Boliviano) Airbus and headed south from Miami. Actually, LAB put an end to the process a bit early. Our flight was to leave Miami at 11:30 P.M. on July 9th, but when I called the airline at 9:30 A.M., the agent told me that they’d been trying to reach us – the flight would leave at 1:30 P.M. instead. Thus, rather than repacking yet again, lunching with Legal-Services friends, wandering over to Barry University, and then making our leisurely way to the airport, we threw together our luggage, dashed through Miami traffic, and arrived with just enough time to scarf down a "value meal" from some fast-food joint that was synergizing with the panoply of folks that were going to get us on the plane and on to Bolivia.
The flight down was uneventful. Once on the plane, we ate again, watched "Meet the Parents" (it was just as funny the second time,) made a short stop in Manaus (Brazil,) changed planes in Santa Cruz (Bolivia,) and then flew on to Cochabamba. Once in Bolivia, the schedule change put things out of kilter. Instead of being met at the airport at 8:30 A.M. by the proprietors of Anne’s language school, we arrived in the middle of the night. It was midnight - we were tired, had an unwieldy pile of "stuff," and were unsure about where to stay. The cab driver turned his nose up at our suggestion and tore off into dark, deserted Cochabamba. On the second try, he delivered us to the "Uni Hotel;" we had no idea where it was, and it wasn’t listed in the Lonely Planet guide.
The Uni turned out to be quit a find. It was inexpensive and we had a large room with all-day hot water (and it was actually hot.) Upon awakening, we found ourselves one block from the central plaza near the busy Avenida de Heroines which divides Cochabamba north and south. The great thing about the 5th floor dining room (the Uni has 3 dining rooms for some inexplicable reason) was not so much the free breakfast as the view it offered while you ate it. The streets below us had come to life; across Baptista were the façade of an old building and the tiled rooftop of a church. To the north and east, Cochabamba stretched out and merged into a long, barren spur of Andes. A bit of snow was on the higher peaks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We spent the next day getting oriented. This consisted of wandering around with intermittent bouts of eating. Cochabamba is about 8,000 ft. above sea level and has a year-round great climate. Just now it is winter and the daytime air is warm with a slight chill when one is in the shade. The evenings are cool but not really cold. "La Cancha," Cochabamba’s market, begins a few blocks south of the central plaza, but it’s difficult to know exactly where it ends - at times it covers entire city blocks and at others it spills down streets - but there are acres and miles (literally) of stales selling food, clothing, tools, wire, blender parts… El Prado, a few blocks north of the central plaza, is a broad, tree-lined boulevard with sidewalk cafes alone each side. It has the questionable distinction of having one of Bolivia’s few MacDonald’s Burgers at its northern end. While we hung out (at its southern end) enjoying the sun and air, a costumed group arrived and started threatening motorists…and with a police escort. Later we saw similar groups elsewhere around town. Apparently, Cochabamba has a campaign against drivers who block pedestrian crosswalks. When vehicle stops even an inch into the crosswalk, the group struts out into the street, pounds on its hood, and harasses its driver.
 |
 |
 |
 |
On our second morning in Cochabamba we called the Escuela Runawasi (Anne’s school) and Joaquin Hinajosa picked us up. Unfortunately he didn’t know that we were the "lost arrivals" and had luggage. His "beetle" managed to accommodate only Anne, her suitcase, and our huge bag of camping gear; my suitcase and I followed in a cab.
So far the Escuela Runawasi scene has been great. Joaquin is from Siglo XX, the tin mine about twenty miles down the road from my old haunt, Huanuni. In fact, the school is located in a small community (in the outskirts Cochabamba) that was created by a cooperative of Siglo XX tin miners; everyone in the place has working class roots and a connection with the mines. Janine, Joaquin’s wife, is Swiss – both are friendly and helpful. We are staying with Feli and Flori Cossio, the family that lives across the street from the Hinajosas. We eat all our meals together and are getting to know them well. They, too, are friendly and helpful. Flori is a lawyer who likes to talk politics; his hero is Che whose picture hangs in the dining room. Feli is a bit quieter but keeps things organized. The house we are staying is actually owned by Juanita, Flori’s aunt. We share the upstairs with her. She is also friendly and helpful…and a great talker. The first day we were here, Juanita’s granddaughter, Gabriella, also stayed with us. Yes folks, there is a pattern here…there must be a friendly, helpful, gregarious gene bred into the Bolivian gene pool (in fact, we came away from our last visit surprised at how prominent these traits seemed…we hadn’t met a person who was disagreeable, unpleasant, or unhelpful.)…Gabriella was nice as well. The other major actor in the Cossio household is Picaron, the dog. His gene pool is of questionable, but no doubt diverse, origins… No, he certainly hasn’t been helpful…but he sure is friendly.
 |
 |
 |
| Feli and Flori | Gabriela, Anne, and Juanita | Picaron |
 |
 |
 |
| Our House | Our Street | Sunset from our window |
Oh yes, our first night with the Cossio’s there was an earthquake at around 3:30 A.M. Although it was an honest-to-goodness tremor measuring 5.4 on the Richter Scale it lasted only a short time and did little damage. Its major effect was to set the dogs - thousands of dogs - howling. The good dog Picaron, however, remained quiet.
Ciao
Jim (and Anne)
