Cochabamba... and Bolivian Protests.

At 11pm on Monday night, Maryam, Camilla, Seneca, Nina and I boarded the overnight bus to Cochabamba. We were delighted to find that by paying an extra 20 Bolivianos (about $3) on top of the average fare, we were treated to bus-style luxury. The seats reclined almost to a horizontal angle and there was mounds of leg room.

We arrived at the Cochabamba bus station at 6am before the rest of the city had woken, and as a result we were forced to spend a few hours in the horrible train station café. It did however allow us some time to plan the rest of our day and regain some energy.

Located almost directly behind the bus station is a giant hill with a statue of Christ standing on a pedestal with women and their children gathered at his feet. It was constructed to honour the women who fought against the Spanish invaders in the War of Independence in 1812 in Cochabamba. From the top of this hill there is a panoramic view of the city of Cochabamba encompassed by the ranges, a strange contrast to La Paz which looks down on the mountains.

The remainder of the morning was spent wondering through La Cancha, the enormous market in the centre of the city, and browsing through the streets of Cochabamba. One of the most spectacular sites is the Plaza 14^th de Setiembre. Filled with beautifully groomed gardens and a vintage stone fountain, the plaza is a very relaxed and popular spot to soak up the sun and watch the children feeding and playing with the pigeons.

A stark difference between Cochabamba and La Paz is the temperature. We unfortunately discovered this as we were making our way up to the top of the hill to the statue of Christ and were hit by a heatwave. When we reached the enormous Christ we were again treated to a fantastic view of the city and the surrounding mountains. Before ascending the mountain were proudly notified by a number of Bolivians that it is in fact slightly taller than the famous statue of Christ is Rio.

To escape the worst of the heat, we passed the afternoon immersing ourselves in the different cultural activities around the city. We visited the Natural History museum which appeared from the outside like a very run down, ghost house. The exhibition was hardly anything to get excited about as it contained few displays and was focused mainly on fossils, an aspect of history of which I am not overly interested in. However our visit to the Palacio de Simon I. Patino made up for it.

The Palace is an incredible mix of classic architecture and beautifully sculptured gardens. Patino’s wealth is evident in the fantastic interior design of the palace which contains a mixture of relics from all over the world. He was very interested in the artisans of Europe and had much of the art, furniture and fabrics that now decorate the interior of his palace shipped out to Bolivia from Europe. Surrounding the walls of the palace is a fantastic, Japanese-inspired garden which is a peaceful haven for many birds and animals alike. Unfortunately Patino died before he was given the opportunity to live in his dream home (as it took twelve years to finish), however his family still continue to visit the house.

What I found most fantastic about the palace is that it is now utilised as a cultural centre, and is the host of many exhibitions and formal meetings. I thought it quite unusual but at the same time very sensible that an historical site such as this continue to be utilised, as in many other countries palaces such as this remain untouched for fear of it being damaged.

Burritos and fresh juices were on the menu for both dinner and lunch that day…we were so impressed by both the taste and cost of the food at lunch that we had to return to the Mexican restaurant for dinner!

The rest of the evening we lazed around in Café Paris, consuming a gourmet banana split crepe and some freshly ground coffee, waiting to meet up with Mads, an ex-Bolivian Express intern who lives in the city. Due to a number of bus delays on her behalf as well as a scheduled departure time on ours, our gathering was fairly short lived. At 11pm that same evening we again boarded the bus expecting to arrive in La Paz at 6am the following morning…. how wrong we were!

The return journey was certainly the highlight of my trip to Cochabamba, and perhaps of my entire journey to date. At 5am our coach stopped in a tiny town known as Calamarka where  it remained stationary for the next 9 hours or so. After having drifted back to sleep after the initial stop, I woke again at 8am frustrated that we hadn’t moved a single metre.

Interested to see the cause of our delay, Nina, Cami and left the bus. We were each guessing at what it could be; laughing that it was probably a protest (considering I have not had a single day in Bolivia and haven’t seen a protest of some description). Ironically, we were correct. Our coach was one of about 100 other buses and cars stuck in a roadblock due to the work of a small Indigenous group of protesters.
Despite the fact that the bus drivers seemed not the slightest bit phased by the roadblock as if it were a regular occurrence, we were eager to take a closer look.

We approached the group of protesters to enquire about their motives for the protest, and they informed us that they were trying to get the attention of the government to better acknowledge Indigenous rights. They had worked all of the night to block the road with a large pile of rocks, on top of which stood a burning tyre and Bolivia’s Indigenous flag. We got a few photos with the men, and then the leader of the group grabbed the arm of both Cami and I and started dancing with us, much to the amusement of his friends.

Despite the fact that the protest could have been a dangerous environment for five obviously foreign travellers, we were treated incredibly kindly not only by the protesters, but also the policemen, the Cholitas and the local village people.

After an hour or so of viewing the protesters from a short distance, we returned to the bus to find two Cholitas cleverly positioned near the door to the bus. On noticing the build up of cars they had taken the opportunity to cook up an enormous batch of quinoa and salsa to serve to the hungry travellers. We feasted on two plates of quinoa with salsa and cheese; meanwhile the Cholitas laughing compared us to birds as we all huddled around to plate to peck at the food. It is small actions like this however that truly break the cultural boundaries and allow both us as foreigners to feel more like locals, and at the same time earns us the respect of the Bolivians who are impressed when we are eager to immerse ourselves in the local traditions.

A small, gorgeous little Bolivian boy was the focus of much attention for the next few hours as we watched him amuse himself with an empty coke bottle. It is so nice to see children who haven’t been exposed to the wrath of consumerism that is so prevalent in most first world countries these days.

This little boy was clearly a rascal as his mother was forced to chase him all over the place, but his gorgeous and very friendly persona obviously charmed her as it did everyone else who watched him. After he was used to us sitting near him, he came up and offered me the bottle, and for the next while we played games together.

After having sat at this tiny village for over four hours, we were offered by some Bolivians to share a micro for the last hour into La Paz for a small fare. Considering we hadn’t showered in over 48 hours, and because we still didn’t know when the roadblock would be cleared, we gladly accepted the offer and farewelled our temporary friends.
The police and the local Indigenous people negotiated an agreement and the protest ended in a very civil manner.

On Saturday night in a groovy little street known as Calle Jaen there was the ‘Night of the Museums’. We frequented the cultural evening for a short while however it was so crowded that the line to get into the museums stretched the entire lengths of the street. We shared some pizzas in a groovy little restaurant and enjoyed the live music and market stalls set up for the occasion. 

We did manage to slip into the photography exhibition where one of the designer from the Bolivian Express was exhibiting one of his photos. It was a fantastic shot of the champion Cholita wrestler of 2005 holding her victory belt above her head, although still dressed in her traditional Cholita dress. It was taken outside her very basic house and the contrast of the dull building with her bright attire was what made the photo so fantastic. We were all delighted to learn that Gato (the photographer) had also been one of the few artists to sell his photograph.

Later that same night we shared some drinks at home before heading out with our housemate Vampi and his friend Darko to Forum, one of the local clubs. We had a very enjoyable night dancing to the local music and hanging out with the guys.

Over the past few weeks we have been sampling all of the street foods in La Paz, all of which are very simple and delicious. Choripan is a crunchy baguette filled with a German-style sausage, tomato, lettuce and spicy sauces. Tocomanas are similar to saltenas (mentioned in the previous blog), but are fried instead of baked. Anticucho can be found on small barbeques after about 7pm and is beef heart with potatoes. Initially I was slightly hesitant to indulge in all of these meaty foods as I am not an overly keen meat-eater, however I felt it important to experience the culture of La Paz. The other thing I really value about street food in Bolivia is that it is a very social and relaxed atmosphere, as people often stop just for a few minutes and huddle around the Cholita as she prepares the meal, and then remain for a further few minutes to enjoy it.

It has been a busy few days at the Bolivian Express with deadlines approaching as well as our usual Spanish and journalism classes still keeping us occupied. We have now all written two articles for this month, and will do the same in the coming few weeks for the July issue.

The next few weeks however we have some serious plans for exploring more of the Bolivian countryside. I imagine my next blog will be a lengthy one as I recall the ins and outs of our proposed excursions. I hope you can wait until then…

Barbies & Bananas in Bolivia

A number of interesting, and in some cases unusual, things have happened since my last blog on La Paz…

La Paz is well known for it’s rich market scene and extensive range of products on offer at these markets. In fact, there is almost no need to make a trip to the supermarket. At our local Mercado Rodriguez, not only is there a diverse array of fresh bread, fruit and vegetables, but one can also find spices, nuts, barbie dolls, beauty products, bread, cheese, pasta, rice, toiletries, electronic appliances, cows tongues, fish, llama foetuses, clothing… and the list goes on. It is also nice to see the friendly cholitas (some of whom manage to transport all of their produce to and from the market in a bag slung across their back) on the receiving end of the payment as apposed to a faceless supermarket franchise.

While the market scene can be bustling and exciting, unfortunately it was also at Mercado Rodriguez that I had a rather confronting experience. Before arriving in Bolivia I had read a lot about the fact that, because the Bolivian culture remains very traditional, many of the cholitas are against tourist photographing them. However, as I had already spent a week in La Paz and hadn’t experienced any problems, I thought perhaps it had been an exaggeration. When, [however], I was taking a photo of one of the stalls with masses of apples piled on top of each other on the corner of a bench, the owner of the stall started screaming at me in Spanish. I walked away quickly fearing that my lack of Spanish would only aggravate her further. I understand why she was upset, and I felt very guilty, wishing I had been more careful to begin with.

On a lighter note, this day was also memorable as it was the first time I tried the traditional Bolivian delicacy of ‘Salteñas’. An ovular shaped pastry filled with your choice of vegetables, beef or chicken, this delicious and very popular street food is found all over La Paz and is available until the early hours of the afternoon. They can be bought both on the street and in specialised restaurants, however due to the liquidity of the sauce, I believe they are enjoyed much more if seated and accompanied with a jugo de tumbo (a fruit that tastes similar to passionfruit).

The weekend was spent lounging around with the other interns, Camilla (UK) and Seneca (USA), with Sunday bringing the addition of our final intern for the months of May and June. Maryam, another British traveller, was welcomed into the Bolivian Express penthouse early on Sunday morning. The strangest and most entertaining thing we have discovered since sharing a number of days together is that, despite the fact we are all English-speaking individuals, our assortment of accents make discussions much more complicated than those when we are trying to communicate in Spanish. A discussion about ‘thongs’ must be clarified with the addition of ‘flip flops’, cooking instructions become complicated when Nina and I are told to roast the ‘aubergines and courgette’ instead of the eggplant and the zucchini (and by this stage Nina and I are feeling a lot less classy. These episodes never cease to create a table full of girls bursting with laughter, with the speaker adding further explanation before the most innocent of stories can turn awkward for at least one of us seated.

This week Nina and I have felt more like journalists (having been given our very own press passes and everything!) as we have been navigating through La Paz in order to meet various interviewees for out article on Afro-Bolivians. I won’t go into detail about the nature of our article, as I don’t want to spoil the surprise for when it is finally published as part of the Bolivian Express! However it has led us on an interesting journey in which we ended up meeting an Afro Bolivian, Jorge Medina, who is fairly high up in the ranks, but is at the same time a very laid back guy.

On the way to one of our many meetings we passed a room that look suspiciously full of people and had guards stationed by the door, so we moved closer for a better look. Nina and I were in hysterics when we discovered all of the commotion was to celebrate the National Festival of the Potato. Ironically it seemed like a serious affair, with a number of men in suits and large-scale posters lining the walls!

“Alascitas” is a festival held in Bolivia every year in late January/early February. It is a ceremony in which Bolivians buy miniature objects from market stalls to give to Ekeko, the household god of abundance (a chubby guy with rosy cheeks). In return for their offerings, Ekeko watches over the house and ensures the family everlasting happiness. By the end of the year, the Bolivians are supposed to get (in it’s proper size) their object of desire. Before our consumerist society, the offerings used to be daily necessities such as farm animals or vegetables. Nowadays however, one can purchase miniature sized airplane tickets, cars, ipods, drivers’ licenses and even marriage (and divorce) certificates! Unfortunately I wasn’t in La Paz for this festival but I found it so interesting when Camilla told me about her experience of Alascitas that I thought it worth a mention!

After Tom’s gut wrenching (both literally and metaphorically) experience last year in Argentina and now my week of serious diarrhoea and vomiting, I believe it can be said that South America is not fond of the Wolffs. After two visits to the doctor I have discovered I have a bacterial infection. However having been given a course of antibiotics I am hopefully on the mend!

 Adios.

A few other interesting things to note about La Paz:

Each of La Paz’ tiny buses (micros) is equipped with a screamer. The screamer is the individual stationed by the window (or door) screaming out the various destinations of the micro in the hope of gaining a few more travellers.

At a number of the main pedestrian or ‘zebra’ crossings, there are humans dressed as zebras entertaining and dancing for the tourists, whilst at the same time attempting to direct the traffic (but really just getting in the way).

Don’t be fooled by taxis…what may from the outside look like a taxi can also serve the purpose of a minibus. Nina and I had an experience when, thinking we were taking our own taxi back to the apartment, we made another four stops along the way… eventually piling in another four (and not overly slim) people. 






P.s. This is a seriously cool bar hidden in our street - it is made entirely from recycled metal! 

La Paz

There is no other city like La Paz. 

Situated a stunning 3660m above sea level and built in between mountainous peaks it cannot be described as anything less than incredible...and sitting in the penthouse of the Edificio 20 de Octubre with a panoramic view of a sea of orange lights I have to pinch myself. 

Nina and I arrived in La Paz to a beautiful, sunny, Saturday afternoon. The sky was a piercing blue and clouds were scarce. As we wound our way down the side of the hill away from El Alto and the airport and into La Paz we couldn't really digest what stretched out in front of our eyes. The traffic is total mayhem, the streets are built on freakishly steep slopes and the houses are dotted all over the uneven terrain. It is fantastic!

A Japanese man insisted on taking a photo of us due to the fact that we looked so ridiculous!

This great city is now our home for the next two months. For those who aren’t already aware, Nina and I are participating in a journalism program at the Bolivian Express, a monthly magazine that is distributed all over La Paz (in restaurants, cafes, on airplanes etc). For the next two months we are working alongside three other interns from around the world, as well as a permanent team of editors and journalists to produce the monthly issue.

Before we began our time with the Bolivian Express however, Nina and I checked into the Onkel hostel in Sopocachi, La Paz. It gave us the perfect opportunity for a few days of exploring the city and ultimately to get a real feel for the place.

As Saturday evening quickly approached, too exhausted to think, we consulted with our trusty Lonely Planet for a nice place to eat out, eventually deciding on the Star of India. As it’s name suggests, this restaurant serves traditional Indian curries and is hidden at the top of one of the many steep streets in La Paz. It is at the Star of India that tourists are able to eat (or attempt to eat) what the restaurant claims to be ‘the spiciest vindaloo in South America’. If the bowl is polished off completely, the individual is then rewarded with a promotional t-shirt as their very own claim to fame. While this may sound like a weak attempt to justify our non-attempt…it was our first night in Bolivia, and my travel companion is not a fan of spicy food. So, afraid to brave it alone, I have put it off for the time being.

On both Sunday and Monday much of the city was closed due to the annual Labour Day holiday. As a result we spent much of the day wondering through the endless food markets, admiring the Bolivian women, ‘cholitas’, in their traditional and highly decorative ‘polleras’ (layered skirts made from beautiful local fabrics), and taking in the incredible view of the mountains that can be admired from many spots around the city.

Apart from it’s unique geographical position and obvious attachment to traditional culture, La Paz is also known for it’s highly unusual, and at the same time very dangerous San Pedro prison. It is now the focus of much attention due to the recently released Marching Powder, a book that follows the life of a British drug dealer who spent years behind the bars of the prison. His biography exposes the corrupt nature of the jail and the cocaine dealing that goes on between numerous individuals, and not just the inmates! Nina and I are yet to tour through the prison due to the fact that it is now illegal, and also because we watched as two Australian boys were robbed of their chance when the ‘tour guide’ ran off with their money. It was a little bit unsettling when we discovered the prison was in fact located on the corner opposite our hostel!

Later that evening we navigated our way through the streets to the Bolivian Express building where we joined the rest of the team for a farewell dinner for one of the interns. It was an enjoyable night…many stories were shared, wine was drunk and there was an impressive buffet of home cooked food to go around.

For the past few days we have been settling in to our new apartment, which in case I haven’t already mentioned is in fact a penthouse. We are therefore treated each day and night to a panoramic view of the city, and I almost feel as if I could give the daily weather report. Yesterday was fantastic…we had a magnificent view of the rain (which later developed into hail) as it swept over the mountains and descended onto the city of La Paz.

Before the storm...

During the storm

Today we visited Zona Sur, the most upmarket suburb of La Paz that lies in the lower altitude region (ironically, unlike in many European nations the lower class citizens live in the higher altitude regions with the best views, and the wealthier congregate at the bottom of the valley). We were eager for some shopping and an adventure beyond the boundaries of Sopocachi.

There is a notable difference between Zona Sur and the rest of the city, and it is clearly evident in the rows of relatively high-end fashion boutiques and gourmet delicatessens which cannot be found in the centre of La Paz. Although it is situated towards the bottom of the valley, the inhabitants of Zona Sur are likewise treated to stunning views of the mountains.

I’d describe our day as a bit of a splurge…we each treated ourselves to a few incredibly good value, niche items of clothing as well as a treat from the gourmet bakery. However having been at the doctor only several hours earlier trying to treat poor Nina’s illness we felt it was well deserved!

The bakery

Caledoscopio...the shop where many a purchases were made!

Now it is time to continue exploring La Paz and enjoy living as an intern at the Bolivian Express.

Farewell Santiago

A wide smile simultaneously appeared on the faces of both Nina and I as we woke on our final day in Santiago to the warm autumn sun. Having experienced Santiago’s freezing winds and low temperatures the past few days we were grateful to be able to shed a layer and comfortably move around the shady regions of the city.

After a big day at Valparaiso on Tuesday, Wednesday we decided to hop on the metro and venture back into the city to check out some of the art galleries we had been shown during the walking tour.

Another great thing about Santiago of which I am yet to mention, is the reliability and frequency of the city trains. Not once have I (or Nina for that matter) had to look at the metro timetable, instead each time we descend the stairs to the platform there seems to always be a train either already stopped or just pulling in to the station. Also, the ticketing system works in a simple manner- you buy a card, top it up with money, and it subsequently allows you access to any stage of the railway. It also has the other nice feature of making you feel like more of a local.

The first stop was the Cultural Centre in the heart of Santiago. It is a fascinating building hidden underneath the grand entrance to the parliament house. The most interesting exhibition inside the centre was a collection of works from artists affected by the recent devastating Chilean tornado which claimed over 500 lives. The exhibition was designed to support the needs of the survivors with the profits going towards necessities for day-to-day living. The collection was inspiring to say the least, with an impressive array of creative techniques including weaving, knitting, jewellery design and clay works on display.  

When we had finished in the gallery, it was lunchtime (3pm). We found a fantastic little restaurant ‘El Naturista’ in the middle of the city, in between the rows of office buildings. We later discovered we weren’t the only ones attracted to the restaurant as we slid behind an already extensive line of people stretched out the door. El Naturista is an incredibly well run business with what appears to be over 15 staff catering for the needs of the thousands of diners that pass through each day. In the time we sat in the restaurant there was never less than 10 people waiting in line to eat.

The menu offered an extensive list of vegetarian foods including homemade pasta and lasagne, salads, risotto, and a number of other Chilean delights. Nina and I were so satisfied with the quality of the food (and the reasonable prices) that it became our lunch hotspot for the following two days!

We spent the afternoon soaking up the sun in the park in the centre of the city. After an hour or so of rolling around on the grass laughing and studying those who passed by we were called over by two policemen. We first thought their intentions were to remove us from the grounds, but instead they simply wanted to know about Australia and our experience in Santiago. This general friendliness of the city police in Santiago seems to be widespread, and is a likeable feature of the city.

The next two days we continued to discover new parts of the city and navigated our way around the metro. Nina and I took a great liking to Lastarria, a groovy suburb filled with gourmet cafes, off the street galleries and niche clothing stores.

One of the best features of Lastarria is the interesting gallery inside which we viewed a great photography exhibition about the historical military coup of 1973 in Chile. More fascinating though is the gallery itself, the exterior is uniquely designed with the façade of the building made almost entirely of rusted metal. The bright orange of the rust is very unusual for a contemporary building, however it looks fantastic in the sunlight.

We also visited the second house of Pablo Neruda, “La Chascona” which is cleverly built into the hill behind Bellavista. The tour costs little and gives a great insight into his life and also into the history of communism in Chile.  

Our time in Santiago has been an interesting one. The best way to sum it up is to paraphrase a passage that stood out to me in my Wallpaper guide before I left for overseas… “Get there quickly before others cotton on as Santiago is one of South America’s best kept secrets”.