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   Picture of the Police Station in Sucre

4 are dead. The police have fled from Sucre and are still not back. Imagine a city without police? Fortunately, things seem calm, the city has more or less returned to normal, and the streets during the day are safe. Yesterday, the memorial services for those who had perished in the fighting were held. Evo Morales has yet to offer his condolences to the families who lost their children. He is currently in La Paz celebrating the vote that went through to work on changing the constitution.

News update

So, the rioting has not calmed down. In fact, it has gotten worse. Two are dead, a university student and a lawyer, and many are injured. The days are safe and calm but the fighting continues at night. Apparently, the police have fled from Sucre and all the prisoners (around 100) have been released. The governor of the Chiquisaca region has also fled. It seems there are no figures of authority in Sucre as of now. Evo Morales, the Bolivian president, has not made any sort of statement about what is going on here.

updated news

Riots on the streets of Sucre

 

There are always protest marches in Sucre. You can expect an average of one strike a week, thus 1 day off from work.  Bolivia and Sucre in particular is very political and anything can set people off. Last week their was a bus strike because the drivers were demanding higher fares. This weekend (Nov 23/24) has been especially bad.  The University students here are protesting the possible changes that will be made to the Constitution. They took to the streets last night and burned tires all around the city. I saw a flaming tire on my street last night and the smell of burning rubber is everywhere. The military has been here trying to calm things down and last night there was a lot of tear gas which was extremely unpleasant.  I believe that a fair amount of people were injured but I do not know all the details. Today the rioting is supposed to continue so it is best if I stay at home,  its hard tho- hence why i am in the internet cafe writing about all this now.  Ok, I hear noise on the streets.  Best to go back home.  

 More on the situation in Sucre

Salar de Uyuni

 

Sorry blog readers, I know I have not written in a while but there was a good reason I swear.  This past weekend I embarked on a journey to the famous salt desert of Uyuni and to the Eduardo Avaroa National Park.  I left on saturday with 3 other students early in the morning. We took a bus for 50 bolivianos (7 dollars) from Sucre to Uyuni which took approx 9 hours. The narrow, rocky roads through the mountains were a little disconcerting so I spent most of the trip resting my eyes.  There were short stops along the way to pay tolls. During this time, women on the road selling candy and popcorn would board the bus and sell their products to the travelers.  Other times, we would make stops for local hitch hikers who would pay a lesser price to stand in the aisles until their chosen destination.  After around 3 hours of travel, we stopped in Potosi- the once very prosperous mining city.  We only had a 15 minute break to buy something to eat and go to the bathroom so I did not get a feel for the city.  I do, however, plan to return at somepoint to take a tour of the mines. I just recently saw a movie called The Devils Miners which follows the harsh life of two boys, ages 10 and 12, who work in the dangerous mines of Cerro Rico. Life expectancy for miners is around 35 years.

We arrived in Uyuni at 6 pm and immediatly set up shop in a cheap, clean hostel (3 dollars per person for a night). Uyuni reminded me of an old mid-western town and I half expected to see a showdown between cowboys in the street, tumbleweed rolling by in the background.  It thrives soley because of the Salar and the tourists that pass through. The next morning we woke up early because we had to scout out the different tour companies that offer trips to the Salar.  There were dozens and we only had a couple hours to find the best deal.  We eventually settled on the Castilla tour company. The determining factor was the menu they offered which consisted of pancakes, fresh fruit, chicken, pasta, wine etc. We were sold after hearing the word pancake. Castilla tours offered us 460 bolivianos (65 dollars) per person for 3 days and two nights. They even offered to get us bus tickets (50 bolivianos) back to Sucre so we would not have to deal with that when we returned. 

We set out at 11am and got to the Salar around 2pm. The Salar de Uyuni “is the world’s largest salt flat (12,106 sq km)” and its blinding white plains are a sight for sore eyes- literally. Sunglasses are a must! We stopped to have lunch at the well know Isla Incahuasi.  This island surrounded by the sea of salt was incredible: a hill of coral rock covered in catcti over 100 years old. Lunch was amazing and consisted of chicken, quinoa- a local grain rich in proteins and vitamins, and salad. At first I thought our guide had made the lunch for us but later realized that there were indigenous women in some of the vans who went as cooks for the tour groups.

  After lunch we took some funny photos manipulating the lack of perspective there was in the salt desert. We then contiued on our way past inactive volcanoes and onward towards the village of San Juan where we would stay our first night. 

San Juan was a small village with llamas everywhere. We stayed in a little hostel owned by a local family. Here, the women in the family cooked on Castilla’s gas stove with the ingredients that Castilla tours provided for her.  It was an interesting system. Instead of bring a cook along like some of the other tour companies, locals were given work thus bringing business to their remote villages. 

The next day we hit the road again or lack there of- we were essentially off-roading the whole trip- and stopped to take pictures of an active volcano, smoke rising out of it.  We also so saw the amazing laguna Colorada which was a brilliant red due to the “algae and plankton that thrive in the mineral rich water.” At the laguna you can find deposits of sodium, magnesium, borax, and gypsum which assist in the production of fertilizer, paint, toothpaste, and plastics.  We also saw a great amount of flamingos at the luguna. The Laguna de Colorada was certainly my favorite site of the trip!

The second night of the trip we stayed at a very poor, small village (ten families in total lived there) high in the mountains.  It was just us “gringos”  staying in the small hostel. There were a lot of other groups from all over; Isreal, England, Australia, Sweeden, the states, Japan etc. All of them were backpackers, just traveling from one country to another, trying to take in as many sites as possible.  I noticed an extreme difference between most of the backpackers and our group which consisted of volunteers who were all living in one city and taking spanish classes.  The attitudes of the backpackers, like I said, seemed to be one of seeing as much as possible in a short period of time. With that came a certian disconnect to the culture around them, and they tended to stick to their own groups, seeking out the only bars in town, talking only to other “gringo”. Whereas, volunteers and those living with a family and taking classes seemed more connected to the Bolivians and genuinly interested in their surroundings. This is not to say that all backpackers are like this  nor that all volunteers are more connected to their surroundings. This was just the observation I made during our particular trip about our specific group and the groups of backpackers that were in Uyuni with us. While the backpackers preferred to stay in the bar and drink Huari, my group preferred to walk around the town and play ball with the local children.  It was extremely interesting to see the differences in objectives between the two groups. I am not trying to say one way of traveling is better than the other, I am just glad I decided to stay in Sucre and volunteer.

While I was in Uyuni I also realized how much I disliked being waited on.  At both hostels, there were young indigenous women bringing us our food, clearing our plates, and washing our dishes. Some of the women were younger then me and it just felt akward to have them wait on me in such a intimate, family like setting. I constantly asked if I could help with anything and they would refuse, sometimes very coldly.  After thinking about the whole situation for some time and discussing it with others, I realized that I had to accept the reality of things like this in Bolivia. By asking to help, I was only insulting the workers. One, becuase asking implied I did not think they could do their job properly and two, because they seemed thankful to be able to earn money in such a remote place and  my offering to help just took away from all of that.  So now, I plan on biting my tongue when put in that situation again.

 Our last day in Uyuni consisted of driving to the geysers which stood at 4870m (16,000 plus ft) and to the hot springs to soak.  All in all,the trip was an amazing experience filled with breathtaking views and some important observations.

El fin de semana

I have finished my first week of classes with Marcelo which have helped a great deal. Next week I have a different professor and have classes after lunch instead of before which will be a nice change of pace. So far, I have done a fair amount of sightseeing.  Midweek, I visited La Casa De Libertad where Bolivia’s declaration of independence was signed in 1825.  There was a fair amount to see there from portraits of all the Bolivian presidents to paintings and scultpures of Simon Bolivar along with some of his personal effects.

I also had the amazing experience of going to Sucre’s outdoor market where hundreds of vendors sell anything from papayas and mangos to fresh bread to vegatables to fish to sweets. It was quite an experience and one can eat at the market’s little restuarants for $1.00 for a whole plate filled with rice, carne, platains, fried eggs, and french fries. Bien provecho!

On Saturday I decided to go on a mountain biking adventure to the 7 waterfalls about 14 km outside of Sucre. It was extremely tiring and took me and my two classmates around 8 hours to complete. The sun was strong and the mountains high so there were a lot of breaks, not to mention getting a little lost. When we got to the falls, we had to leave our bikes and hike about 1 mile over a rocky river bed until we got to one of the waterfalls where 6 jovenes from Sucre were swimming and splashing in the rocky pool below.  How could we resist? It was hot and we were tired. Plus, the Bolivian’s had a radio that was blasting The Beatles!  It was a perfect spot to descansar and have a bit of lunch. Swimming with the locals was wonderful and so refreshing. I would have to say that it was my favorite experience so far although there have been a lot of great ones to choose from!

On our way back I began to feel more sure of my biking skills and started to take in my surroundings. We were quite a bit aways from Sucre and into the countryside which was both breathtaking and depressing.  The mountains of the Corillera Central and Cordillera Oriental were awe inspiring but the cement huts not much more than 10ft by 15ft were quite hard to take in.  There were many small barefoot children running around, playing in the dirt and trash.  I noticed a harsh smell as we rode by one little village which was probably a result of poor sanitary conditions.  It was dry and dusty- a desserty feel which made growing anything quite difficult- and I imagine getting sufficient water for drinking, cooking, and bathing (if that was an option) was quite a task.  In the book I am reading about the history of Bolivia it states : More than 40 percent of Bolivia’s population lacks access to proper sanitation, and 37 percent lacks drinkable water.  Although Bolivia is a wonderful country (perhaps the most intriguing one I have been to), it is also very poor.

All in all my fin de semana was filled with happiness but the harsh realization that so many in Bolivia are suffering will remain with me forever.

Settling in

At this point I have met all the members of my host family and have gotten situated in my new room.  My family is extremely nice and we have a lot to talk about. In the morning we usually eat breakfast at different times. Rodolfo goes to work early and eats before me as does Alejandra who works at a bank. I do not have class untill 8:15 and I live about a 3 minute walk from the school so I eat around 8ish. Zulema menor is a lawyer and was away in La Paz this past weekend and did not get in untill this morning. Zulema mayor eats later as she does not work at the current time but was a teacher for 8 years.  Sofia, the two year old, is Alejandra´s daughter which explains everything because origanally I thought she was Zulema and Rodolfo´s daughter. 

After breakfast, I had my first class. I was given a test to see what level of spanish I was at and was put in a class with one other person who was at that same level.  I liked the small groups because I was able to get special attention from the teacher and my spanish came back quickly. We worked on grammer first and then watched videos to help with our listening skills.  Class ended at around 12:15pm and then it was back to la casa to eat. I was able to sit wiht the whole family including some neighbors from upstairs and practice what I reviewed in class.  We had an interesting discussion about ladorones or robbers in Sucre. For the most part, the family said Sucre was a very safe city but they did tell me to always be careful with my belongings and not to talk on the phone in the streets becuase sometimes people will try to take them. 

There are a fair amount of people from Europe/US etc in Sucre. So far I have met people  from the Netherlands, England, Australia, South Africa, Denmark, and the states who are also taking spanish clases and doing volunteer work. The other person in my class is a 33 year old lawyer from England who has taken time off to travel. I find that most of the people here are either older and are established in careers or are younger (around 18-20) who are taking time off before they go to college or the equivalent of.

Breathless Bolivia

So, I am here in La Paz. The flight went extremely smoothly. No problemas. I arrived to El Alto airport at around 8:00pm and Gregorio, a man hired by amerispan, had a sign with my name on it.  He drove me through the city which is breathtaking even at night:  Women in colorful indigenous shalls with bowler hats had babies slung to their backs, the mountains were all around and the cool night air was refreshing after breathing hours of recycled air.  I arrived at the Hotel Ritz feeling dizzy. At first I thought it was due to all the excitement of being in a new place but when I noticed my finger nails turning blue I realized that the altitute of La Paz had hit me.  13,000 feet can do a number on anyone! So I spent most of the night hydrating and resting.  Today I fly to Sucre which is about an hr from La Paz (24 hrs by bus) and only 9,000 ft . There, my host family will pick me up and show me my new home for the next 6 months! I can’t wait to get organized and unpack.  Tomorrow I have spanish classes for 4 hrs and then I plan on exploring Sucre and finding a internet cafe to make my homebase. Untill then….