Sunday was The Best day I have had in Cochabamba, and that I probably will have! This is because it was the Día del Peatón - pedestrian day. On this day, all across Bolivia, pedestrians and cyclists rule the streets and no automobiles are allowed until 6pm. How fantastic!
Setting out for the day at 8am!
Evo is the one smiling in the middle.
The brigade of cyclists following him!
I happened to be there because a Bolivian student we'd met during orientation had invited me to spend the day biking with her and some friends. It was so exciting to meet a female cyclist in my first days here, and I'd been looking forward to our excursion since. So after the presidential entourage passed (with practically no security, I might add) we set off for Tarata, a small town to the south of Cochabamba.
Ready to ride!
It was my first time passing through the south side of the city, which is were the new migrants from the campo (rural areas) live, in houses covering the sides of the hills:
The view back towards the north was quite impressive, with the snowy mountain Tunari visible in the distance:
We stopped on the side of the road for a late morning snack - sopa de pescado. Though I expected I would get sick from it, I decided to share a bowl with Lenka. It's hard to turn down newfound friends! Though I have no idea where the fish came from, it was quite tasty, especially when we added some fresh citrus juice from some sort of fruit that was like an orange.
After our descanso (rest), we continued up the hill. Though the street was a bit hectic, we only had one accident! Lenka ran into two kids who were swerving around on one of those seated scooter toys. But all were okay. At last, we reached the Lago Langostura, a huge lake that is the color of coffee with milk.
Lenka and me, showing off our girl power on the wall of the dam that we crossed!
After crossing the lake,we continued along a fairly straight road the rest of the way to Tarata. Our surroundings quickly turned to small farms, with sheep, cows and skinny chickens roaming around, and fields of aba (fava beans), alfalfa, and other crops. Upon arriving in Tarata, we took a loop around the town square to admire the colonial architecture. Tarata is the most well-preserved colonial town in the area, with cobblestone streets, old buildings, and a bridge that no longer has any water under it!
The old clock that still works!
The bridge that an ex-president built for only himself to use.
Besides seeing the architecture, the main reason to go to Tarata is for the typical meal of the town: chorizo con trigo (wheat berries!) and chicha, the famous fermented corn alcoholic beverage of Bolivia. So of course we partook of these specialities for a big lunch. Though Heidi, our director, had expressly warned us not to drink chicha, it is of the best quality in Tarata and, with the peer pressure of newfound friends, I decided to join them in sharing a gourd. How could I resist a traditional fermented beverage!? Besides, I was already eating street food, so I might as well disregard all the warnings in one day, right?
Here is the chicha gourd. There is a communal cup/ladle, made out of the husk of a fruit, that you fill with chicha, run around the ring of the gourd and then pass to someone at the table. Before your first sip, you spill a few drops on the ground, which is a toast to Pachamama, Mother Earth.
The chicha was very tasty! Similar to kombucha, with its fermented bite, but a bit sweeter in its main flavor. And the food was delicious too:
We hung out at the "restaurant" for a while because a short rainstorm hit and there were tarps covering where we were sitting. Then when we went to leave, we discovered that Lenka had a big thorn puncturing her back tire and it was totally flat. We went to the one bike shop in town, but the owner was away. However, his wife let us in to use the workshop space and I proceeded to teach the other three how to fix a flat tire. Luckily I had all my supplies with me! It was pretty funny to be the one with the knowledge for once, even if I could only express it in broken Spanish. (I better brush up on my bicycle vocabulary!)
Pretty soon we were on the road again, with mostly a downhill grade to carry us home. I had had so much fun all day that my cheeks were hurting from smiling! A strong headwind slowed our return, but we made it back to town to catch the last hour of pedestrian rule.
A view to the northwest from the one big hill that we had to summit on the way back.
Riding through the center of town was crazy, weaving through all the people that crowded the streets. Eventually we had to get of our bikes because there was no space to maneuver. However, after stopping for an ice cream bar as the sun set, the cars came out in force, making the final few blocks home a bit more sketchy. But we made it to my house, and Lenka came in to see the surprised looks on my family's faces when I told them we'd been to Tarata and back! Apparently that's a pretty big deal (about 30-35 miles in total).
My bike did pretty well (this was my first ride of any significant distance on it) except for one problem. The attachment of the saddle to the seat tube is really old and hard to tighten, so my saddle kept rocking backwards while I was on it. I could punch down the nose to reset it, but it would soon rock back again, and got worse over the course of the day. Definitely something that I will need to figure out how to fix before the bike trip!
At the end of the day, after having such a blast, I was pretty sure that I was going to be sick soon after all the risks I'd taken. But the best news? I am fine! Somehow my body managed to process everything I put in it, and I am very thankful for it. I guess that means it's time for some more chicha!
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