Our time in Bolivia has begun to feel very short now that we´re nearing October and have already completed one of our three excursions. We will be traveling for two and a half weeks of October and then we´ll be on our own for independent projects in November, so all of a sudden I´m clinging to the time that I have in Cochabamba! I would like to conduct my independent project en el campo (the countryside) to experience the other side of life here in Bolivia, but now that I have friends in the city, I´m feeling sad about the thought of leaving! Much of that sentiment stems from the fact that I´ve been having a lot of fun since returning from our first excursion, venturing out more and hanging with friends.
Cyclists on an outing to a nearby nature reserve, Pairumani!
Sunday the 20th was a day of referendum voting in a number of departments (like states). Any voting is very serious here: there is no alcohol allowed for 48 hours prior, voting is obligatory - you have to show your receipt for three months after to travel, use the bank, etc, or pay a fine - and, the best part, there is no transportation allowed on the day of the vote. What does that mean for folks like me? A day for cycling!
Effectively it was another Pedestrian Day, though with much quieter streets because people tend to stay at home on voting days for some reason unknown to me. But with my three biking friends, Lenka, Oscar and Ale, I headed out for a day of cycling.
The day was great: a steep climb up to the park but with a reward of wooded trails and gorgeous views.
The view to the north - a small river flows through the valley, which a precipitous trail parallels (first photo).
The view back toward the city. It sure looks big from up high!
Upon reaching the park entrance, we shared a giant plate of pique - basically a pile of French fries, hot dog-esque sausage slices, beef chunks, tomato, onion, mayo and two hardboiled eggs on top. Wow. Can't say I want to eat it again, but it was good in the moment of cycling hunger!
From there we hauled our bikes up through the woods to the lookout point:
Then biked/walked along the precipitous path to find a place in the river to "chapotear"! This word basically means to frolic/splash in the water like a duck, in my understanding. Which was a lovely way to cool off!
Frrom there, we headed back down the hill - first the nervewracking part through the woods (mostly walking for me), then the lovely descent on pavement. I made it home just as it was getting dark, another wonderful day spent on the bike!
During the week, I went to an outdoor jazz concert with Oscar, attended a dance by the Afro-Bolivian dance troupe MAUCHI, learned the basics of some Bolivian folkloric dances, and played foosball and billiards at the "game parlor" that Oscar runs. Oh, and I wrote an essay about the life history of my host mom - can't forget about the academic side of my education this semester!
On this past Sunday, I took another outing to Tarata - the town that we biked to on the Día del Peaton. Lenka's family attends an annual fiesta at the hacienda of their friends, which is supposedly a religious celebration for the saint of the town, but mostly is just a big party. I was hanging out with her and Oscar right before they left for the fiesta on Saturday, and they invited me to come to Tarata to meet them on Sunday morning!
So Sunday morning, after cooking delicous pancakes with my host mom and aunt to eat with the maple syrup I brought them, I set out for Tarata! This time by bus, because with the roads open it would be pretty dangerous to bike. The 45-minute bus ride cost 90 cents, and pretty soon I found myself in the Plaza Principal of Tarata!
I waited there for about an hour because, like a typical Bolivian, I was much later than I'd told my friends I'd arrive so I had to wait for them to read their texts to see that I had actually come. But pretty soon, a mini van came screeching around a corner and I was dragged in, probably against my better judgment, to a carload of friends/cousins/novios. After a brief but wild ride around the cobblestone streets of Tarata, we headed out to the hacienda - a beautiful old estate of sorts with buildings made totally of stones, fruit orchards, and even a pool!
I was welcomed in and handed a plateful of food: chicharron - hunks of pork, mote - giant corn, and potatoes. With over fifty people in attendance, there was plenty of room for one more. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, dancing, chatting, exploring the buildings/hillside, until finally they kicked us out!
But that wasn't so bad because we were rewarded with a gorgeous view of the lunar eclipse beginning on the ride home! After stopping for pizza - an annual tradition - I made it home at last and watched the eclipse reach completion in the patio with my family. A tired neck but an incredible sight to see!
An extra:
A baby avocado! Super rich and with only a thin sliver of a pit! A perfect snack.
Ciao,
Lucy
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