Residents of Sucre

After visiting Potosi I went to Sucre http://www.boliviaweb.com/cities/sucre.htm. Sucre is a warmer city since it is only at 2,750 meters (9,022 feet) above sea level and not 4,070 (13,053) as Potosi is. I thought spending about two days there but I stayed four nights. Walking through the cities after busing for hours has become a norm. I walked into hostels to find out prices and availability. This is the way I am travelling after I left Salvador-Brasil on March 9. I still think one day I will be spending the night on a park or something since I don´t reserve any rooms before. Sucre is the city where the Spaniard virreynatos (colonies) started to plan their independence from Spain on the 1,700´s. I visited the Casa Libertad and learned a little bit more about the Pacific war between Bolivia-Peru against Chile. The result, Bolivia loosing its access to the Pacific Ocean in 1879. Something its new president is battling now to get back from Chile. Another interesting site was also the dinosaur treks. You take a bus on the main plaza and ride for twenty minutes until you get to these marks left by those animals some million years ago. I guess I stayed longer because I met some interesting people in the hostel. They are residing in Sucre for some time of their lives. I went with one of them, Katherine, to a girls´orphanage, where she volunteers some days. We helped read and watched the girls practice some music performance they were preparing for the children´s day. One of these girls was picked up from the streets a year ago, she couldn´t even talk. She was six, at least that´s what the ladies who worked there guess. The little girl speaks now and likes to read books, or at least to watch the pictures. She always wanted me to go back to a page where she saw a boy being helped by a doctor. "Doctor, niño, enfermo (sick)" she said. I just wondered how this little girl lived before being in this orphenage. Apparently she is happy to be there and enjoys being with other older girls. The other guys from the hostel are studying Spanish, and they always wanted me to speak in Spanish so they could practice. One of them is practicing Capoeira (Brasilian martial arts/dance), another learning how to play guitar and yet another one is also preparing a documentary about kids who live on the streets of Sucre. I felt like knowing more about these guys´lives but I wanted also to walk around the city and go to different museums and sightseeing spots to check the sunsets. I tend to start very energetic on museums but then, when I have read some of the signs, I get tired and forget what I read at the beginning of my visit. I prefer, then, to walk around and check people doing their daily routines, and seeing old houses. I also saw some "tourists" teaming up with some kids to entertain with acrobatic acts, like playing with three balls, at the stop lights to get some tips from the drivers. This I found of bad taste since the street´s kids did it because it is the only thing they think they can do to get something to eat, the "tourists" who apparently decided to stay in Sucre, since they didn´t look like new arrived tourists, did it, I think (but I could be wrong) to "experience" a new life, to feel different. Perhaps these "foreign acrobats" can help kids like the little girl at the orphanage, to learn a new language, or read or play with them. But we all do what we want with our own time.

The Mines in Potosi

I departed to Potosi after getting money and controlling the swelling with ice on my head. Potosi is cited as the highest city on the whole world, 4,070 meters (13,350 feet) above see level. The main attraction here is the silver mine which dates to 1,530´s where the Spaniards exploited the natives to extract silver and send it to Spain. I met two english guys on the bus and we decided to look for a hostel together. So for 60 bolivianos per day we had a room with four beds. Of course we are picking the cheapest places so a room will only have the beds, blankets and light. The bathroom is outside and it is to be shared with the rest of the travellers. When talking to the english men, we found also a little strange that the locals got sick when taking the buses to these highlands and also due to many turns, ups and downs. So, as a rule I am carrying also plastic bags in my pockets. I don´t know when I will be a victim. The same night of arrival, monday 3 of April at 4 pm, we started looking for a tour that take us next day to the mines. After visiting four offices we picked the one on which the tour guide was a former miner and the maximum number of visitors to the mine were just 10. I have been carrying my coat I used in Seattle and even though I always thought it was very uncomfortable to carry, and also it made feel very hot anytime I saw it hanging in my closet in Brazil, it was perfect for this cold city which temperatures ranges between 2 and 17 celsius (36 and 63 Farenheit). Next day the regional bus system was on strike. They are protesting because the government now is mandating them to pay taxes. So we had to walk catching our breath every ten steps towards the van that was taking us to the mine. Once by the entrance of the mine, our guide told us to ´cooperate´with the miners by bringing them coca leaves, cigarretes, waters, soda, and dynamite for their jobs. We all bought all these needs for the miners who get paid very low (1,000 bolivianos per month). I found the tour guide to get a little political when mentioning the way foreign companies come and exploit the workers and taking all the money for them. That because the silver went down on the market the poor miners are now in jeopardy of loosing their jobs. He was not able to answers questions like what is the life of this mine now, or who pay the miners after all. Our former miner guide was not able to identify some stones he picked up. We were a little skeptical about his background. But, what do I know about mining, I assume it could be hard to tell what minerals are in a rock just by looking at it.
It was definetely an experience that made me see how some people can work under bad conditions. We gave what we bought to the miners as they passed by. Inside they were about six detonations which made all of us have thoughts of being trapped in this dark and cold cave. Good thing we were using helmets since I hit my head several times. We also went down about fifteen meters (49 feet) down to see how a couple of miners were drilling a new spot they found. One of the visitors complained since he found it dangerous to go down to that level while miners were still drilling. The dust was also heavy but we had bought some masks to protect ourselves.
At the end of the visit, which last about two hours, our tour guide detonated some dynamite. We also thought that 40 meters (131 feet) from the detonations were not too safe. In any rate and after battling with a dog that felt invaded when passing by its owner house we thought the visit to the mine was more of trekking experience more that informative. It is for sure something not to miss.

Look up

Bolivia is cheap, specially when it comes to food. The currency, el Boliviano, is one-eight of a US dollar. I try to avoid turistic places, for the prices, yes I may be a cheap bastard, but the food is even better in a small Bolivian restaurant. For lunch I can spend 8 bolivianos, and I get a small appetizer, chicken soup and as a third plate rice, salad, meat and potatoes. Can you beat that? Now if you want to be a little bit more adventurous you can go the local market and sit on a very small bench next to market, construction workers and drivers and eat for 5 bolivianos. I am very used to pay everything in cash now, since these restaurants and markets don´t take cards. This could be a nigthmare for a ´modern´tourist, but I haven´t run into any of those, at least here in Bolivia. I was lucky though, in Uyuni, when I run out of cash and I realized the town didn´t have any ATM machines I found one restaurant who took cards. Of course, I paid for the price too, the menu...pizza. The only Bolivians in the restaurant, the waiters. The place was full of tourists. I met the nephew of this restaurant´s owner, and I was lucky again that after talking with him for a while and telling him about my cashless situation he told me his aunt could give me some cash advance with my credit card, for a fee. I had used my last reserves to pay for the hostel, and it was a good thing also that I won a bet with the Australian couple. 10 bolivianos was of great help. The bet, guess how much time would it take to get to the town of Uyuni just by looking at the city lights. This was when we were coming back from the 3 day-tour to the selars.
The next day banks in Uyuni were open (monday 3 of April) so I was able to balance my situation. I had to mentioned also that in my way to the bank i was a little annoyed that somebody at the hostel stole my towel I bought in Rio de Janeiro. It was my only souvenir, so I was looking down as I was walking when I banged my head against an Internet store sign. I run to a restaurant to get breakfast and get some ice to calm the bleeding. It wasn´t bad but it made forget about the towel incident, that is for sure. The message after that: ALWAYS LOOK UP ON YOUR LIFE, NO MATTER WHAT. Inspiration from a painful moment.

To La Paz

I will be leaving to la Paz in a hour. 6 pm local time. Sucre has been great. I stayed more than I thought. I will be writing a bit more about Sucre but it is sometimes difficult to sit and write on a computer while the whole city keeps functioning behind you.
Check other pictures I put on my other blog: www.seismesesminimo.blogspot.com you can practice your Spanish too. The stories I write on the blogs are not identical but similar and as I thought once, perhaps the pictures can be a universal language we all can understand...and interpret.

Fotos_Bolivia

Santa Cruz - March 22


Cochabamba


Cochabamba - Not a normal rain.


Oruro Traffic



Church in Oruro

Players

After spending three days on a tour that takes you to the Uyuni Selar, this incredible 12 square Kilometer of salt fields, the rock that looks like a three, the gaysers at 14,900 feet above see level, the llamas and vicuñas crossing our truck path which made us very nervous, our first night on a hostel made of salt and a relaxing bath on the hot springs (75 Farenheit) at 7am with an outside temperature of 0 degrees celsius (30 degrees Farenheit) and having a snow mountain as curtain and meeting the Swiss man who was biking these territories I decided to stay in the town of Uyuni. This city is located at 12,400 feet above sea level and make the breathing a little heavy when you walk. But I couldn´t take off from this place without having the experience of playing a little ball. I found a small coliseum which is opened for the locals to play. I talked to some other tourists at the hotel, Irish and Israelis, and we put a team together to play against some Bolivians who run without getting tired. We played on a small field, ´fulbito´as it is known, only 5 players on each side. We had subs, they didn´t, and they still managed to take the game. 13-11 was the final score. You score a lot since the field is smaller and everything is a lot faster. BUt it was a fun to play and feel the short of breath.
Uyuni is the third city in Bolivia; first Santa Cruz, clean and safe; Cochabamba, which is on my list as a place where you need to have an eye on the back of your head to be careful. I must say though that I was almost robbed on the most folcloric way, and having the eye behind my head didn´t help. It took me a little bit to wake up from this experience on which three men, working together, took me almost on a taxi pretending that one was a just arrived tourist like myself, who approched me to look for a hostel together, I accepted. The second player stopped us a few yards from we were walking simulating an uncovered policeman looking for some tourists carrying dynamite. This was smartly put since two days before an American man and an Uruguayan woman put a bomb in La Paz, here in Bolivia. The second man insisted that I and the other ´tourist´should go to the hostel from where he received the call about possible suspects and then to the police station. I don´t how I managed to take my passport from his hands and while he made a fake call to his captain he stopped a taxi and demanded to get in. The other ´tourist´was very cooperative:¨"Whatever you say officer". I, to the contrary had a funny feeling about all this. I chose, at the beginning, to trust the first guy since my last experience with the guy who wanted to stay on our wagon on the train of death. But now my stomach and hands were cold and the feeling was not good at all. I told him that if he wanted he could check my back-packs right there on the street. I took a couple of steps back and the third guy showed up showing me also his police credentials. This third player got very close to my face but still jumped in to the car with the other two. They took off, I hesitated to take the next taxi, thinking it could be the fourth player, I took the next one and told him just to drive around to look for a hostel. He dropped me not too far, and when I told the owner of this place about this he confirmed they were thieves. That day, it rained like it hasn´t rained in years in Cochabamba, as the locals told me. So I used it to sleep. Even though this incident happened, I enjoyed walking around, having flashbacks when passing by the same street, meeting a group of four young guys who opened a bar on one of the afluent areas of Cochabamba. A different way to make money, I thought. I heard later other examples of people being taken on taxis with the same or similar excuse to be later on taken to a house and rob every single thing on their bags.
Oruro was the next city, and I was late to take the train to Uyuni so I had to stay one day. The lady of the hostel told me about some hot springs, Obrajes, so after waiting on the van for about an hour, since the van needed to be full before taking off to destination, I, and the other few pàssengers where taken, by a small woman, to a taxi which was going to the hot springs. This time, I didn´t have any funny feelings, or cold stomach and hands. I followed the group, got into the taxi, and off we were. The taxi driver was a little nervous since he thought the van driver could come around and do something to him. The cabby had stolen the van´s passengers after all. Once at Obrejos, I used the pool and the bath, I can´t recall having been more relaxed before in my life.
The train was scheduled to depart at seven pm to Uyuni, at the arrival next day at 7 am. I bought the tour for the three days. This time, the team had 6 players. Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Peru-USA and the Bolivian driver.