Wednesday, August 24, 2005, 09:50 AM
Living here in Cochabamba elicits several words from my mouth each day. I find these words daily repeated. And no it has nothing to do with being a Laker Girl and I'm scrapping the cuss words as well. It simply goes along the lines of, "You know, it's another nice day in Cochabamba." Almost every day here is pleasant. Christ looks down upon us from one hill and the Mormon temple shines down from another. If there was only a statue of Buddha and maybe an Indian god, then all would be truly holy and well and balanced.
Cochabamba is a pretty tranquilo city. A great place to live. Bolivia on a whole, in the meantime, is racing downhill toward December. It is during December that general elections will bring a new President to this incredible country. Not just a new president, but a new vice president, and parliament as well as other regional offices. The whole of the governance being replaced, or reelected in some cases. No one seems quite sure what will happen in December. There are the possibilities of more of the protests that caused these early elections in the first place. As of now the President of the Supreme Court is President of Bolivia. Try to imagine for a just a moment, of something similar happening in the US. Can you? Officially, elections are supposed to occur in 2007. The elections are just a couple years early: so goes life in Bolivia. The future, as is usual, uncertain and undecided. People waiting and fighting and arguing over the future. It is important.
Meanwhile, we live in the here and now. What some people call the present. There are still many people in need here in Bolivia. People who want to make a better life for themselves, who are tired of being exploited, or in the case of some people I know, they just want better lives for their kids. Carlye starts volunteering at Colonia Ecologica today. She will be working with three of the older kids teaching them English. Simply giving them some more tools for their tool box.
Can I tell you what an amazing feeling it is working with people like Kiko and Carmen (the Bolivian couple that runs Colonia Ecologica)? They have two kids of their own and another 15 that live with them. In the afternoons there are upwards of 60 kids that go to Colonia to do chores, study, and play. Every kid knows they belong. Every kid knows that they are loved there. It does not matter what life is like at home. Whether mom or dad are even at home. Whether mom or dad even exist. Whether they are abused, mistreated, or unloved outside of Colonia. At Colonia Ecologica they are loved, accepted, and belong. The kids know it. You can see it on their faces. You can watch it in their behaviors. It is an incredible place. I feel honored to get a chance to be around and interact with such great people. Kiko and Carmen give their lives for these kids. I asked the other day when they had time to themselves, to rest? Between 1 am and 6 am, they responded. Every day of the week. They are happy. They are installing values and education into a new generation of kids now, in the present.
So we live in the now, the future will be the now when it is the now and no sooner. Use it for what it is and what it isn't.
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( 3 / 1260 )Wednesday, August 24, 2005, 08:51 AM
"I would not be the whore of my own existence. Can you understand that? I would not be the whore of my own existence." My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
"The state of mind required, looking back, was not to plan, not to sort out: but to listen, and carry on, and discover." Hopeful Monsters by Mosley
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( 3 / 836 )Saturday, August 13, 2005, 01:26 PM
It was bound to happen, don't you think? You don't always get the choice to love who and what you want. To deny something you love would be to deny a part of yourself. To deny something in the core of a person. So I chose a public forum to profess a love affair I have recently had. A love I can not deny, because if I did I would deny myself. Carlye was bound to find out anyway. She probably has known since I returned home from 2 weeks in Samaipata, a small town outside Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Carlye, of course, is my only true love and she will, of course, understand.
I have lived in Bolivia for a year now, and it was only two weeks ago that I had my affair. I went to Samaipata to spend two weeks doing massage at La Vispera. It was there that the affair began. I went to La Pajcha to camp and hike in the surrounding hills when I fell in love with Bolivia; the land, the people. The green hills, the waterfalls, the condors, and the kind people have lured me and tempted me with their wares and I have cracked. Their embrace is sweet. I caved. I loved and do love.
A two hour taxi ride over a winding dirt road through valleys and over hills led me to a waterfall called La Pajcha (I believe it means waterfall in quechua). The picture link has photos of my time there. Click on Samaipata and you will see photos of the waterfall, hills, condors, and people I associated with while there. There were only two people living there, an old Bolivian couple named Carlos Peralta and Agrepina Guman. They own all the land surrounding the waterfall and have raised 10 kids there. They have 15 grandkids. Two great grandkids. Carlos can out work and out walk anyone. Anyone. I challenge you. He is 70. The next closest people are a 30 minute drive or half day walk away. And then you'll find 2 or 3 other people.
Love began to strike on my way up the ridge I had planned walking on my second day at the waterfall. A good 4 or 5 hour walk to the top peak of the ridge. The first steep climb already brought condors in to check out the gringo in their land. At one point I had this feeling, like somebody staring at you, or following closely behind you. You know, the feeling of a presence nearby. The feeling was so strong I turned around quickly. I knew I was the only person anywhere nearby. I had a commanding view. There was nothing there. But the feeling persisted. It was about then that a large shadow passed over me. I looked up right above my head and physically reacted to the noise and sight I beheld. I literally ducked. A condor with a 5-6 foot wing span was riding a current of air 5 meters over my head, virtually hovering in one place. I could hear the wind in the birds feathers. It was looking me directly in the eyes. I would not have believed it if it had not happened.
Throughout the rest of the day several condors followed me up the ridge. Each time I came out on a peak or was about to enter a saddle with strong air currents, the condors would arrive to surf the wind. When I arrived at the highest peak on the ridge I took off my shoes and had lunch. I counted eight condors within eye sight. I looked hundreds of feet down into the valley below and saw the backs of condors. I looked hundreds of feet in the air and saw the feet of condors dangling beneath them. Five continuously rode the air currents 5 meters over my head. They took turns checking me out for half an hour until I had to leave. Their shadow and the air in their feathers alerting me when they were just about over my head. It occured to me once or twice that perhaps they were just waiting for me to fall over one of the many cliffs. I imagine I would make quite the meal for several condors. But I never really got the sense of malicious or even natural intent.
Being alone in the mountains and experiencing the local presence of the bird that dominates the Andes gave me an interesting perspective on the area. It is a spiritual land. A spiritual people. I find it hard to comprehend but I feel it none the less. The very air breathes peace into the body and soul and whispers of danger in the same breath. I understand Bolivia a little bit better now. Time operates differently here. And I'm not just talking about the "Maņana" mind set usually thought of when talking about Latino time. The land and people here operate on ages and generations. They don't operate on minutes and seconds; on days and weeks and years. Millenium can go by here with little change. To separate the people from the land kills one or the other. One begins to understand the conflict between the western imposed world and the steadfast timelessness of the Bolivian people.
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( 3 / 802 )Thursday, August 11, 2005, 10:51 AM
New photos are up from our travels this summer to Argentina, the US, and Samaipata. Just click the link to the right. There are also some photos from the last Despedida at JR's house. A new post will be put up just as soon as we get a little more time. It has been busy trying to get everything caught up after being away from home for over 2 months. Hope you enjoy the photos!
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( 3 / 792 )Saturday, July 23, 2005, 02:51 PM
Wow! Nobody mentioned to me there were blog hecklers. One blog entry and two comments down and the heckling starts before we even land in Bolivia! It's best to just get used to the criticism I suppose. Be proud like a writer showing off their 3 ring binder of rejection letters. Only after being published of course. Keep it coming Bart. I love it. ;0)
So we arrived back in beautiful Cochabamba Thursday, after almost 40 hours of travel time. Our luggage decided to take the long route and hopefully will arrive tomorrow after visiting Miami. The only real excitement on the trip was landing in La Paz and then our trip from La Paz to Cochabamba.
Before continuing I have to give credit to pilots flying and landing in the Andes. Bolivia's national airlines have an incredible record and probably some of the best pilots in the world. Landing in the thin air of the La Paz airport (4100 meters) is no easy task. I've never experienced a gentle landing at that airport. But this was the first time I've ever experienced a 737 literally bouncing off the runway and careening left and right upon touching down for a second time. My anger at not having asked for an exit row seat in Lima quickly dissipated. There were many sweaty finger imprints in the arm rests as we exited the plane. Our excitement to get on the next leg to Cochabamba was clear on our faces to the airline employees, I'm sure.
Even more so when we were asked to get back off the plane as there was a mystery malfunction. "Una hora, no mas" to fix the problem. No big deal, I'd rather be on the ground then in the air when they find a problem. And it is not the same plane that was bounced off the runway only hours before. So we barely sit back down in the waiting lounge before they call us back on the plane. Apparently a really, really quick fix to the mystery problem. "What were those loud clunking noises anyway??" I'm thinking. I'm trying to keep calm for Carlye, as though she needs my "husbandly" sturdiness and strength. And as though I can mask any emotion at all after the exhaustion and fatigue I feel from the last 35+ hours of traveling.
Not surprising then that the take off seems excessively long, the plane excessively slow, and the intial few thousand feet excessively rough for such a clear day. What was surprising was when the gas masks I so purposely ignore during the preflight demonstration drop from the ceiling after 10 minutes of flight. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be putting the mask on small children, my wife, the poodle the lady with big hair is carrying, or myself. How exactly do those things work anyway? And why the fuck am I sitting in the exit row? I don't even speak Spanish that well. It was no help when the steward ran past us to sit down in an empty seat and put on a mask. Fortunately, another steward quickly came along to tell us the masks were not necessary. Unfortunately, there was no explanation and no calm pilot coming over the PA system to tell us little people that everything is alright. Just stewards serving us drinks like nothing happened at all. So when the plane starts taking sharp left turns I tell Carlye, very assuredly, that we're turning back, going back to La Paz. Something is very wrong with the plane. Carlye, bless her, leans across me and looks out the window. "Wendell" she tells me gently, "that's Cochabamba right there sweety. We're just turning to land." Well... I knew that.
After our initial culture shock that tended to persistently hang on throughout our stay in the US we relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. Our trip back home was much needed and allowed us to rest up and get healthy. We had a great time hanging out with family and friends. We truly can not express how thankful we are to everyone for making our trip happen. There really is nothing like being home after a time abroad. We look forward to hanging out and just being with the people that are most dear to us in the future.
We'll be putting pictures up soon. We'd love to see anyones pictures from our stay as well.
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