Week One, a summary, Feb. 16th - 23rd

Sunday I woke up with a cold and a desire to check out of my hostel.
It wasn't my style, and they wouldn't let anyone up even to visit.
and it wasn't worth 60 Bolivianos a night. So i got out of bed
around 1 pm... i slept in and was still adjusting, so i let myself
have a relaxing day. I took a shower and then went out to call
jojo. I had walked home alone and promised to call when i got up.
By the time i called her it was nearly 2 pm and she was really
worried, and I think it was sweet, and not entirely unwarranted.
However, i told her my plan to check out and head up to their
apartment. When i got back it was 2:15 and the people at the hostel
wanted me to pay for another day, because checkout was at 2 pm. They
were kind though and remitted because i couldn't really understand them.

A quick taxi ride up the hill to the apartment and I felt better.
Everyone was cleaning up and we decided that it was impossible to get
truly clean without a mop and some other vital tools. So we all
headed out to the Black Market.

We got there via a Micro (a mini van that is all seats, one driver, and one caller (who leans out the
window yelling to people where they are headed (which is redundant
(like these parentheses) because they have signs in the front
indicating the same thing) but it gets people's attention and, hell,
why not?) which is a truly amazing and quite alarming experience.
The driver concentrates solely on the road (thank god) and swerves
with expertise and daring around any obstacle. This includes but is
not limited to: people, dogs, other cars, micros, and busses,
potholes, detritus, and dogs dogs dogs. We arrived safely in the
heart of a bustling economy.

The black market defies explanation and is an immeasurable affront to
the senses. Booths crowd the sidewalk (and indeed take up the entire
sidewalk in parts) and clutter the alleys. There are special streets
and alleys dedicated to permanent booths with roll down fronts, as
well as temporary (although that temporality may be limited to
seasons and life-spans of materials). Certain sections or alleys or
zones seem to be somewhat more dedicated to certain wares, and
believe me, you can get just about anything at one shop or another.
However, these are mostly the acoutromonts of modern living.

I have
been told, but not seen, that the market in El Alto, and the Witches
Market in La Paz hold even more mysterious and varied objects, all
for sale, and all at greatly reduced prices from what you are
accustomed to paying. In all the demeanor of the salespeople is less
aggressive than your average mall salesman, with the prompting for
prices solely in the hands of the consumer. There are snacks and
refreshments of all sorts. More sausage and carne than you can
digest and breads of all shapes and sizes. Underwear, socks, pants,
skirts, t-shirts (some utterly amazing designs), sweaters,
sweatshirts, jackets, shoes, cosmetics, products I could not
identify, food, cleaning supplies (mission accomplished!), bedding,
school supplies, cooking supplies, herbs, vegetables, pasta, rice,
everything. I was amazed and after about an hour, utterly
exhausted. Indeed so tired was I that i took a cab home alone with
all of our collected purchases. And I relaxed, and read, and napped....

When everyone else returned home we cooked dinner and I made quinoa
and vegetables for dinner, and Jojo and I ate with Maren, and felt
both nourished and spent. There is a video rental place around the
corner and Jojo and I watched a Old School with Maren. Since I was
feeling ill Jojo in an act of angelic grace and generosity gave me
her bed to sleep in, and we switched in the night, to cushions of the
floor of her room.

Monday, Feb. 20th dawned clear and beautiful and I prepared myself
all morning for my first Spanish class at 3 pm. I walked down to
Speak Easy Institute for my lesson with Jenny, a native of Bolivia
from Bení, a town lower in altitude and warmer in disposition. The
lesson was very good and I felt very comfortable talking to her.
After the lesson i called the apartment, and trucked up the hill from
the Prado (the main drag in the valley) up up up to the apartment on
Calle General Lanza.

I made my famous pasta sauce and we all dined on Linguine and sauce,
with garlic bread made by Lauren. We tried to watch Old School with
Maren and Juan-Manuel. Maren wanted Juan-Ma to see a movie with Will
Ferrel but either Juan-Ma was too tired or the humor is too cultural
because he went to bed before it was over and so did we, only to
watch Battlestar Gallactica miniseries. Lauren went over to Andreas'
house around midnight so i got to sleep in a bed again. There's
something fun and relaxing about watching movies here. It's almost
more relaxing than at home because it's a bit of something missed.
Also, I have not rushed once since being here, and I don't have much
of an agenda yet because of the altitude, so I'm just enjoying my
time and doing whatever i want. Sleep was sound and deep and I awoke
to the sounds of birds and sunlight streaming in the window.

Tuesday, Feb. 21st.
I woke up feeling pretty good, however Jojo was feeling worse. It
appeared she had caught the cold I was desperately fending off. Not
to be put out, we went out for a late breakfast/early lunch to
Mujeres Creando, a women's rights group who call them selves Feminist
Anarchists and have a sweet lunch spot and health food store. It's
close, just down Lundetta and a block to the right on 20 De Octubre.
We enjoyed the meal and some excellent quinoa soup (with a chunk of
meat in it, that Jojo passed off, and I ate... i appear to be getting
my carnivore's tooth back).

Mujeres Creando is an all red colonial
building with black graffiti slogans painted on the walls inside and
out. The stark black and red recalls the severity and militant
nature of communism and a hint of the Red and Black Cafe back in
Portland. A hangout for all subversive and alternate thinkers and
performers. Indeed Mujeres Creando has speakers classes and events
to further the rights of women. Women's rights are a big issue in
this country and with Maren Lauren and Jojo. The culture of most
Latin American countries is patriarchal (from what i've been told and
seen) and the rights of women here seems to be a pivotal issue on the
streets and in the home.

Jojo is considering volunteering with M.C.
and it will be interesting to see how the fight for rights here
compares with what i know of my own country, and the history of
equality in the world.

After lunch we had another interesting adventure. Jojo's belly
button ring was causing her irritation and eventually was lost due to
it not being in place. So after lunch we walked to the Prado (which
is central to the entire city) and caught a micro for 1.50 Bs
(remember it's 8 Bs to $1) to Zona Sur where Jojo knew of a tattoo
and piercing shop where she could purchase another ring. The ride
down from La Paz to Zona Sur is a twisty and precarious journey. The
Micros and Taxis, busses and cars, vie for speed in a three lane road
with no divider. The middle lane is for passing both directions and
the hairpin turns crisscrossing the river allow for much excitement
and pondering of mortality.

Jojo described it as a nintendo game and
I can only agree. I was like a bird in a cage pivoting left and
right to stare out the windows, left, right, front, back, to observe
the unusual and unique landscape the the architectural response. In
the deep valley where the river falls steeply the foliage grows thick
and rich. On the ridges above all that can be seen is the erosion of
the rocky soil and formations like I've only seen at Bryce Canyon
Nat'l Park in Utah. A solitary high rise perches above an
outcropping half way to Zona Sur, and the lower we get, the more
European everything looks. By the time we've reached our destination
we could be in Barcelona, but for the crater we are in, and Illumani
towering above.

Zona Sur has Burger King and all the conveniences and comforts of an
American suburb. There are a few tell tale differences (like the
dark skin (although less dark here on average) and the green garbed
police on every corner (and they all have big guns). It feels more
like Israel than Europe, though that is a small distinction only a
certain demographic will appreciate. We find our tattoo shop and
it's closed. A half-hour trip for naught. there is a grocery store
across the boulevard and we do some shopping, but before the store
can re-open I have to head up to my Spanish class. So Jojo put me on
the right Micro and I got to sit up front. It is an equally exciting
ride back up, and it felt good to be on my own exploring such an
interesting place but i have to admit, i was a little nervous about
doing the right things on the bus and getting off at my stop.

Worry not though faithful readers (indeed you must be i you've made
it this far! Kudos to you and my extreme thanks!) I made it off in
time and got to my class with time to spare. Jojo met me after this
class and we climbed the hill together this time, and I think I had
some excellent pizza. Once home we heated up some leftovers and
relaxed. Lauren had received some great news that day and told us
she got into Tulane with a full ride and a stipend. We didn't have
too much energy to party but a bottle of wine was all we needed. I
slept on all 6 couch, love-seat, and chair cushions that i assembled
into a very comfortable nest in the living room.... and I drifted off
to sleep.

Wednesday, Feb. 22nd.
I woke up again at the apartment, and Jojo and I were feeling lazy so
we lounged. It has come to my attention that when things are not of
my initiative I tend to have more trouble remembering the salient
details, like departure time. So the lunch we had planned, to meet
Lauren at Armonia, a great vegetarian buffet place that is now a
favorite, started on the wrong foot. I thought we were to leave at
12:15 to meet Lauren but as it turned out, we were supposed to meet
her at 12:15. I made us about five minutes late and I deserved the
recriminations I received. My distress was relieved however by
Lauren never showing, so I was wrong, but I guess Lauren was
wronger. Either way the food was excellent! After lunch we had a
bit of internet then walked around that area of La Paz (I think it's
called Sopocachi, but it's hard to know where certain Barrios begin
and others end). We ended up taking a cab home, but not before i got
to enjoy some Coco(nut) Helado (ice cream) that was absolutely
amazing. The ice cream in La Paz is excellent. More like gellato
but really quite good. there are many ice cream parlors and it's
always a good place to use the rest room and as an excuse enjoy
something sweet. This was the case today, and we stopped at a place
called Dumbo (after the famous Disney Elephant). It's a chain here
or at least as far as I know, only here. But the day was beautiful,
and we were feeling pretty good just walking around. I think we had
some fresh squeezed orange juice too. The people on the street have
booths everywhere and they are all variations on a particular theme.
One is the fresh squeezed juice theme. The vendors spend most of
their time peeling fruit so that when a consumer approaches they cut
the fruit (usually orange or grapefruit) in half and squeeze it right
in front of you with an old fashioned lever press juicer. The juice
is so good here. Ah I could eat it every day. It's usually 2 Bs
which is $.25. I should be drinking it every day. I just have to
find a booth that I can remember where it is! They seem to be pretty
stationary. Other booths are different. There's the bottled drinks
and other stuff booth, and there's the news booth, and you can't
forget the DVD and CD booths... but one thing these latter booths all
have in common is a telephone! A land line style telephone that you
can use for 1 Bs per min. and it's the only way to call locally.
It's weird to see these temporary structures (Adam, you'd love these,
and they way they lock up at night... i'll photo some and send you
the link.. yes I will send it to everyone! don't worry!) with such a
facet of permanent life present. My perception is of course very
skewed due to my perspective, but it is one of those things that I
never could have imagined and is always stranger than what you
expect. But the thing is, you can get just about anything you would
need for daily living on a street corner. And almost without
exception the people are extremely friendly and helpful. One thing i
forgot to mention is that the bottled beverage and general stuff
booths all sell Kleenex or toilet paper. this is because in Bolivia
you always bring your own toilet paper. Only bathrooms in homes have
rolls of paper in situ. It must have something to do with the
culture but I also think it might be in some way linked to the fact
that toilet paper does not go in the toilet here! Instead of rolls
of paper all bathrooms are equipped with a waste bin. The paper goes
in the bin because of the sewer system that appears to be standard in
Bolivia. It's these little differences from everyday life that seem
to be the most subtle but also the most telling. The reflexes that
we develop that we think (assume??? gasp!) are standard and useful
the world over are the hardest things to change. But adapt we must,
and on we go.

We had dinner with Lauren that night at a french restaurant called Le
Bistrota. It is by far the nicest restaurant we've been to and I had
some amazing crepes. After dinner Lauren went off to see Andreas who
is rapidly becoming her boy friend, and Jojo and I walked home slowly
and leisurely by way of the video store. That night we watched Dukes
of Hazard and talked with Maren for hours. I slept again on my nest
of pillows and found comfort not only in my location but even in my
lack of permanence. I am traveling and so far, just being alive has
been all that's mattered. I'm sure i'll find something more
permanent and lasting, but for now, it's good to be in La Paz,
feeling the peace all around.

Thursday Feb. 23rd
The details of this day seem to be lost in the confusion of what
comes next and what came before. One thing I can tell you about this
day is that I went to Capoeira. I went alone because Jojo was not
feeling up to it and her wrist is still really bothering her. The
best part was finding it all on my own. I navigated the streets
mostly from memory and a few street names. It's up to Plaza condor,
then right on Boquerone past Plaza Marti and Plaza Israel (it's got a
big menorah!) and then Right on Calle Colombia. Capoeira is in a
very small space with two columns and a parquet style wood floor that
is so slippery I know i will be building muscles in places i have
never even recognized before.

Tomorrow we head to Carnival, and there is much to do, so i bid you
adieu.

Best from Bolivia!

Eli