On Saturday, a friend of the family showed up for lunch.
Claudia came with her fiancé and a huge smile on her face. We all prepared a
huge delicious lunch and a fruit salad of pineapple and the most delicious
mango ever. There were a lot of jokes and laughter and even though I definitely
missed some of the humor due to my limited Spanish expertise, it was
contagious.
Side note on fruit in Bolivia: It is delicious. I probably
mentioned this last time I was here but it bears repeating. The thing about
fruit in the United States of America is that it is all supposed to look
aesthetically pleasing and be easy to ship. So it becomes bigger and brighter
and harder and loses a lot of its flavor. But in Bolivia the fruit comes in
fresh from the countryside. It doesn’t last as long, it has brown spots, it’s
not perfectly shaped, but the flavor is so much better. So. Much. Better.
Anyway, Claudia invited the family to accompany them to her
fiancé’s sister’s house about a half hour outside of Cochabamba, near a place
called Tiquipaya. There are some waterfalls there that you can hike up to and
wade in. As usual, I got to tag along.
Tagging along is not always easy. I do often feel like the
outsider who is not actually supposed to be there but somehow managed to get
herself an invitation. I have to remind myself that when I’m invited somewhere
I am actually welcome. I was also designated the trip photographer so I took that
job very seriously.
We arrived at the house and it was absolutely beautiful. It
was surrounded by green and mountains and huge cacti and flowers. We hiked up
along a manmade water trough that brings water down from the streams. It wasn’t
a particularly difficult hike and the view was incredible. On the side of the path we also saw a really
cool map of Bolivia etched into the dirt, complete with pebble Andes Mountains.
When we arrived at the waterfalls people immediately jumped in, splashing
around, bathing in the cool clear water.
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| The Map |
Ismael took it a bit more slowly due to his recent illness.
He climbed down to the stream, sat on a rock, and meditated. The entire scene
was pretty awesome. I had to put down my camera after a bit and just sit and
take it all in. The waterfalls surrounded by mountains, Cochabamba in the
distance, the family and friends, people of all ages playing in the water.
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| Claudia and Feris |
 |
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| Ismael |
Side note about that moment: It was first time I really felt
a bit homesick since I’ve been in Bolivia. I didn’t have my family or friends
there and I felt kind of like an observer. Part of that was probably because I
separated myself from the scene with my camera lens but part of the reason I
separated myself from the scene with my camera lens was because I felt that
way.
After a while we headed back up to the house where a bunch
of people gathered, family and friends and neighbors. They served us rum and
coke, cookies, cakes, choclo (a type of corn with really big kernels of which I
am quite a fan). Some people played music, the children ran around tormenting
the dogs and an unfortunate kitten named Gatuna Matata (Gato means cat in
Spanish. I thought the name was hilarious.) As it got dark the light filtering
through the clouds was really beautiful creating shades of blue in the
mountains. When we were leaving I could see fireflies all over the hillside.
Overall it was a pretty cool day. One of those unexpected
things that just comes up sometimes and you go with it. That’s what life is all
about.
Five other things about my final few days in Cochabamba
In a list because the internet loves lists
1.
The Kickstarter campaign ended on Saturday. We
ended up getting 106% of our goal. I am in awe of the incredible support we
received. Seriously, thank you thank you thank you to everyone who contributed
in any way.
2.
On Sunday I met up with a new friend I met last
week. She knows I’m a filmmaker and we had talked a bit about Bolivian movies,
none of which I had ever seen. So on Sunday when she knew I was leaving the
next day, she gave me a going away gift: a film called Zona Sur, a Bolivian
film about a family in La Paz. It was so nice of her and such a perfect gift. I
can’t wait to watch it. Also, when I went to say goodbye to Lupe she gave me a
ring. All of these people are so wonderful.
Side note about movies: I lost my entire DVD collection. It
was in my suitcase on the way from the United States to Bolivia and when I got
here it was gone. Either I misplaced it along the way or some Bolivian airport
worker now has hours of great entertainment for himself and his children.
3.
I wanted to do something nice for the Saavedra
family since I stayed with them for 10 days and ate their food and lived in
their house and took advantage of their unbelievable hospitality. I initially
thought of getting them a gift but could not think of anything to get them. So
I decided to bake them a cake. There were a couple of challenges with this
plan. First of all, there are a few vegans in the house. Second, baking at a
higher altitude is different. Third, they have a really crazy professional
baking oven thing that I have no idea how to use. The cake didn’t cook right.
It was a puddingy mess. Luckily it was vegan so it was still edible. But I was
so disappointed. I wanted to make them something super nice to let them know
how grateful I was. They say it’s the thought that counts. By they I mean my
parents and Eliana. Hey, I tried.
4.
On Sunday night I went to a friend’s house and
watched a Bolivian movie called Quien
mató la llamita blanca or Who Killed
the White Llama. It’s a comedy. But all of the jokes are really Bolivian.
So I understood some of them but so much of it went over my head. I’m just not
Bolivian. Maybe in a few months I’ll understand more.
5.
There are some things in life that you have to
take advantage of. One of those things is salteñas. Here’s the thing. I’ve been
a vegetarian for a couple years now but when you’re faced with the option of
eating salteñes you do not turn it down. No regrets. That’s all I’ll say about
that.
Yesterday I flew to La Paz. I’m always pretty pleased with
the efficiency of BoA, the Bolivian airline I’ve taken most often. They are
very on time, professional, and pretty inexpensive. The flight is only about 25
minutes but they still manage to serve you a beverage and a snack. Impressive.
During the flight to La Paz I always feel like we’re pretty
close to the ground. I guess this is because of the mountains. I also feel like
take off and go up but never really go down very much; we just sort of land.
Because of the altitude of La Paz. I could be completely wrong about all of
this but either way I think it’s a really beautiful flight.
Now I’m in La Paz and I’m pretty excited to be here, ready
to explore a new city. It feels very different from Cochabamba, not only
because of the shortness of breath you experience when you try to walk up a
hill too fast at this altitude. It’s a big city, very busy, with people from
all over the world, art, culture, life.
Last night Tupac and I went to the Witch Market, a maze of
streets in La Paz that sells all sorts of things, very popular with the
tourists. (I’ll be back there to buy souvenirs for all you all in a few
months.) He wanted a new guitar so we only went to the guitar stores. The
coolest one, and the one where he made his purchase, featured a guy who made
his own guitars in the shop. There were guitars at all different levels of
completeness and it was so cool to see. It made me want to learn guitar.
Side note about alcohol consumption and my personal Spanish
proficiency: I am better at Spanish when I am slightly drunk.
Tonight is Christmas Eve. It’s pretty much my first
Christmas Eve ever. I’ll let you know how that goes.
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