This morning we went to La Cancha - this is the biggest market in South America. It is not an overly safe place, we (me, Nikki and Beth) went with Zaida (our mama). She goes often, to buy the food she needs for our house. We took just money (I hid mine in my sock), as it a prime pick pocketing location. Tom and Darryl went with Santiago (Zaida's son), and the others went in the afternoon with Melanie (a new person who speaks v good English and will help us with translating if we need it at our projects later, and basically is a good connection to have as she knows loads about Cochabamba - her dad is also a doctor and has got Darryl a prescription for giving up smoking drugs!).
Here is a video of La Cancha, as I obviously couldn't take photos there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DalPoDWCGvY
We got a taxi there - this being Bolivia, you can squeeze as many people as you like in to taxis. We were 7 in this one - me and Zaida squashd in the front, and the other 5 in the back... It's fine, it happens all the time here. I wonder what is the most people that have ever been squashed into a taxi in Bolivia / South America? I'll keep my eyes peeled to see if I can see more than 7 (especially a combination of gringos and Bolivianos - that would get maximum points in one of those I-Spy books).
When we got out, the first thing we noticed was a bit of a pungent smell and a gazillion people, people with wheelbarrows, with children strapped to their backs, with no teeth etc. The Bolivian way of crossing the road seems to sometimes be to just go for it - our way is a bit more Western, ie wait for a red light or green man, and sometimes scream a bit too as you never know if the traffic is actually going to stop. Zaida led the way, but our non Bolivian ness meant she was way ahead of us and across the road whilst we stood there trying not to get run over by wheelbarrows and / or cars. We walked for ages down stalls selling clothes - I found a nice long blue skirt, we did a bit of bartering, and it was 40 Bs (about £4) - it's a bit like shopping at Primark, but far more exciting and you can't try anything on, and there certainly won't be any refunds if it doesn't fit (or perhaps that is Primark too?). So I risked it, and because it was meant to be, it fits fine and looks ok too. Encouraged by my first purchase I bought some jewellry in the artesan section too - see picture below, and let me know if you want anything similar as a present, it's really cheap and very nice (I've put it all on whilst writing this as it made me quite happy to have new things). Apparently the ring is made of llama string, which I guess means wool, but it looks decidedly more like silver to me. I don't always understand everything however, so I may have massively misunderstood that.
After the clothes stalls and artesan stalls, we tackled the food section of the market, which was Zaida's main purpose. We were soon laden down with huge shopping bags full of potatoes, oranges, bananas, beans, onions, and things I don't know the names for. We saw a few meat stalls selling things liket trotters, intestines, hearts, livers etc - I didn't look too closely, and thankfully our mission didn't involve buying meat today. Zaida explained that she normally buys meat at a small town nearby called something beginning with T - it's around 5km away, and she normally walks there on a Sunday at 6am ish so she can be back for church at 10. Wow - what a life, and she is always always smiling and being helpful to us. We said we'd go with her one Sunday - I bet I'll regret that when my alarm clock goes off at 5....
She told us all about the different parts of Bolivia, and the different clothing they wear in different areas, in La Paz they wear longer dresses (I can't remember the name of the dresses, but I think it is chalitos). See this link as I don't like taking pictures directly of the people here, it's pretty rude and they think it'll trap their soul in the camera etc - http://www.visitbolivia.net/files/imagecache/article-picture/images/bolivian_clothes.jpg
The reason for the longer dresses in La Paz is only because it is colder there. There is a reason for the bowler hats, I think probably to do with colonization. In the countryside areas they still have very traditional values and if you visit them they will give you all their best food and put you in the dining room, whilst they eat in the kitchen - as a sign of respect. There is an area near La Paz called Las Yungas, where they are African/South American people, and they have a very specific type of dance. Hopefully we will see a lot of dancing as part of the carnival around the 2nd week of February. The people from Las Yungas are called Yungenos, by the way.
Zaida said she normally goes to the same vegetables sellers each time, which makes sense - you get a better price due to loyalty, and it's all part of the relationship building / collectivism system. I asked her how on earth she carries all the vegetables when she normally goes there on her own - we were 4 of us and we struggled - I had the potatoes and one handle of the banana/carrots/oranges bag too. She said she takes Santiago or someone else to help her. Part of the market is on actual streets, so you constantly get beeped at and have to make sure the cars / buses / taxis don't drive over your feet. It's quite hard to explain in words the bustling-ness, and total foreign-ness of the market, but suffice to say it was the most Bolivian experience I've had so far, and it was great to go there with Zaida - far better than going on your own, to see her buying all the things from the different sellers, and also if you're buying things yourself you get a better price with her there. I felt a little bit euphoric seeing all the crazy buses and people everywhere, and not a gringo in sight (apart from Nikki and Beth). The picture below is not from the market, but it is one of the same types of buses that we nearly got squashed by there - super colourful:
Meanwhile, Tom and Darryl were in the other side of the market with Santiago - this is the most dangerous part, and Darryl did nearly get pick pocketed - they do a trick of putting water or milk on your arm, so that you have to take your hand out of your pocket to investigate what's just happened, thus meaning they can put their hand in your pocket and help themselves to what's in there. Santiago made sure that they were safe, but Darryl was splashed with water nonetheless in an attempted robbery. They saw loads of animals in their bit, scarlet macaws in cages - I'm glad I didn't see that as I may have freed them all and then been chased out of town / shot.
Darryl and Tom have decided I'm 95% (or 9.5 our of 10) insane - their explanation for this is mainly that I'm doing something like this at my age. They are pretty certain I'm trying to find a Bolivian man - whenever we get taxis, I sit in the front and try to talk to the taxi driver. This is because of all Mauge's talks about relationship building, and me wanting to practise my Spanish, but they see ulterior motives. Especially when I hand them biscuits or sweets..... They think that at the debrief / homecoming event in April when we're back, I'll be there with my Bolivian husband. Ha ha. Given that Darryl and Tom are the only boys here, surrounded by 9 girls, they're coping really well (probably actually loving being surrounded by so many girls), and keep us laughing our heads off most of the time. Darryl talks super fast in a very strong Bath accent, and sometimes I find it easier to understand the Bolivians talking in Spanish or even Quechua.
Yesterday (Friday), after Spanish we had a meeting with David specifically about our project at Mosoj Yan. We watched a video about street kids, taken in Santa Cruz (a nearby city - the biggest in Bolivia), which I had to detach myself from in order to not have a bit of a breakdown. I won't talk too much about the situation yet, as that will be all I will be writing about once we start there. One poignant quote from an ex-street kid who now works in one of these projects helping them, was that if the future of a country is its children, and the children are on the streets, then what kind of future does Bolivia have? Poverty is not just not having food, a home, or shelter, it is also the poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for.
We came up with some ideas of things we can do in our projects, and David described the 3 different centres that Mosoj Yan runs, in more detail. We drew some problem trees and solution trees - you put the problem description in the middle, and then the causes at the bottom - the roots of the tree, and the effects at the top - the branches of the tree. You can then turn the problems into solutions by reversing what you've got in your problem tree. It's a good way of clarifying things and seeing them differently, I think I will use it in other areas of my life. You have to make sure you have identified the right problem though so that your solutions have the right effects. We also learnt about project planning and monitoring and evaluation. As you may know, I find learning new things very exciting, so I was pretty excited about all this.
After this, we went to see El Cristo and some views of Cochabamba, I wrote about this on my last blog - and am sticking to my promise of better pictures for you:
some stats: his head alone weighs 11.8 kgs (or could it be 11,850kg - I can't tell where the decimal point is from the sign?, his total height is 44.4metres, of which 4.6m is his head). Those holes in his arms and body are for you to look through whilst climbing up the steps inside him, which I didn't do.
There he is again peering through the cable car in front
A large lake in Cochabamba, seen from the cable car. Cochabamba is actually really big and sprawling, more so than you would think from being in it from ground level - below is part of the north of it (where our house is, not sure which one though):
After all this excitement we went to el globos for ice creams, here is our banana split:
It's nice to know there are places to get such things, but it's also nice to go to La Cancha and have a more 'authentic' experience (whatever that means these days).
I will leave it there for now so I can do some reading / Spanish homework (not really, but I like to pretend I'll do it...). We also went baby washing this afternoon, which I will write about later (it's pretty much what it says it is, but certainly a first for me) - tomorrow we have a visit to Zaida's church in the morning, followed by a football match in the afternoon (one of the Cochabamba teams versus who knows who - I have asked many a taxi driver, but so far I haven't found out).
Thanks for reading, am glad the internet stayed alive during the big storm we just had. Pepinillo xx
Here is a video of La Cancha, as I obviously couldn't take photos there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DalPoDWCGvY
We got a taxi there - this being Bolivia, you can squeeze as many people as you like in to taxis. We were 7 in this one - me and Zaida squashd in the front, and the other 5 in the back... It's fine, it happens all the time here. I wonder what is the most people that have ever been squashed into a taxi in Bolivia / South America? I'll keep my eyes peeled to see if I can see more than 7 (especially a combination of gringos and Bolivianos - that would get maximum points in one of those I-Spy books).
When we got out, the first thing we noticed was a bit of a pungent smell and a gazillion people, people with wheelbarrows, with children strapped to their backs, with no teeth etc. The Bolivian way of crossing the road seems to sometimes be to just go for it - our way is a bit more Western, ie wait for a red light or green man, and sometimes scream a bit too as you never know if the traffic is actually going to stop. Zaida led the way, but our non Bolivian ness meant she was way ahead of us and across the road whilst we stood there trying not to get run over by wheelbarrows and / or cars. We walked for ages down stalls selling clothes - I found a nice long blue skirt, we did a bit of bartering, and it was 40 Bs (about £4) - it's a bit like shopping at Primark, but far more exciting and you can't try anything on, and there certainly won't be any refunds if it doesn't fit (or perhaps that is Primark too?). So I risked it, and because it was meant to be, it fits fine and looks ok too. Encouraged by my first purchase I bought some jewellry in the artesan section too - see picture below, and let me know if you want anything similar as a present, it's really cheap and very nice (I've put it all on whilst writing this as it made me quite happy to have new things). Apparently the ring is made of llama string, which I guess means wool, but it looks decidedly more like silver to me. I don't always understand everything however, so I may have massively misunderstood that.
After the clothes stalls and artesan stalls, we tackled the food section of the market, which was Zaida's main purpose. We were soon laden down with huge shopping bags full of potatoes, oranges, bananas, beans, onions, and things I don't know the names for. We saw a few meat stalls selling things liket trotters, intestines, hearts, livers etc - I didn't look too closely, and thankfully our mission didn't involve buying meat today. Zaida explained that she normally buys meat at a small town nearby called something beginning with T - it's around 5km away, and she normally walks there on a Sunday at 6am ish so she can be back for church at 10. Wow - what a life, and she is always always smiling and being helpful to us. We said we'd go with her one Sunday - I bet I'll regret that when my alarm clock goes off at 5....
She told us all about the different parts of Bolivia, and the different clothing they wear in different areas, in La Paz they wear longer dresses (I can't remember the name of the dresses, but I think it is chalitos). See this link as I don't like taking pictures directly of the people here, it's pretty rude and they think it'll trap their soul in the camera etc - http://www.visitbolivia.net/files/imagecache/article-picture/images/bolivian_clothes.jpg
The reason for the longer dresses in La Paz is only because it is colder there. There is a reason for the bowler hats, I think probably to do with colonization. In the countryside areas they still have very traditional values and if you visit them they will give you all their best food and put you in the dining room, whilst they eat in the kitchen - as a sign of respect. There is an area near La Paz called Las Yungas, where they are African/South American people, and they have a very specific type of dance. Hopefully we will see a lot of dancing as part of the carnival around the 2nd week of February. The people from Las Yungas are called Yungenos, by the way.
Zaida said she normally goes to the same vegetables sellers each time, which makes sense - you get a better price due to loyalty, and it's all part of the relationship building / collectivism system. I asked her how on earth she carries all the vegetables when she normally goes there on her own - we were 4 of us and we struggled - I had the potatoes and one handle of the banana/carrots/oranges bag too. She said she takes Santiago or someone else to help her. Part of the market is on actual streets, so you constantly get beeped at and have to make sure the cars / buses / taxis don't drive over your feet. It's quite hard to explain in words the bustling-ness, and total foreign-ness of the market, but suffice to say it was the most Bolivian experience I've had so far, and it was great to go there with Zaida - far better than going on your own, to see her buying all the things from the different sellers, and also if you're buying things yourself you get a better price with her there. I felt a little bit euphoric seeing all the crazy buses and people everywhere, and not a gringo in sight (apart from Nikki and Beth). The picture below is not from the market, but it is one of the same types of buses that we nearly got squashed by there - super colourful:
Meanwhile, Tom and Darryl were in the other side of the market with Santiago - this is the most dangerous part, and Darryl did nearly get pick pocketed - they do a trick of putting water or milk on your arm, so that you have to take your hand out of your pocket to investigate what's just happened, thus meaning they can put their hand in your pocket and help themselves to what's in there. Santiago made sure that they were safe, but Darryl was splashed with water nonetheless in an attempted robbery. They saw loads of animals in their bit, scarlet macaws in cages - I'm glad I didn't see that as I may have freed them all and then been chased out of town / shot.
Darryl and Tom have decided I'm 95% (or 9.5 our of 10) insane - their explanation for this is mainly that I'm doing something like this at my age. They are pretty certain I'm trying to find a Bolivian man - whenever we get taxis, I sit in the front and try to talk to the taxi driver. This is because of all Mauge's talks about relationship building, and me wanting to practise my Spanish, but they see ulterior motives. Especially when I hand them biscuits or sweets..... They think that at the debrief / homecoming event in April when we're back, I'll be there with my Bolivian husband. Ha ha. Given that Darryl and Tom are the only boys here, surrounded by 9 girls, they're coping really well (probably actually loving being surrounded by so many girls), and keep us laughing our heads off most of the time. Darryl talks super fast in a very strong Bath accent, and sometimes I find it easier to understand the Bolivians talking in Spanish or even Quechua.
Yesterday (Friday), after Spanish we had a meeting with David specifically about our project at Mosoj Yan. We watched a video about street kids, taken in Santa Cruz (a nearby city - the biggest in Bolivia), which I had to detach myself from in order to not have a bit of a breakdown. I won't talk too much about the situation yet, as that will be all I will be writing about once we start there. One poignant quote from an ex-street kid who now works in one of these projects helping them, was that if the future of a country is its children, and the children are on the streets, then what kind of future does Bolivia have? Poverty is not just not having food, a home, or shelter, it is also the poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for.
We came up with some ideas of things we can do in our projects, and David described the 3 different centres that Mosoj Yan runs, in more detail. We drew some problem trees and solution trees - you put the problem description in the middle, and then the causes at the bottom - the roots of the tree, and the effects at the top - the branches of the tree. You can then turn the problems into solutions by reversing what you've got in your problem tree. It's a good way of clarifying things and seeing them differently, I think I will use it in other areas of my life. You have to make sure you have identified the right problem though so that your solutions have the right effects. We also learnt about project planning and monitoring and evaluation. As you may know, I find learning new things very exciting, so I was pretty excited about all this.
After this, we went to see El Cristo and some views of Cochabamba, I wrote about this on my last blog - and am sticking to my promise of better pictures for you:
The group, with Cochabamba behind (l-r: Santiago, me, Tom (falling off the cliff?), Darryl, Leonie, Leanne, Nikki. As you can see, they are far more stylish than me (ie they are not wearing an anorak).
After all this excitement we went to el globos for ice creams, here is our banana split:
It's nice to know there are places to get such things, but it's also nice to go to La Cancha and have a more 'authentic' experience (whatever that means these days).
I will leave it there for now so I can do some reading / Spanish homework (not really, but I like to pretend I'll do it...). We also went baby washing this afternoon, which I will write about later (it's pretty much what it says it is, but certainly a first for me) - tomorrow we have a visit to Zaida's church in the morning, followed by a football match in the afternoon (one of the Cochabamba teams versus who knows who - I have asked many a taxi driver, but so far I haven't found out).
Thanks for reading, am glad the internet stayed alive during the big storm we just had. Pepinillo xx
There is nothing wrong with your anorak Lucy. I will be taking my stylist gagool to sicily. Love your blog and banana split. Looking forward in hearing about the baby washing. Love jo xxx
ReplyDeleteWe are loving your blogs, hijita (does that mean little daughter?!). But do keep safe. How is the churchgoing going ?
ReplyDeleteThink I should have read the bible more often to you when you were little. Adios, Besos. mama y papa
You write wonderful stuff, Lucy, and I think you should publish all of your blogs. I would be one of the first to order. Thanks for the entertainment, the humour, and the insight into other people's lives. I especially enjoyed reading about the baby-baths.
ReplyDeleteWith love, Gwyneth