This morning I had perhaps the most defining moment in my time in La Paz. I was on one of the crazy mini-buses headed towards one of the two destinations I'm familiar with, and as a chola woman sat down next to me, I felt something fall by my side. Turns out her watch had fallen off of her wrist, and after I picked it up for her, she held her arm out (which was surprisingly frail, the layered clothing makes these women seem overweight when they aren't at all) and I helped her put her watch back on. I had a hard time understanding her Spanish, but we didn't even need words to communicate. Her whole mannerism changed after she saw my willingness to help her. This is perhaps the first time that I've felt any sort of access or connection to the indigenous community here, and I hope to continue gaining insight into this culture about which I clearly know nothing.
Earlier in the day I made it down to the nearest area of the Zona Sur (finally) called Obra to pay a surprise visit to USAID/Bolivia. It was so obvious that the building was associated with the US government, as it was the only place for blocks that had an extensive security checkpoint. I don't think they understood that I wasn't asking for a job there, but rather for information about volunteer work for some of the organizations they support. So while my visit was basically pointless, it did give me the chance to wander around the neighborhood.
The houses here, as was described to me, are certainly much larger, much further apart, and have these distinctive high walls surrounding them. I don't know if I would classify it as a typical American suburb, but it certainly does have a different feel from downtown La Paz. Also, as you can see from the pictures, the mountains are even more visible than in the thick of the city. Wandering around downtown, sometimes it's easy to forget that you're in the middle of the Andes, but here, no.
As much as the area is pretty, honestly...it reminded me of some of the suburbs of Florida, apart from the fantastic view, of course.
Please note how almost every car on this street is an SUV...blech.
I spent the rest of the day wandering around Sopocachi and El Prado (I think I spent something ridiculous like 8 straight hours walking.) I was on an epic quest to find a bookstore, which ended up in my wandering back and forth across town from one closed store to the other. Who would have thought that it would be so hard to find a bookstore (that isn't for little kids and doesn't exclusively carry religious literature) in the area where most of the foreigners live?
[Calle 20 de Octubre]
[funky building]
[La Universidad San Francisco de Asís]
[Plaza Eduardo Abaroa]
[Gorgeous house in Sopocachi, right off 20 de Octubre]
[Surreal car dealership]Anyway, I finally made it back to the store where I first bought my map, and I ended up buying a great book (in Spanish of course) of short stories by a Bolivian author, Oscar Cerruto. I've never heard of him, but I always find the genre of "fantástico e imaginario" interesting, so I look forward to filling some of my more bored afternoons puzzling over Mr. Cerruto's work. I also picked up "Los largartos terribles" by Isaac Asimov, obviously a translation, which should be...fun.
On my way back towards a coffee house called Cafe Terraza, which is basically the ritzy hangout for foreigners and wealthier Bolivians, I also caught a glimpse of a demonstration/parade/protest by the Miner's Union in the Plaza del Estudiante, which basically caused a huge traffic jam in the area. As you can see in the pictures, it was interesting to see the fully outfitted police (or soldiers) standing by, ready to intervene.
Well...if you made it to the end of this entry, I apologize that I crammed so much into one space. I did a lot of walking and seeing today, so yeah, that's what happens when I'm alone and have a camera :)
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