Up in the Andes

Seven Eleven

2010-10-04T18:06:00.000-04:00

Looks like Seven Eleven made it all the way to the Bolivian Amazon

Crystal Skull

2010-07-27T21:18:00.000-04:00

As we were waiting for the first sun rays to hit Machu Picchu, this woman reached into her backpack and produced... a crystal skull. (!!) After taking some photos, she played with it for a while.
On a separate note, how do you explain a crystal skull in your carry-on luggage? Or do you just check it in and hope that it arrives in one piece?

Number 10

2010-07-12T18:18:00.000-04:00

Number 10 is usually reserved for the best player on the team. The best player of the World Cup, Diego Forlán, wears number 10. And, apparently, so does José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, as seen here.

Public Phones in the Chiquitania

2010-05-11T10:54:00.000-04:00

Some of the animal-themed public phones in the Jesuit missions of the Chiquitania, in Eastern Bolivia.

Salar de Uyuni

2010-04-12T10:40:00.000-04:00

Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, located in southwestern Bolivia. During the rainy season the Salar is covered by 10cm of water. Below the water is several meters of salt crust, and below that about half of the world's lithium reserves (which is still untouched). A recent article in The New Yorker talks about Bolivia's aspirations to become the Saudi Arabia of the electric-car era (link here). Bolivia's history is full of examples of mismanagement of its natural resources. Whether this time it's going to be any different is to be seen.

Parque Cretácico (Cal Orck'o)

2010-04-07T09:35:00.000-04:00

Dinosaur tracks on a vertical wall (which was actually a beach 65 million years ago) near Sucre. There are over 6,000 tracks from about 150 different dinosaur species. Discovered by accident - there was a cement operation in this location, but once the content of the soil was deemed useless for cement-making, they just left this hillside half dug out. Then over time, rain and erosion revealed the tracks. The wall is unstable, so they are applying to UNESCO to recognize it as a World Heritage Site and finance its preservation in order to prevent more landslides that would erase them (the most recent landslide was in February).

Wide Open

2010-04-04T15:07:00.000-04:00

It's not just open, it's wide open. All day long, too. Please come in.

Real Potosi

2010-03-28T14:04:00.001-04:00

"In honor of the best team in Bolivia: Real Potosi - The Lion of the Highlands". The team won the apertura title in 2007 (their only title so far) which was the reason for erecting this monument, looks like.

Cerro Rico

2010-03-17T20:09:00.004-04:00

Cerro Rico, "the rich hill", supported the Spanish Empire for three centuries. According to a popular saying, so much silver had been extracted from this hill that the Spanish could have constructed a bridge to Spain made entirely of silver, and still have some left to carry across it.
The sad fact is that they could have done the same with the bones of the people that worked in the mines there - it is estimated that as many as eight million (!!) indigenous Bolivians and Africans died from working in the mines during the colonial rule.
Potosi, the world’s highest city, sits at its base at 4090m (13,420ft) altitude. Its population reached almost 200,000 in the silver boom times of the 17th century, when it was larger than London or Paris. The mines' output began to decline in the early 19th century and silver made way for tin and zinc, but the hill is still mined for silver to this day. Most of the operations today are run by miner-owned cooperatives, which work under the conditions that changed little from the colonial period; life expectancy for a miner in Potosi is a little less than 40 years, and some are as young as 12 (there is a recent documentary about Cerro Rico mines - http://www.thedevilsminer.com).

Public Money Well Spent

2010-03-05T15:36:00.000-05:00

"Through paying your taxes... our city transforms" - now that is public money well spent. I guess there was some money left over to build an underpass, too.

Views

2010-02-27T19:46:00.000-05:00

We had to move recently, which was a hassle, like any move, but at least the views from the new apartment are not bad. This is the view to the north - Plaza Isabel la Catolica and Avenida Arce.

Puente de las Americas, Parque Urbano Central and Miraflores to the north-east.

And Mt. Illimani to the south.

George Costanza

2010-02-25T10:43:00.001-05:00

Apparently, George Costanza is in Chile these days, recently running in the local elections under the name of Rodrigo Alvarez. He did not do that well. But the guy on the right, Sebastián Piñera, is the new President of Chile.

Paseo Yugoslavo

2010-01-13T15:12:00.000-05:00

Yeah, that's right, it's ours now! (one of the best viewpoints in Valparaiso, Chile)

Hayskrim

2010-01-05T14:23:00.001-05:00

Would you like a Hayskrim?
No? How about a Kuky then?

New Shopping Center

2009-12-20T12:39:00.001-05:00

A new shopping center just opened nearby. Only the movie theater and food court are actually ready, but why let a construction site get in the way of the grand opening just in time for the Christmas season?

The escalator works, it just needs a paint job.

Koctail

2009-12-20T12:39:00.000-05:00

Anyone for a koctail at Kasual bar?

Public Phone

2009-12-18T14:30:00.000-05:00

Public phone outside a police station - the official hat makes all the difference. Maybe you are supposed to make only serious calls from it.

Corn

2009-12-18T13:31:00.000-05:00

This is what organic corn looks like (not as impressive as the genetically modified one, is it?). And you never know what you are going to find behind the layers of leaves, sometimes it's only half of this. But it does taste pretty good.

H

2009-11-30T14:30:00.006-05:00

H is silent in Spanish, which is probably why they think they can put it anywhere they want without consequences - hence Tohilet, Whit, and Jhonny (which is a fairly popular name, by the way).

Control Antinarcoticos

2009-10-27T14:28:00.012-04:00

Sign for a check point on the way from La Paz to Coroico, in the Yungas (between the Andes and the Amazon Basin) where vegetation is abundant and everything grows with minimal tending - tropical fruit, coffee, cacao, tobacco, and coca. The sign probably takes away a bit of the surprise factor.

Photo Hunting

2009-10-26T16:48:00.000-04:00

Apparently, it is an official term - Photo Hunting. Here, for example, you can photo hunt not only animals, but also rivers and waterfalls, views of high mountains, flowers, and other vegetation. If you want to see all the things that were caught last weekend, visit: Takesi Inca Trail album

Bolivia - Brazil

2009-10-12T15:58:00.004-04:00

Moments after Bolivia scored the second goal. They won the game 2-1, which is not that surprising since Brazil already qualified for the World Cup and played with only a handful of their regular starters (Julio Cesar, Maicon, and Dani Alves; Adriano also played in the first half). And, of course, there is the altitude as well - visiting teams rarely do well here (Argentina lost 6-1 in April). Brazilians apparently arrived an hour before the kickoff.
What is a little more surprising is that locals did not seem to care much at all - the stadium was just over half full, a lot of people were more interested in getting the yellow thunder sticks (partially shown on the photo) from the promoters, and the guy next to us was reading the classifieds in the newspaper the whole game. Most of them were listening to the game on radio as well. Other than the occasional "BO-BO-LI-LI-VIA-VIA" chant, the only other time when the crowd got excited was to taunt the national team coach when he subbed the scorer near the end of the game, and when one guy ran onto the pitch with some transparent, but we did not manage to see what it said before he got escorted out by the police.

Kitchen surprises

2009-09-30T22:15:00.001-04:00

Most apartments in La Paz are rented furnished. These are some of the things that we found waiting for us in the kitchen: "I love America" mug, another one with "Pause... KING SIZE!" Coca-Cola ad printed on it, and one with an ear instead of the holder, to go with the theme "Ecoute j'ai un secret a te dire..." ("Listen, I have a secret to tell you..."), but my favorite is the plate commemorating Apollo lunar missions 7 through 17 (!!?!).

Sea Access

2009-09-22T18:00:00.000-04:00

Must be one of the weirdest monuments I've seen. Bolivia lost its coastline to Chile in 1884 and have been hoping to get it back ever since. The message is "that which was once ours, will be ours once again", but I guess there is no stronger message than having a dude in sandals bayoneting the other guy in the throat.

Carnivoros Anonimos

2009-09-17T21:55:00.025-04:00

On Sundays, El Prado (the main avenue here) becomes a pedestrian zone with stands, a street fair. This stand helps people overcome their addiction to meat (!!). The sign says: "I want to quit meat but I can't. Carnivoros Anonimos was created for you." The stand was well attended.

Rush hour

2009-09-17T20:35:00.010-04:00

Rush hour in La Paz, view from our apartment window.

Transportation options

2009-09-17T19:54:00.009-04:00

1. Micro (blue bus) - about half or so of the regular bus size, similar to yellow school buses in the US. Cheapest and slowest option.

2. Mini (white minivan) - capacity is about 14 passengers, the most frequent of all public transportation options, have fixed routes that are listed on the front windshield (and yelled out the window by the driver's sidekick every 5 seconds). Sidekick (usually a teenage kid) also collects fares from the passengers. The cost is from 1 to 2.3 Bolivianos, depending on the distance and the time of day.

3. Trufi (car on the right) - "Taxi de Ruta Fija", taxis that have set routes (also listed on the front windshield; no sidekick). Capacity is 5 passengers, as they somehow fit 2 people next to the driver (and the car is with a stick shift). The cost is 3 Bs.

4. Taxi (behind the micro) - the same as anywhere else. The cost is usually 12 or 15 Bs for most distances.

Note: 1 USD = 7 Bolivianos

Cables

2009-09-17T18:45:00.009-04:00

They are everywhere. I guess every time someone adds a cable TV or internet connection to their apartment, they just put up another cable. Simple enough.

Valle de la Luna

2009-09-14T12:38:00.004-04:00

...and the creature that lives there.

La Paz

2009-09-14T12:16:00.011-04:00

La Paz, Bolivia - home for the next eleven months...