Another World
From South And Central America in 5ish months in Tupiza, Bolivia on Feb 27 '07
This entry is about:
From Tilcara, I took a bus to La Quiaca where I crossed over to Villazon which is the main frontier town into Bolivia. I had a lot of time on my hands which I used to contemplate my time in Argentina. These are as follows ¨
I love Argentina. There is not enough time in the world to discover the whole country. If I wasn´t an Italian born in England, I would elect to be Argentinian. I love the contrast between the South and the North of Argentina. I love the people there, their openness, the way they are always ready to open up to you and share mate, their food, their experiences. Their warmth is what makes Argentina so special to me. I could go on about it but I am sure you get the point.
I was quite sad to leave Argentina, as you can imagine as I have had such an a great time there and I never felt out of place or in fact a tourist. I was always treated as one of them which is such a great way to get to know a country and its culture.
I had heard a lot of stories about Bolivia. For example, it is dirty, poor and full of robbers. A bit like Naples when you think about it. Villazon was a real eye opener for me. I arrived and all eyes were on me. It was as if I was the only gringa in town. I certainly was at the bus station anyway. I too could not keep my eyes of the women who wore the balloon like skirts and feminine embroidered pastel blouses. They all wear their hair in plaits and they always wear a bowler hat or some other form of similar head dress. A lot of the older women had faces that were clearly worn by hard work and the sun. The hours passed by quickly as I waited for my bus, even though Villazon is a dump, especially in the heat. I couldn´t keep my eyes off this traditional method of dress that is unique to Bolivia. Of course, not everyone dresses like this and I wish I could show you photos but it seems wrong to ask a woman trying to make a living to pose for my gringo friends.
The bus ride to Tupiza was an adventure in itself. Firstly, my bus was at 4 o´clock supposedly. The bus arrived at 4.25pm which I thought was annoying but I accepted the fact that I wasn´t catching a bus in Switzerland. It wasn´t obvious that the bus was going to Tupiza so I asked the bus driver. He confirmed that the bus was the one I needed to catch, with a waive of his hand. I asked whether it was the 4 o´clock bus, to which he replied ´yes, but it´s early still´. Of course, what was I thinking ?! What I didn´t expect was the shear amount of baggage that needed to be loaded onto the bus. Boxes of all sizes and forms, merchandise that people were selling on the streets, cages of animals and various bundles wrapped in the traditional woven fabrics that the women carry on their backs like ruck sacks, making them look like psychedelic snails.
After everything was loaded onto the bus, we embarked upon the journey that led to Tupiza. The road was a dirt track and the bus was crowded with people, some who stood for the three hour ride. It is apparently, an experience that I will repeat and I will learn to hate.
Tupiza
When I arrived in Tupiza, I immediately booked a two day horse ride which included a night in a local hamlet. Food was also included. It was one of my most precious experiences so far.
My guide, a shy 19 year old boy, was to be my gate way to Bolivian culture. I learnt a lot about how Bolivians live. The poverty here is the unavoidable. Along the route that we took adobe houses are dotted around the countryside amongst donkeys, cactae and blood coloured rivers. It soon became apparent that these hamlets are almost feudal in comparison to what i saw in Argentina. People live on what is produced by the land - maize mostly. A basic irrigation system exists which I remember learning about when I studied Tudor England. Most hamlets have electricity, but I am not sure about running water. I did however see women washing clothes in the river. For me it has become difficult to look at Bolivia without doing so politically.
My guide took me through landscapes that I could not believe existed. It was almost Martian. The red mountains that stained the Earth and the red brown rivers that led to the green and yellow river reeds seemed like something from a Sci-fi film. That wasn´t the end of it. We passed through some of the narrowest mud roads that lead around the mountains to get to our over night refuge.
When we got to the Señora´s house, it was more or less what I expected. A tiny house with an outside bathroom, with no shower and no running water. The bedroom was down stairs and the ´kitchen´( a gas stove) and the living area was upstairs. There was room for the horses outside in a little field next to the house. Whilst the lady prepared our dinner, my guide took me on a walk, again up a rocky hill to admire the view from above. I could not believe what I was seeing and my photos are not nearly as spectacular as the view. What was laid out in front of me was a violet sky tinged with the rose of the setting sun, purple, red, yellow and orange mountains edged with the green of the vegetation next to the orange river. It looked like an artist´s pallet in disarray. The moon appeared and illuminated the colours even more. I sat there in silence unable to speak until the guide told me that he wanted to watch the Simpsons which was starting in an hour. So with that, we went back.
The meal that we had was simple but delicious. A vegetable soup which was just what I needed , followed by meat, rice , eggs tomatoes, potatoes and onions. The lady welcomed me so warmly and after offering to peel potatoes for her we chatted about how Bolivia works. At one point I was looking out at the purple mountain, the Simpsons´theme tune in the back ground and Arab Techno playing in the street, thinking that this world was one that I had no idea exited. And yes, for some reason, Arab techno is very popular here.
In the morning, we were greeted by a rabble of children waiting for the school bell who were hanging off the gate of the field where our horses were. They were fascinated by the fact that I have green eyes. In a flurry of plaited hair and tiny feet, the children ran off to school shouting ´la campana ! la campana!´.
I have arrived back in Tupiza with a back side in the shape of a horse´s saddle.
Take pity on my aching bones by donating to my charity of choice at www.justgiving.com/ciccia
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