Surviving Bolivia
A lot of things have happened since I last updated this blog. I finished work at the Calvert School in Cochabamba and started my new job working with some public libraries here in Cochabamba and El Alto in La Paz. I did my first training session of librarians in Spanish, which went pretty well and I spent some time in the far reaches of Bolivia. I survived bad roads and scary bus rides but had a number of experiences which have reconfirmed my thoughts that Bolivia is one of the most fascinating and interesting countries I’ve ever had the luck to travel in. Here are a few highlights.
Training librarians in Spanish
Late last year I met some people working in a small community on the outskirts of El Alto, a city on the edge of La Paz. There were building a community library and needed some help developing it. This was the right timing for me as I was contemplating my future at the school and was looking at doing something very different but with communities that needed help, rather than rich kids.
Through Maggie and Tim I met some other people who had helped to set up a network of public libraries in Senkata, also in El Alto and they asked me to come and help train the librarians who worked there. So on August 5, I embarked on my very first (and very scary) workshop on What is a Library? In Spanish. The librarians were fantastic and very enthusiastic. It is very different training people who have no access to information or opportunities to participate in these kinds of sessions. Needless to say, I stumbled through and in the evaluations the overwhelming feeling was that the day was valuable and completely aimed at their own experiences rather than some high level theory.
I’ve been invited back to do some more training sessions so my new job has began!
Surviving Bad Roads in Bolivia
I’ve been on many bad roads in Bolivia and in my many years of travel but going by road to Rurrenabaque and through the province of the Beni was possibly the worst experience I’ve ever had. First I had to go by the so called Worlds Most Dangerous Road (so called because of the amount of deaths per year, the highest in the world) by bus (most tourists do it by bike and this is considered safer). The road is absolutely stunning, you drive through the barren altiplano and then descend into tropical rainforest. But the road is one way with 2 way traffic and the traffic going down the road has to give way to the traffic going up, and the traffic going down is on the edge of the road. This means that constantly to give way to the traffic going up you have to reverse back, and most of the time the bus reverses back to the very edge of the road where all you can see is the abyss.
Not so bad, things were actually going well on this trip until we came across the wreckage of the first truck that had gone over. Looked like the driver got out okay so I was feeling okay. Then we came across the salvage crew of a bus that had gone over the night before, killing all of the 50 passengers. The Bolivian woman behind me started crying hysterically and all of my confidence waned a little.
We made it however but the next day the road was closed so all traffic was to take the “new road”. Of course no one told us this in Corioco so whilst waiting for my bus to Rurrenabarque I was a little concerned that I would have to go back to La Paz which is something I didn’t want to do. After 3 hours of waiting, we (some others waiting for the same bus) decided to risk the road and get to a little town called Carinarvi and pick up our bus from there. However to get there we had to get a camion, that is a open topped truck. I know the statistics, its these trucks that go over the side, usually they have too much weight and the drivers are a little on the manic side. I also know that most of the deaths occurred on the death road are from camions, but it was the only way so in we hopped. I could describe the fear that I had as we went up the hill and I did get mildly hysterical at one point, especially when the sun went down and the camion didn’t have any lights so was using its indicator to see the road, but I survived and that’s the point. The road however was incredible, a clear sky so you could see all the stars and a full moon. WOW!
We then took the bus along possibly the worst road in Bolivia to Rurre, a long dirt and dusty road, in a very uncomfortable bus. I went by bus after Rurre to San Borja, San Ignacio de Moxos, Trinidad, Santa Cruz, Vallegrande and back to Cochabamba. And I had a lot of time to thing about the way roads are used to oppress people and the rich bastards who have stolen all the money allocated to improve the roads in Bolivia and the people are stuck with terrible roads, bad transport and no means of travel. In the 4 months of rainy season in the Beni, the roads are impassable and no one can travel. I felt outrage at the state of the roads, and not just because I definitely did some damage to my back, but because I know money is there is improve the roads but the communities never see the money. Infrastructure is one way to improve the living conditions of the people.
La Pampa
Whilst I was in Rurre I did a 3 day tour of the Pampa, which pretty much meant 3 days on a slow boat watching the wildlife in the park. We saw loads of animals, alligators, monkeys, snakes, birds and (my personal favourite) pink river dolphins. We saw the most spectacular sunset and sunrise I’ve seen in Bolivia and every night the entire milky way. There are times I feel very lucky to be living in this wonderful country.
Chasing Che
My last week was spent with my friend Lee in the town of Vallegrande and La Higuera, the villages where Che Guevara spent his last days. It completed my Che tour of world, from his home town in Argentina to his part in the Cuban Revolution, this was something I had wanted to do for a very long time, go to the place where he met his death.
In his ridiculous attempt to ferment revolution in Bolivia, Che and his motley band of guerrillas attempted to set up a training camp in the region to encourage revolutionaries to spread the good word across Latin America. He failed miserably for many reasons, but inspired a cult following which to this day intrigues me. I’m not a huge fan of Che but I do find him a fascinating world figure so I have been chasing him all over the world to attempt to understand the phenomenon he has inspired.
La Higuera is a very small village (population of 18) and is where Che was executed by the Bolivian army. It is a beautiful little place, with a stunning view of the mountains and valley below, the village has no electricity or running water. The people who live there have mostly lived there for their whole lives and were there at the time of his death. The view Che with amusement, and are now making a meagre living of his memory and the hundreds of worshipers who come every year.
We stayed in the school and medical centre built by the Cuban Government in one of their initiatives to help Evo´s government. It was a very beautiful place to die and a very peaceful place to spend a couple of days.
Vallegrande is a well off town where Che´s body was taken and displayed to the world, then buried in an unmarked grave for 30 years, before in 1997 it was exhumed and returned to Cuba. So we visited the place where he lay, and the other grave of guerrillas that fought with him, and the hospital where he was shown to the world. The hospital was also renovated by Cuban money and was very nice.
If anyone comes to Bolivia or is in Bolivia I would highly recommend this trip. Not only is Vallegrande and the valley stunning and a peaceful place to pass a week, the history and mythology around Che makes for a different experience of Bolivia.
So now I’m back, having survived the 12 hour journey yesterday to get back to Cochabamba. Its work from now on. I have 3 projects I am working on and I must get going on them. So stay tunned for very exciting news about my library projects and other reflections on life in Bolivia.
Training librarians in Spanish
Late last year I met some people working in a small community on the outskirts of El Alto, a city on the edge of La Paz. There were building a community library and needed some help developing it. This was the right timing for me as I was contemplating my future at the school and was looking at doing something very different but with communities that needed help, rather than rich kids.
Through Maggie and Tim I met some other people who had helped to set up a network of public libraries in Senkata, also in El Alto and they asked me to come and help train the librarians who worked there. So on August 5, I embarked on my very first (and very scary) workshop on What is a Library? In Spanish. The librarians were fantastic and very enthusiastic. It is very different training people who have no access to information or opportunities to participate in these kinds of sessions. Needless to say, I stumbled through and in the evaluations the overwhelming feeling was that the day was valuable and completely aimed at their own experiences rather than some high level theory.
I’ve been invited back to do some more training sessions so my new job has began!
Surviving Bad Roads in Bolivia
I’ve been on many bad roads in Bolivia and in my many years of travel but going by road to Rurrenabaque and through the province of the Beni was possibly the worst experience I’ve ever had. First I had to go by the so called Worlds Most Dangerous Road (so called because of the amount of deaths per year, the highest in the world) by bus (most tourists do it by bike and this is considered safer). The road is absolutely stunning, you drive through the barren altiplano and then descend into tropical rainforest. But the road is one way with 2 way traffic and the traffic going down the road has to give way to the traffic going up, and the traffic going down is on the edge of the road. This means that constantly to give way to the traffic going up you have to reverse back, and most of the time the bus reverses back to the very edge of the road where all you can see is the abyss.
Not so bad, things were actually going well on this trip until we came across the wreckage of the first truck that had gone over. Looked like the driver got out okay so I was feeling okay. Then we came across the salvage crew of a bus that had gone over the night before, killing all of the 50 passengers. The Bolivian woman behind me started crying hysterically and all of my confidence waned a little.
We made it however but the next day the road was closed so all traffic was to take the “new road”. Of course no one told us this in Corioco so whilst waiting for my bus to Rurrenabarque I was a little concerned that I would have to go back to La Paz which is something I didn’t want to do. After 3 hours of waiting, we (some others waiting for the same bus) decided to risk the road and get to a little town called Carinarvi and pick up our bus from there. However to get there we had to get a camion, that is a open topped truck. I know the statistics, its these trucks that go over the side, usually they have too much weight and the drivers are a little on the manic side. I also know that most of the deaths occurred on the death road are from camions, but it was the only way so in we hopped. I could describe the fear that I had as we went up the hill and I did get mildly hysterical at one point, especially when the sun went down and the camion didn’t have any lights so was using its indicator to see the road, but I survived and that’s the point. The road however was incredible, a clear sky so you could see all the stars and a full moon. WOW!
We then took the bus along possibly the worst road in Bolivia to Rurre, a long dirt and dusty road, in a very uncomfortable bus. I went by bus after Rurre to San Borja, San Ignacio de Moxos, Trinidad, Santa Cruz, Vallegrande and back to Cochabamba. And I had a lot of time to thing about the way roads are used to oppress people and the rich bastards who have stolen all the money allocated to improve the roads in Bolivia and the people are stuck with terrible roads, bad transport and no means of travel. In the 4 months of rainy season in the Beni, the roads are impassable and no one can travel. I felt outrage at the state of the roads, and not just because I definitely did some damage to my back, but because I know money is there is improve the roads but the communities never see the money. Infrastructure is one way to improve the living conditions of the people.
La Pampa
Whilst I was in Rurre I did a 3 day tour of the Pampa, which pretty much meant 3 days on a slow boat watching the wildlife in the park. We saw loads of animals, alligators, monkeys, snakes, birds and (my personal favourite) pink river dolphins. We saw the most spectacular sunset and sunrise I’ve seen in Bolivia and every night the entire milky way. There are times I feel very lucky to be living in this wonderful country.
Chasing Che
My last week was spent with my friend Lee in the town of Vallegrande and La Higuera, the villages where Che Guevara spent his last days. It completed my Che tour of world, from his home town in Argentina to his part in the Cuban Revolution, this was something I had wanted to do for a very long time, go to the place where he met his death.
In his ridiculous attempt to ferment revolution in Bolivia, Che and his motley band of guerrillas attempted to set up a training camp in the region to encourage revolutionaries to spread the good word across Latin America. He failed miserably for many reasons, but inspired a cult following which to this day intrigues me. I’m not a huge fan of Che but I do find him a fascinating world figure so I have been chasing him all over the world to attempt to understand the phenomenon he has inspired.
La Higuera is a very small village (population of 18) and is where Che was executed by the Bolivian army. It is a beautiful little place, with a stunning view of the mountains and valley below, the village has no electricity or running water. The people who live there have mostly lived there for their whole lives and were there at the time of his death. The view Che with amusement, and are now making a meagre living of his memory and the hundreds of worshipers who come every year.
We stayed in the school and medical centre built by the Cuban Government in one of their initiatives to help Evo´s government. It was a very beautiful place to die and a very peaceful place to spend a couple of days.
Vallegrande is a well off town where Che´s body was taken and displayed to the world, then buried in an unmarked grave for 30 years, before in 1997 it was exhumed and returned to Cuba. So we visited the place where he lay, and the other grave of guerrillas that fought with him, and the hospital where he was shown to the world. The hospital was also renovated by Cuban money and was very nice.
If anyone comes to Bolivia or is in Bolivia I would highly recommend this trip. Not only is Vallegrande and the valley stunning and a peaceful place to pass a week, the history and mythology around Che makes for a different experience of Bolivia.
So now I’m back, having survived the 12 hour journey yesterday to get back to Cochabamba. Its work from now on. I have 3 projects I am working on and I must get going on them. So stay tunned for very exciting news about my library projects and other reflections on life in Bolivia.
posted by Paula Pfoeffer at
5:01 am
