Octubre 01, 2004
A Different Bolivia
Unpredictable LAB (Lloyd Aereo Boliviano) decided on a whim to postpone Saturday night’s trip by two hours. In typical fashion, they never even bothered to notify me. For all I know, they could have moved the flight up by two hours, and I’d be stuck. On the bright side, I’ll be able to go shopping for the last-minute things I’ll need.
In less than 48 hours from now, I’ll be landing at Jorge Wilstermann airport in Cochabamba. I was crossing my fingers for a Washington, DC – Cochabamba direct flight, but my route will include stops in Miami and in Santa Cruz.
When I arrive early that morning (hopefully with my baggage included, as the last time I arrived my pack took its own sweet time), I have a feeling there will be an eerie similarity to the surroundings. There will still be this tiny old man, who asks each arriving passenger if he or she needs a taxi. As a means of gaining a finder’s fee tip, he doesn’t realize, for some reason, that one just has to step out on the curb to catch a waiting taxi. He’s been there for at least the past seven years. I’ll also see the grayish haze covering the city leading up to the foot of the enclosing mountains, plus the smell of the morning air, and my mouth beginning to water at the prospects of eating salteñas later that morning – an old family tradition that goes back as far as I can remember for arriving family members, and … I can go on and on. It’ll be a feeling as if I never left.
Yet, I know things will be fundamentally different.
When I’m in La Paz, I probably won’t take the 45-minute trufi ride to Ciudad Satelite to visit my grandfather. See, he passed away earlier this year. His stubbornness reinforced the fact that he refused to move for the past 40 years, because his house was his house. Even though the out-of-control sprawl of El Alto, made life much less tranquil than when he first built the house on the Altiplano, we had visited him as much as we could. In his later years, his health deteriorated to the point where fatigue and other health problems would be a barrier to spending quality time with him, with meaningful conversation. It was sad to see him with so much trouble, but I can take comfort that he is not suffering anymore.
I also know that one of my best friends won’t be sitting behind the counter at the auto parts store SALCA on Avenida Heronias. He, too, passed away last December, except he was still young and in his early 30s. The leukemia, which had been working its destruction internally, had finally caught up with him. The two of us, although mostly through his initiative, started a basketball club to play in the citywide league, where we won a league title and earned promotion to the next higher level. The team did not disband after his death in a tribute to him, and I’ll try to buy the team some new uniforms.
Not everything will be bittersweet.
I’ll be returning to Bolivia armed with a relatively better understanding of its political, social and current situation. Ever since I’ve left I kept up with online newspapers and other sources concerning Bolivia. I’ll be anxious to actually discuss politics with those that it actually affects. No matter how much you read, it can never take the place of actually seeing and talking with people from all walks of life and backgrounds. Sunday afternoon meals with my extended family are always an excellent opportunity to throw in my .02 cents (just as long that they don’t sit me at the kids’ table as usual). Perhaps they’ll be surprised to see how up-to-date I am, considering I am living on another continent.
I also have to credit Miguel and his blog that he updated when he lived in La Paz last year. I don’t know how I managed to stumble on to his page in late 2003, but I was excited to see Bolivia written about in that first-hand fashion. Even though we disagreed on some points, it definitely was a catalyst in encouraging me to inform myself and form my own opinions.
Posted by eduardo at Octubre 1, 2004 12:33 PM
Comments
Eddi:
You write from the heart! I'll be looking forward to reading your views on Bolivia when you come back in November. Have a nice trip! and saludos a los paisanos.
Natalia
Posted by: Natalia at Octubre 1, 2004 01:43 PM
Hey, you kept me on my toes, and I appreciate that. Let me know what you think of La Paz these days. It many ways it's my favorite & least favorite place in Bolivia. Oh, and make sure you get out to Sucre & Tarija.
If you go to Tarija, check out Café Bagdad. There's a girl who works there named Andrea. Perhaps the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. If you get there, say "hi" to her for me.
Posted by: Miguel Centellas at Octubre 1, 2004 10:45 PM