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Well we've been back for a week now. Takes a little adjusting to get used to regular life again. Good to be back, but I look forward to the next adventure. Done posting on this blog check out my others if you are interested.

Cheers,
Todd

Miami, FLA

We arrived in Miami at about 5pm today, after an uneventful but lengthy flight from La Paz (7+ hours in the air!). Did you know: airplanes flying to La Paz, Bolivia are equipped with special tires - they need to be able to withstand the additional force resulting from landing at speeds approximately TWICE what is necessary when landing at sea level. As well, the large jets do not take off from La Paz fully fuelled - they would be too heavy to become airborne in the less dense atmosphere.

For most of the trip, the weather was clear... and in between cribbage games I enjoyed spectacular views of the South American topography. From the air, the changes in the landscape are super apparent - the dry, barren altiplano around La Paz turns into vegetated mountains, which turn into flat, lush lowlands as you approach Santa Cruz, which turn into thick jungle as you go north over Brazil along the Amazon River... it is all very beautiful.

Yesterday, Brad, Esther and I checked out a La Paz futbol game. It wasn't as crowded or rowdy as I had hoped, but perhaps it was best that way...?! The fans really get into it, and it was a nice way to spend our last day in the city.

Cheers,

Cheryle

Alguien ha robado mi cartera...

...that's Spanish for... SOMEONE HAS STOLEN MY WALLET!!! Yep, we've become victims of the much-read-about pick pockets... guess we're not as invincible as we had hoped...!!! Today is the gianormous La Paz festival, El Gran Poder. Thousands and thousands of people are in the streets, and many of them have been completely intoxicated since about 7am... We were on our way through a crowd to go have dinner about an hour ago, and all of a sudden Todd noticed his wallet was missing. Luckily, his passport remained in his pocket, and he only had about 100 Bolivianos ($12??) in the billfold. So, instead of having supper, he and I made a few phone calls to cancel credit cards and decided to just come back and hang out at the hostel. Brad continued on to meet up with our friend Esther; hopefully their evening is more fun than Todd's! I'm guessing that he is not the only Gringo in this city who ended up duped today... c'est la vie, I suppose... welcome to a (somewhat) 3rd world country!!

Anyhow, in spite of the nasty event, the day was interesting. The parade consisted of group after group of colorfully-clad dancers, along with marching bands, traditionally dressed ladies, and we even heard that the Bolivian President was going to be in the lineup somewhere. Beer was being consumed by pretty much everyone, and the party is slated to continue well into the night. The streets will be quite the mess tomorrow, I'm sure.

Well, a couple more sleeps and we'll be on the plane home! I am looking forward to seeing all my family and friends.

Cheers,

Cheryle

Coca

We went to the Coca Museum the other day. It provides a very interesting perspective on coca. It has been chewed and used in tea since before Christ by the traditional Andean cultures. When used in its raw leaf form and chewed or used in tea its effects are very mild (probably less than a strong cup of coffee). As a matter of fact, it can provide large amounts of nutrients and is used medicinally for upset stomach and to relieve headaches due to altitude. I find it interesting that the US has spent 1.3 Billion to eradicate coca in Bolivia and that cocaine use by Bolivians is not really a big problem. To spend that kind of money to eradicate something of great cultural significance in a country thousands of miles from your border makes little sense. Take care of the problems inside your own borders. Of note is that the US has 5% of the world population yet consumes 50% of the world cocaine production. (Sorry for anti-US sentiment)
Here are a couple of links.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca - Wikipedia page on coca

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca_eradication - Wikipedia page on coca eradication

During our trip to Oruro we went to the Restaurant Nayjama. Anyone who gets the chance to go, should. The food was great. The owner Chef Roberto sat and chatted with us on both our visits. He is an interesting fellow. He is a local man who trained at the Cordon Bleu school in Paris and has cooked all over the world for many celebrities. For example he worked in the Playboy Mansion for 3 years and was on the David Letterman show. His stories are great!

Cheers,
Todd