Ok so I am back in Cochabamba, I went to Villa Tunari and the animal place, but I left a day later. It was pouring rain when I got there, and to make a long story short, I wasnt feeling it. Got to see some monkeys up close though, that was kinda cool. I am now starting to volunteer through an organization called sustainable bolivia, and started working yesterday at an orphanage called La Colonia. It is an awesome place, ran by a bolivian couple, Kiko and Carmen. They started out watching a few kids from the neighborhood, and it has grown over the years and now they have around 100 kids or so that are there everyday. I think 40 or so of them are orphans and live there, and the other 60 or so ... read more

I am now in Cochabamba, a few hours bus ride from the animal reserve. I haven´t felt so out of place on this trip so far. Apparently not many tourists come here as there is not much to see, so for the locals to see a gringo is strange. Walking down the street people stare at me; they find me just as interesting as I find them! Mostly the older people, they stare at me and I stare right back, both of us analyzing the differences between us. So far I think I´ve seen 3 other people who are not bolivian. The city here is also the most alive city I´ve visited. There are street markets for days. Selling everything from batteries to clothes to all sorts of foods. I saw a cow face, fur and ... read more

Israeli´s. God they are funny. At least these 3 were. Really nice guys, but why is everything an argument? All 3 competing to be the big fish in the small pond. Too many chiefs, not enough indians. Rode the bus with them, got a hostel with them. When paying for the hostel up front, the manager/office guy told them he didnt have change for them, he was 5 bolivianos short, and that he would give it to them later. Its sunday, he said, a lot of places are closed and its hard to find change (this is in spanish, by the way). 5 bolivianos is about, I don´t know, 65 cents? Does it really matter? Apparently. This guy demanded, (shouted!) that he get change now. The older man, said momentito, momentito, with his hands out, palms ... read more

Tango. I know its been forever since my last entry, but I am having fun! Something about constantly typing away and being tied to computers when on vacation just doesn’t seem right. Plus, we haven’t been able to get the internet to work at our apartment, so its not that easy. Anyhow, last night was fun, we went to a Milonga, or tango club! We had been wanting to do this since we got here and finally got around to doing it. We had the address of the place, hopped into a taxi, and told him where to go. It was in a part of town that we hadn’t explored yet, so it was a bit foreign to us. The place was really non-descript. No windows, no sign, just an address number (416) and a red ... read more