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Published: December 2nd 2006
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Since my last blog post I have traveled from Arequipa to Puno, Peru, and then onto La Paz and Sucre, Bolivia
(see map). Over the last 4 weeks I have been in Sucre studying Spanish. Fall rains in the Andes highlands have put a stop to much of my backcountry wandering, but I have had some fun urban adventures, met some new friends, learned a little Spanish, and managed a
short trek in the Cordillera de Los Frailes just west of Sucre.
I arrived in Puno just in time for All Souls Day - sort of like our Memorial Day, only more colorful and festive. On this day, much of the populace heads to their local cemetery to honor, decorate, and bless their ancestors´ gravesites. But there is also music, food, and much socializing. At the cemetery I visited, there were priests and small folk bands on hand to offer graveside blessings, and nearly every grave was covered with a profusion of flowers, trinkets, artwork, photos, and the like.
At the cemetery, I was cornered by a little posse of kids, who asked for a group photo. I happily obliged. Next, there was talk about a visit to the ¨parque de los ninos¨ and before I knew
it I had been shanghaied off to the kids park and relegated to the role of official trip photographer. I was so overwhelmed by their frantic chatter, I confess I really had no idea where we were going until the taxi arrived at the park. Every bunch of Peruvian kids should have a sucker gringo photographer to catalog their exploits! After the park, there was ice cream for all, courtesy this sucker gringo.
Over the next few days was a festival celebrating the founding of Puno and the origin of the Inca empire. What a party! On the first day, I watched 4.5 hours of a day-long parade with lots of colorful costumes and dance (until my butt gave out from my stone pavement seat). The parade was not just dancers and floats, but also included some important social and politial messages. There were people marching for better family planning, environmental protection, and others seeking to raise awareness about domestic violence. There was also plenty of political satire - one Peruvian politician was depicted as Sponge Bob Squarepants! There was even a float on the earth´s shrinking ozone layer, complete with a earth shrouded by a plastic skin. When
the float broke down and needed a push by a group of onlookers, the symbolism was not lost on the crowd.
The whole of the next day was filled with more dancing and music in the streets of Puno - way more than I could absorb! At night, bands played to standing-room-only crowds in the two main public squares, and there was a whole lotta´ drinking going on! At every corner, there were stands with people mixing drinks in large vats.
My plans to sea kayak in Lake Titicaca, then hike the remote Cordillera Apolobamba in northern Bolivia were foiled by rain and cold weather. So it was onto La Paz. I decided to skip Cusco, Machu Picchu, and the Sacred Valley of the Incas since I visited this area in 2002.
In La Paz, I took in a few museums, walked a lot of the city, finally found some good food, and met some great folks. One woman vendor spent half an hour chatting with me, sharing a wonderful picture book on Bolivia and offering to have her son guide me to a local viewpoint of the city. An offer I would have taken up, but
for the weather and another bout of the stomach flu (this time from raw-veggies, duh!)…
One of my fave stops in La Paz was the coca museum, which sets the record straight on this culturally-significant plant and its history of use and abuse. A few coca factoids:
* The chewing of coca leaves has been part of Andean culture for at least 3500 years. Traditionally, coca leaves were chewed 2-3 times/day like we consume coffee - but their use is also imbued with a rich system of cultural and spiritual beliefs.
* As early as the 1500´s, the Catholic church attempted to ban its use - a ban it later reversed once it learned that coca boosted worker productivity and placated starving Indians.
* After an early attempt at western commercialization of coca (as an ingredient in Coca Cola and a French wine), its use was again banned by the USA (1914) and the UN (1960s) in response to a cocaine boom in the developed world. Cocaine was first produced not by evil drug lords in the jungle, but by the USA pharmaceutical giant Merck for potential medical applications.
* French studies indicate that 3 alkaloids found in
coca: increase tolerance for work, stimulate respiratory centers, inhibit the build-up of platelets (thinning the blood), and help regulate glucose metabolism. Essentially coca helps users adapt to life at high altitudes.
* With 5%!o(MISSING)f the worlds population, the USA now consumes 50%!o(MISSING)f all cocaine produced. And it continues to fund an expensive, fruitless war on coca producers, destabilizing South American countries in the process.
From La Paz, I did a day-long mountain bike ride down the so-called ¨world´s most dangerous road¨ descending from La Cumbre (4750 m) to Yolosa (1,100 m) over 64 km. This is a popular gringo excursion from La Paz, and the riding is far from technical. But on the day I went, snow and rain made things more interesting. We actually had to start about 15 km down the road from La Cumbre, due to snow on the road. One person crashed in the first five minutes, and then the support van broke down. It was a ride to remember with some stunning scenery.
As cities go, La Paz is wonderful in spite of the wicked bad air pollution. And it seems more safe to me than it did in 2002
(when my friend Wendy and I were robbed twice and caught in street demonstration with tear gas all in the span of 24 hours!). There are more cops on the street now.
Then it was onto the beautiful colonial city of Sucre, Bolivia. My arms were tired out from all the hand-waving needed with my limited Spanish-communication skills! During my 4 weeks of language study here it has been mostly sunny and warm, with only a little rain. There is quite a mongrel community of expat students here, many from Europe, the UK, Australia, and a few yanks and Canadians too.
One weekend, 4 other students and I managed a short 2 d-2 n trek into the Cordillera de Los Frailes (CLF) just west of Sucre. The group included Tobias (from Switzerland), Denise (Holland), Jennifer, Erin, and me (all USA). We started in Chatailla, descended and crossed the Rio Ravelo near Chaunaca, then walked up to Maragua. We crossed the colorful Maragua Crater and over a pass to Quilla Quilla, then over another low pass on the shoulder of Cerro Obispo (which Jennifer, Tobias, and I had climbed the weekend before), and down to Cachi Mayu where our
taxi driver-friend Felix picked us up.
The 4-6 hours of classes a day have been rather intense, but rewarding. There also been interesting opportunities for local community tours through the school (such as a local drinking water treatment plant and a hat factory), cooking classes, and indoor soccer. Sucre was where Bolivian independence was declared, and it still remains the consitutional capital. It is an exciting place to be right now because the country is busy writing a new constitution and all of this is happening here in Sucre.
On Wednesday I will be off to Buenos Aires to meet Matia, from where we will head to the Argentinian lake district for Christmas. Stay tuned!
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Shea
non-member comment
Thanks for the inspiration
Ted-dog, nice travelogue you've got going. I say, when in doubt, let the kids show you the way. Never mind if they've just chiseled you out of cash for some ice cream. That's their mission in life, after all. Okay, have an awesome trip and keep us posted, Shea