Bolivia Pt.2

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So this is the last day in Bolivia and we are back at our favorite hostel in South America. I guess I should re-cap whats happened since the last entry. We left the cold, high altitude, of La Paz and took a bus first to Cochabamba. Cochabama is a little city about 6 hours from La Paz. It was cool to be in place where there were no other Americans buuut it didnt have much to offer. Just the usual markets with the raw meat hanging everywhere (I cant stand the smell... or the sight of the whole pig carcasses) and the women selling their veggies and fruits. We ate fried chicken, which is appearantly the MOST popular food in the Cochabamba and just kinda hung out for a couple days. We then hit the road again to go to Santa Cruz. It was hot, humid, and wonderful! The hostel we stayed at had two tucans! I named them both Sam... ya know like Tucan Sam. One was really friendly and would let you hold him while the other just wanted to bite your toes. It was really cool to be close to them but, their wings were clipped so bad that they couldnt fly at all and would hop everywhere they went... funny but sad. So at first Santa Cruz was really awesome, lots of sun and heat and we could breathe! Its also the biggest city in Bolivia although it didnt seem like it all. The people are also completely differnt there than anywhere else. The people were stylish and skinny. and I only saw a handful of women wearing the colorful knitted clothes you see all over the rest of Bolivia. The beggers were still everywhere and seeing the little kids sing and dance for money was probably worse in SC because they were surrounded by wealthy people.

Then the rain started... and never stopped. It wasnt too bad we went and saw I am Legend (which was awesome!), hung out with a cool Irish guy and pretty much sat in hammocks all day. We wanted to leave 3 days earlier than we ended up leaving because the roads were so flooded and the landslides so dangerous that the buses werent running. So instead we took a 1.5 hour flight back to La Paz to meet up with Austin College folks! It was so nice to see familiar faces. I miss them already and Katie is back home now for the first time since July! Bolivia has been by far the coolest place so far (meaning it was better than Peru). The people are nicer, the food better, and the weather not as cold... oh! and the air isnt AS thin. I'll miss it. We head to Lima tomorrow on a 26 hour bus ride. Tomorrow is also Zach's birthday! The big 2-1 and he has to spend it on a bus... poor guy. I cant wait to get to the mid-70s weather of Ecuador. The lack of running is getting to me. We wil also we in one place for a while so we can cook things that are more nutritious and that wont make me sick. yay! Hopefully that helps with the bouts of homesickness. I would kill for some pancakes, mexican food, and to hang out with my friends and family. But all of this is worth it! Just know you are all missed a ton.

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