Blogs from Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia, South America - page 2

We enjoyed a further day all together in Bugan Villas sitting by the pool, playing tennis, watching tennis eating and drinking. As Thursday night came there was a sense that it was time to get back home. We had a lot ahead of us. The biggest of these being packing up all our home and shipping it all out through Chile, via Panama hopefully to be reunited in Birmingham. This tour of the South of Bolivia had been a welcome distraction from all the packing up and leaving Bolivia we've been doing both emotionally and physically. Now it was time to get on with it and get it all done. The breakfast at Bugan Villas is huge, so we stocked up well for the journey ahead and climbed aboard. I'd filled up the night before and ... read more

Visą rytą vėl tinginiauju, papusryčiauju, pasėdžiu prie kompo. Per pietus vokietės grįžta pietų, o aš kadangi buvau prisižadėjęs iškepti blynų, tai užsiimu pietumis. Po pietų su viena iš vokiečių važiuojam į stotį, ten nusiperku traukinio bilietą iki brazilijos pasienio. Nemažai žmonių man pasakojo apie tą vietą, tad tikrai verta aplankyti. Tikiuosi, kad tikrai verta, nes kelionė 1000 km į vieną pusę ir po to planuoju grįžti atgal į Santa Cruz. Vokietė tuo tarpu šiandien išvažiuoja į La Pasą, tad ją ten ir palieku laukiančią autobuso. Iš stoties pareinu iki pagrindinės aikštįės, ten užsilipu į vieną katedros bokštą, pažiūrėti kaip viskas iš šiek tiek aukščiau atrodo. Vakre Angela pakvietė į kažkokį vakarėlį, tad pailsėjęs porą valandų važiuoju iki susitikimo vietos. Autobuse, kuris labiau primena mūsų mikriukus labai daug žmonių, tad pravažiuoju vietą kur man reikai išlipti. Kadangi ... read more

I was fortunate to find the guide, Andres, who grew up in the Mennonite Colony although is he is not a part of the colony. Andres give us took us over the rough and muddy roads to meet the Henry Friesen family in Santa Rita colony near the village of Paurito near Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The men were working on the farm and the women were working in the kitchen. The Friesen family was friendly and the men left their work and came to welcome us. After a tour of the farm Henry took us inside and we sat and talked for a while. Then we went outside and eventually back into the house to the kitchen.... read more

This group of Mennonites use tractors with metal wheels. Mr. Friesen told us that there are other communities which use only horses to pull farm equipment. The farm provides most of food for the family.... read more

The children were singing when we arrived at the school. The style of singing was more like a chant than what we recognize as singing. Soon after we came, the school was dismissed for lunch. The boys came out first from one door, then the girls exited from another door. The communities of Mennonites live in the farmland areas east of Santa Cruz. They arrived from Chihuahua Colonies in Mexico, Russia (Ukraine), Canada, Paraguay, and Belize. There are about 60,000 people living is 57 colonies. Each colony has its own ordnang (community life style agreement), and the Santa Rita Colony has some of the most restrictive rules with no electricity or cars, metal wheels on the tractors, no phones, and no team sports. Girls go to school until they’re twelve years old, and boys ... read more