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Published: December 27th 2005
Election Time in Bolivia!!!
The situation has all the ingredients to spark civil war.
Bolivia is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere (only Haiti is poorer). The population is 70% indigenous but the minority whites (or mestizos) have ruled the country since its independence. Over the last eight years, however, Evo Morales, an indigenous coca farmer, has grown very popular with the masses. He has promised to legalize coca production and nationalize the country´s natural resources, all to the dismay of the Bolivian elite and United States. The US ambassador actually said the US might reduce or eliminate aid to Bolivia if Evo wins. That comment only exacerbated the growing anti-american sentiment in Bolivia and throughout Latinoamerica. Furthermore, Evo has a natural political affinity with Chavez, Fidel, and Lula de Silva, although he claims he is ¨ni chavista ni lulista, sino evista.¨ With the elections set for December 18th, all my plans in Bolivia had to be made with the consequences of the election in mind.
I arrived in Copacobana on the morning of the 13th. It is a small Bolivian pueblito on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The lake is sacred to many Peruvians and Bolivians becuase it
Fresh Trout
Local women cook this up for $1.75. It is accompanied with french fries, rice, and salad. Delicious!is said that the founders of the Incan Empire were born from the bottom of the lake. After the gringoness of Cuzco, this was a wonderful retreat. The mediterranean blue water sparkles at over 13,000ft above sea level. The azure shadows of distant mountains made me feel like I was in Greece, not Bolivia. And it was sooo cheap. Check out the fresh trout with salad, rice, and french fries I ate everyday for $1.75. During my first night I went out drinking with some Australian "mates" (and paid for it the next day. A couple beers at that altitude nearly killed me). As it happens, I ended spending quite a bit of time with them over the next week. Copacabana was very relaxing; I read my book near the water, ate trout, and watched DVDs at the hotel. I would have stayed longer, much much longer, if it weren't for these elections that risked stranding me on the northwest side of the country.
During the journey to La Paz I noticed two to three inches snow covering the ground. It was the first time I had seen snow in 3 years!
La Paz is the quintessential third world capital.
My Australian Mates
This proves I made friends on the trip. I wasn't crying alone in my hostel room or anything like that. The streets are packed with business men in swanky suits, short wide indigenous women waddling along in fedora-like hats, vendors selling everything from pirated DVDs to wheelbarrels full of dusty red apples. Homeless women and children (almost no men) huddle together in thick blankets on the sidewalks. Heavily armed riot police stand on every street corner. Walking up and down the steep trafficjammed streets, there is a palpable sense of growing yet repressed chaos. If President Bush were to visit La Paz, the anger and bitterness of the oppressed classes would be enough to raze the city to the ground.
Given my natural distaste for third world cities, I was surprised to feel quite comfortable and happy in its urban environment. One day I went to see a Bolivian film called ¨American Visa,¨about a man who was driven to crime in order to raise enough money to apply for a US visa, only to be denied. It was very good.
I took a train with my australian buddies down to Uyuni, and the next day I started a four day tour of Southwest Bolivia. Its a surreal environment. You feel like you are on the moon. The days are brutally
Salar de Uyuni
Twelve thousand square miles of salt flats. hot and the nights are well below freezing. I had great company during the trip: a couple from Switzerland, a couple from England, and a couple from Denmark, and then me. The remote lunar like environment was a good place to be while the country went to the polling booths. Thank God, the election took place without any violence. In the end, Evo won with more than 50%. It was a historic victory; an indigenous bolivian had won a fair election by an overwheliming margin.
When we got back to Uyuni I bought a train ticket to Tupiza (First Class!!!).
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Johnny
non-member comment
sweet
Hey Mike, sweet pics. They rock... And that's exactly what I love to do, rock. Take care of yourself and keep the blogs coming. I love them.