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Published: September 8th 2006
I’m sitting in a small box disguised as an internet café high above one of many bustling streets in La Paz, one small window permitting me a view on the strangeness below.
I woke up this morning, dreaded getting out of bed as usual. My room quickly cools over night and becomes a fridge by morning. Threw the multitude of blankets off and managed to jump out of bed and quickly received a nose bleed for my effort, second one this week, this ones quite fierce though... Its ok, it’s just a consequence of the dry air at this altitude and breathing through your nose all night.
Grabbed a shower, cold water again, still only a dribble, think I’m missing hot torrential showers the most at the moment…
Last night played a little basket ball with the shoe shine boys and learnt a new game called ¨chio¨ then watched as they played a tournament against each other. Their soccer skills are amazing, but their basketball skills were well, interesting, a lot of them only learnt that day I think. Still they really enjoyed it, I think anything that makes them feel normal is wicked for them. I’m starting to see that a lot of the time you can really help some of these boys by just hanging out with them which is cool; I can do that in spades.
After that was a bible study with a group of ex-pat girls. They all have hugely diverse back grounds and are incredibly smart. One 15 year old knew 5 languages… HOLY COW... This group wasn’t exactly what I had in mind in terms of people to help, but it was good for me to do something different and be a part of a bible study, something I would usually avoid and wow and behold I got something out of it.
What else, went for a run yesterday for the first time with an American from Colorado called Eddie. 4km, all down hill. The flats are just too hard. Running down hill still felt like a normal run on the flats back home. He is part of the Youth for Christ group which is here for 2 weeks volunteering. They are all good guys with such big hearts and compassion for the people they help. Most of them are from the Colorado School of Minds or from Texas and boy is the Texan fun….. He has never been out side of America and this is his first taste of the world… he laughs and gasps at so much. He saw his first breast feeding mother yesterday….. So funny to see that one.
Just finished lunch and to celebrate my one week anniversary I thought I would go to town on some food. So I ordered garlic bread, fries, a burger with everything, a salad and then a fruit salad for dessert and a coke. All this cost me a whopping $4.50 NZD. I love it here. Feeling rather full I’m just going to wait a moment to digest, finish this blog, then go catch up with the YFC crew and the shoe shiners and sand and paint some more chairs and desks.
After that its more soccer with the shoe shiners, I’m hoping the big feed will improve my soccer skills somehow. I want at least one goallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll before I leave. In the weekend I’m doing the ¨Most Dangerous Road in the World¨ mountain bike trip with James and Julie and I think a few other teachers from Highlands.
You drop from 16,000 ft to 4000 over 100 km and 5 odd hours of down hill antics. You start in snow and end in Amazonian jungle. Oh to see the colour green again. We are then spending the night in Coroico at the sweet sweet elevation of 3,700 ft. I can’t wait to feel what that’s like. I don’t think I will have net access so expect not to hear from me for 2 days. I will leave you with this thought. Some of the corners on the so called ¨death road¨ have 1000 ft vertical drops and the corners can only fit one vehicle at a time and the down hillers drive on the left so that the driver can see how close his tire is to the edge, serious. That’s us this weekend. BRING IT ON.
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Dad
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Be Careful!!!
Hmmm reading the last few lines of your latest blog had your mother and i looking at each other and hoping that "brick wall" would be careful on this next leg of his adventure....Bring it on yes, but you are meant to come back!!...