La Paz

Mom and Dad flew out of Santa Cruz early Wednesday (April 30th). I followed on a later flight and settled back into my now quiet apartment in La Paz. It was great to have them here and though I’m likely not a great tour guide I think they saw a great representation of this fantastic country. They also got a good taste of the political situation.

Last Sunday (April 27th) we had planned on attending a baroque concert in the San Francisco church. The old Jesuit missions in the state of Santa Cruz was hosting their annual international baroque festival and I had originally wanted to go to the missions to see a concert but those tickets sell out nearly a year in advance. Some of the musicians had made their way to La Paz in what was labeled the 5th Annual European Bolivian Musical Encounter. Dad didn’t feel like attending so Mom and I made our way to San Francisco to hear the French Ensemble Cafe Zimmerman

We arrived a good 45 minutes early to secure seats. Mass was underway so we waited in the back along with a growing number of others waiting for the concert. After mass finished we made our way to a very hard and uncomfortable bench seat. For all the gold and riches displayed in these magnificent cathedrals you would think there could have been some consideration for the comfort of the parishioners.

Except for the fact that the leader of the ensemble gave a short lecture (at least 10 minutes) before each piece and there was no amplification system so we never understood a word, the concert was very nice. The acoustics in the cathedral were fantastic. I think we both especially like the Bach.

We had a leisurely Sunday morning. My teacher, Marie Teresa, had invited us to the Casa de España later in the day. She picked us up down the block from my apartment building and drove us into the center and picked up her daughter who spoke excellent English. We later learned the “Spanish House” is a private club. To be eligible to join one has to have Spanish blood and Marie Teresa’s mother was Spanish. Her daughter had been married there in the fall. We all had traditional Spanish meals. Amalia, my host for when I was in La Paz in the fall also joined us and it was the first time I had seen her since I returned to La Paz.

Now that the altitude was no longer a major concern for my parents we walked along El Prado and sat on a bench and people watched. The is the same main street that my great-grandfather had written about walking down when he lived here 100 years ago.

That night we had a light meal at yet another Asian restaurant as we were still all full from the large meal at the Spanish House. We had a pleasant evening walk back to the apartment passing Plaza Abarora.

Monday we got up and packed for our flight to Santa Cruz. Flying out of La Paz was a great experience. I don’t think a person can really get a sense of the city until they view it from the air. The flat Altiplano stretches to the east and north ending abruptly at the bluffs of El Alto as the city descends below. To the east are the foothills of the Cordillera Real and the mammoth 20,000 feet plus snow covered peaks. As the plane spiraled up and then headed east it became apparent why it didn’t just take off due east. It felt like we barely made it over the mountains and looking across the plane out the windows facing south I could see that we were still lower than the top of Illumani, the triple peaked mountain that so impresses the residents of La Paz on clear days.

After crossing the mountains the terrain became subtropical, very green and lush. It was just an hour flight and we had landed in Santa Cruz. Even before landing the atmosphere in the plane changed and we could feel the thick humidity of the subtropics. As we exited the plane onto the tarmac I could see a heavy cloud cover, adding to the humidity but not reducing the temperature.

Out hotel shuttle driver greeted us in the entrance hall with a large sign for “FLED ROSS”. My telephone Spanish obviously needs work.

The hotel was perfect. We had a chalet with a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a little sitting porch at the entrance. I had chosen this hotel because it was to be the hotel where the course I was hoping to take would be based. The course that has been canceled.

I asked at the front desk for a restaurant recommendation. They twice referred me to the restaurants around the corner on a major street that formed a “restaurant row”. From my previous time in Santa Cruz I knew that wasn’t what we were looking for so I finally asked for the best restaurant in Santa Cruz. We were directed to La Candelabra and I think it may be one of the best restaurants in the country. It reminded me of the Ringside in that it had pictures on the wall with signatures and had the feel of an old city institution even though it was only 11 years old. We had a very enjoyable meal.

I awoke that night to hear it raining heavily. That morning we got up to an intense downpour and thunder storm. We had hoped that the storm would pass but it rained solid the whole day. Mom and I went into the center to do some shopping and arrived back at the hotel in time for our city tour. The tour was modified a little because of the rain. We visited a Guarani (the local indigenous people) museum and the museum for the cathedral. It was really hard to get a feel for the city as it is completely flat and the rain was extremely strong. We drove by, but did not partake in, the many tea and coffee stands along side the river.

That night we ate at another Santa Cruz institution, Casa de Camba. Cambas are people from the state of Santa Cruz and the restaurant specializes in local cuisine from the city and the surrounding state.

Mom and Dad got up very early Wednesday for their 7 am shuttle to the airport. I slept until they were ready for breakfast. We ate in the hotel restaurant and then I bid them goodbye as they were driven away in the airport shuttle.

I went back to the quiet room and went back to bed. I caught the same shuttle at 10:30 for my 12:30 flight to La Paz. On the way to the airport the shuttle driver and I had an interesting conversation on the vote this Sunday where Santa Cruz will be voting for autonomy. He surprised me by saying he didn’t like what Santa Cruz is doing and felt changes should be made for the whole country.

Back in La Paz I encountered a messy apartment. The cleaners had not cleaned on Tuesday like they were supposed to. I called the owner of the cleaning company and had an unpleasant conversation eventually having to say if they cannot clean on the days agreed (Tuesday and Friday) then I’d have to find another service. This was the third time they had not shown on the day arranged.