Bolivia

Today I am in Boliva...another world from Argentina and Chile. But somehow, I like it better already...even though we are trapped in the little town of Uyuni, waiting for our 3 day tour on Wednesday of the Salt Flats. It all started with a 27 hour bus ride, crossing the Bolivian border (Much better than expected), and a 9 hour train ride. We arrived in Uyuni at 12:30AM and stayed at the first hostel we found. The woman who owned the hostel dressed traditionally and was about 5 feet tall. The best thing and worst all at once was that she popped up everywhere, especially when least expected. What I mean by this is that, she knew exactly what we were doing AT ALL TIMES! Oh, and I forgot to mention that not many other people stayed at this hostel, so she was especially vigilant at her task of keeping an eye on us. A sign on the wall read "5 minute showers" and up until now, these types of rules are given a bit of leeway. Oh, but not here. When Lindsey passed the 5 minute mark, most likely to the second, the woman came around the corner, upset and yelling in Spanish that she was taking far too long. I looked at her, wide eyed, and a bit afraid of her and then made Lindsey time my shower to the second. This worked much better. When we cooked, there she was. When we went to the bathroom, she appeared again! Looking back, it is a bit humorous. We had booked a tour with this hostel and were supposed to leave for the Salt Flats today, but unfortunately, it being Carnival and all, all the drivers were drunk today and consequently we were out of a tour. But it gave us a good excuse to switch hostels and find a more reputable tour company.

Carnival. CRAZY!!! Dodging water balloons, squirt guns, and shaving cream. Parties in the street all night long. A band marched in the street for hours upon hours, playing the same song over and over and over. We hid in our hostel yesterday and watched the craziness happen from our window, so as to avoid the craziness. I think we might embrace it tomorrow, and prepare to get soaked!

Bolivian Food: Not my favorite. Not really good so far. Hope to have my mind changed as we move out of this small town, but the prospects look grim. Well, on second thought, we did eat one thing that I very much enjoyed: Its called Milinesa. It is sort of like meatloaf, shaped like a hamburger bun and served with rice and veggies. That was delicious.

The bus station here consists of a street with several agencies selling tickets and busses lining the dusty street. We havent been on a bus here yet, but from what it looks like it will be an experience! We took a train to Uyuni and watched Avitar in Spanish. Yes, its still in theaters, but pirated copies constantly play on busses and trains and are readily available.

We are currently roughly 4,000 meters high right now. When I got off the bus, I sucked in air twice as quickly as usual and nearly passed out at first! I think that I have finally acclamated after taking my altitude medication for the first two days. But Cody and I laughed at each other this morning for breathing so hard when we were sleeping that it was like we had just gotten in from a run!

Most of all, I am looking foward to volunteering in Santa Cruz. I am looking foward to purpose and something meaningful and most of all community. We should hopefully arrive this weekend.

Things I appreciate more today:

1. Hand soap
2. Toilet paper in the bathrooms
3. Flushing toilets
4. Good water...Seattle water
5. Clean laundry

Hope this note finds you all well.

Signing off from Uyuni,

Michelle

(Sorry about my spelling...I have been relying on spell check for far too many years of my life.)