Random Bolivia Shots

The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.
~ Flora Whittemore

Contraband!

On one of our last nights in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Gabe took us video shopping........ a very interesting experience. One minute you see a line of vendors in the street selling illegally copied videos for 10 bolivianos (a dollar)......... ......the next second a swarm of police officers are shooing off the ones that didn't get away quickly enough, with a warning.........
.....as soon as the officers walk a ways off the vendors are back at it, having re-opened their quickly-closed wheeled carts where they keep the videos.
Here we see Gabe and Ginny sneakily paying a gal for the merchandise, before we had to rush off before the next police 'raid'.
A happy shopper :-) Does she look a little bit guilty to you?

FYI: I was having too much fun watching and taking pictures to buy any contraband.

Bunuelos

One Sunday after church while in Bolivia, we ate out at a restaurant on a sugar cane farm. More on that later. After the meal, we had bunuelos. They are deep fried doughnuts, laden with heavy oil and served with a molasses syrup poured over them. Very delicious, but I could feel my arteries clogging up as I swallowed each bite!

If there wasn't enough sugary syrup on them to your liking, you could keep dipping them in the sticky puddle of sweetness on the platter. Look at Essie go!
Look at everyone go! :-p Good thing I don't live in Bolivia!

And the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it. ~ Pooh (Or in this case, sugary molasses!)

Mate

Mate is an infusion containing stimulants including caffeine, prepared by steeping dried leaves of yerba mate in hot water. Mate is served with a metal straw from a shared hollow calabash gourd. The straw is called a bombilla, and is traditionally made from silver. Modern cheaper ones are made of nickel silver, stainless steel or hollow stemmed cane. The gourd is known as a mate or a guampa. As with other brewed herbs, yerba mate leaves are dried, chopped and ground into a powdery mixture called yerba. The bombilla acts as both a straw and a sieve. The submerged end is flared with small hole or slots that allow the brewed liquid in but block the chunky matter that makes up much of the mixture. It is rich in antioxidants, more so than red wine or green tea. Studies show it can lower cholesterol, protect the liver and maybe help fight obesity.

One morning in Bolivia while at the market with Gabe, we entered into an alcove where a woman was to exchange some dollars for bolivianos. Part of the process seemed to involve social chit chat along with the serving of mate. It is common practice to use the same mate gourd without washing it in between people. Some things concerning hygiene are still not understood in third world countries.

I shared mine with Essie, which I found out later was a social no-no. It was meant to be totally drunk by the person it was offered to. The next morning Essie had explosive diarrhea......... oops........ sure made a cute picture, though :-)

Cute Hosts......

While in Bolivia, we stayed with one of my sister's daughters, Kari, along with her husband Gabe and their three cute kids:





Children make you want to start life over. ~Muhammad Ali

Una Muchacha y su Loro

I'd like you to meet Maria José. I met her in Camiri one afternoon while I was strolling around the 'hood' where I was staying. She was tending her family's little business. From the little (maybe 6' by 4'), bright pink shed they sold various fruits, candies and other goods. Nothing seemed too terribly useful that I could see, except the fruit. My niece had plenty of fresh fruit (chirimoya, papaya, mango) growing in her yard, though, so even the fruit did not entice me. What did entice me was Maria José's contagious smile, and her loro (parrot). I walked over and introduced myself to Maria. She let me bungle around with my Spanish, and patiently conversed with me for a few minutes. She was more than 'okay' with me taking her photo with her pet loro. Don't you think she is pretty? The pair were a bright spot on my walk that day. Maria's eyes remind me of the description given to Antonia, the main character in one of Willa Cather's books. She is another interesting author, for you reading buffs:

Antonia, the eldest daughter, is a striking-looking girl, with eyes that were "big and warm and full of light, like the sun shining on brown pools in the wood". ~ My Antonia, by Willa Cather

People of Bolivia

In Camiri, Bolivia the indigineous people group is the Guarani. There are, of course, the outsiders who moved in years ago to make their money in the oil industry. Now the government has sold off all of the oil companies to foreign powers (to make a quick boliviano), so poverty is widespread. And there is great civil unrest. It is a difficult life for most. Above are a few of my favorite people shots, then a slideshow of the rest:

El Chorro

We took a hike along the water pipeline up el chorro to the waterfall that is Camiri's source of water supply. Although I was disappointed when we finally got to the top of the falls to see only a small (though high) cascade of water, the hike and scenery was awesome. You will see the dam that has been built above the falls. The pipeline takes the water down from the dam, and the 'extra' water then is allowed to pass though and over the falls. In a few pictures you will see the guard that is stationed at the dam to keep any dastardly intruders from fouling the water (with arscenic?). Notice the machete he wields. We didn't even throw any rocks into that area of the water.........not a simple feat with 5 children 5 and under :-) Along the path there is a pristine hot pool from one of several hot springs that cascade off from inside the mountain. We eagerly anticipated soaking in it on our way down; however it was TOO HOT!!! After we got back to town, it was discovered that there is a cold water inlet valve we could have turned on to cool it off enough to swim. Drats. Notice also the red dirt. This is where they get some of the dirt to make their bricks from. Hope you enjoy the slide show :-)

Revisit Cheaper Gas - An Even Better Idea!

What do you think?!?! Scratch the idea I had in Hawaii about everyone riding motorcycles! Shoot, let's just let the rich folks haul us around on our motorcycles on a trailer behind their car! Koodo's to this creative Bolivian penny pincher!

Leche

One afternoon in Bolivia we walked to The Farm
so that the kids could see how the leche (milk) they drink was procured. The Farm is really a private Christian Bible School that earns its money producing milk for the towns people of Camiri.








The vaca (cow), of course, is the important animal most used for this purpose. Goats are often used in the outskirts of towns, where the poorer live. They are more affordable than a cow.









Upon arrival at the milking shelter, I spotted this can of water boiling over a fire. I think it must be used for sterilizing certain items.
















Gabe and Essie look on as the milker gets ready to hook up the milking apparatus. This cow in her anticipation, let down a bit ahead of the game. Oops!










Once the udders are splashed with water and dipped in an antiseptic solution, they are hooked up and the extraction of the milk begins.











A steady flow of the creamy white leche travels through a pipe system into a storage container.











After the suction machine is finished, the last bit of milk is extracted the good old-fashion way ........ by hand. A bit timid at first, Kaleb decides to give it a try.















It is dumped into a can that looks none too clean to me, and I wonder what it will be used for.












Kari also gives Kaleb a squirt or two to try direct from the teats!











I also spotted this syringe and antibiotic sitting on the fence post. It was used later on a cow with mastitis (infection in a teat). Interesting enough, it was not given intramuscular, but injected directly into the affected teat!








The vaca is Essie's favorite animal at the moment, and even though she is such a little peanut, she can moo just about as loud as the real thing!















The empty and relieved ladies wander off for more comfortable grazing.......












Aha! When all cows are finished, the milk from the dirty can is poured into a bucket and transferred to 2 liter pop bottles to feed the calves with!











The calves can suck down the bottles in just a few seconds (30ish?)!












The pull of their strong sucking takes Selah aback at first!











Even Essie had a turn at it........












Aren't they cute?













Imagine, if you can, this photo flipped the other way! Don't ask me why I couldn't get it to upload right side up, 'cuz I can't figure it out myself! After feeding the calves, we began the walk back home. This is the milk delivery motorcycle leaving The Farm for Camiri. We step up our pace, as if we are not at home for the delivery, he will pass us by.













Within minutes of our arrival back home, the gate bell rings and our milk is here! Gabe unlocks the gate.

















He starts to measure out three pitcher-fulls of milk that Kari orders........
















........and pours them into Kari's big pot.

















Now we have a potful of fresh, but unpasteurized milk. Would you be brave enough to drink it at this point? No?

















Well, okay then. Kari boils the milk for something like 20 minutes (I forget exactly how long).











Now it is supposedly sterilized, and she ladles out hot milk for each of us for some fresh and very creamy hot chocolate!
















Or is it considered a Hot Toddy?

















Whatever......... we all slurp it down in no time. Personally, I am thankful that I can simply go to any grocery store and purchase a gallon of milk that is ready for consumption immediately :-)








Not every man remembers the name of the cow which supplied him with each drop of milk he has drunk. ~ Shmuel Y. Agnon


It was jolly in the country. A cow and little pigs to play with and milk warm from the cow. ~ Georg Brandes