Cafeterias, Waterfalls and Independence Day

So this Monday was a day off... Independence Day. And after a very exhausting week I decided to take advantage of the long weekend to get a change of scenery. I selected Coroico as my destination, which had a description of being a relaxing hammock and pool town with a lovely plaza. I have declared it the Sister City of Sorata, where I went last weekend. But there are some very important differences that altered my weekend experience. Coroico is also known as the weekend getaway for Bolivian families. And of course this was the weekend of Bolivian family getaways. Put them together and you have a little sleepy hillside town swamped with La Paz -ian travelers. The buses were full even getting there and you had to elbow your way up to the front of the storefront to put your name down on the list for the next bus. And once I got there, in the late afternoon I trekked from edge to edge of town, trying to find a room. All full. Most had signs posted on the doors saying No Hay Habitaciones, so that you wouldnt even ask. I even stopped at a couple little markets and asked the Senora owner if she had a bed in her house that I could pay her to sleep on. I was ready to sleep in the plaza. I had a pillow, and a towel I coud use as a blanket... I was already thinking (Bari style). And then I found a hotel that had cleared out its cafeteria. And I was given an air matress on the floor, of the cafteria, with three young Bolivian couples. With the cafeteria tables put on their sides for 'privacy,' and a 'ducha fria' (cold shower) upstairs I was set. One of the couples took me under their wing for the weekend and invited me to dinner at the local Comedor with them. For 75 cents I had a full 3 course meal. That night, the boy of the couple I went to dinner with snored like I have never heard anyone snore in my life; as if he was enhaling a semitruck, and in an empty cafteria, that echo just topped it off. I woke up early the next morning, ate breakfast (0f toast, butter, jam and eggs, fresh juice and coffee) before I ran into the couple again. They invited me to breakfast at the local Comedor. I had a second breakfast of a heaping plate of rice, several very fried eggs, and a huge steak that fell over the edge, with a tomato. Along with coffee and bread, it was another 75 cent meal. I enjoyed the waterfall right outside of the city that afternoon, but at the end of the day was ready to return to my own warm, big, real, (bedbugless) bed. I woke up early, took a long hot shower before hitting the streets to enjoy the Independence Day Parade, and some folkloric dancing. (Pictures coming soon..)

There is a new girl who is staying in the guesthouse with me. Very nice, and it is also nice to have some company in your House of Doors, as we have named it. Week two is turning out to be just as pleasant as week one of the internship.I have also had lots of time to process, reflect and examine the world from a different light. I am so grateful for health and safety, and learning about how scary and awful the world can really be. There is so much injustice in the world, from unconscionable violence, to people living without clean drinking water. It is our job to instill a sense of security and support, do our bit of good in the world, think positively, and everyday be grateful for the loved ones we have around us.