Bolivia and the Blockades

We have been pretty lucky to have been in Bolivia for 3 weeks without falling victim to a notorious blockade. These are very common occurrences when groups of protesters block main roads and travel paths. 

We have heard so many horror stories from friends and travellers about being stuck on a bus for hours (sometimes days), or being stranded on the side of the road, or having to hike for hours get around a dreaded blockade. 

Unfortunately, today was not our day. And proof that even the best laid plans can fall apart.

A group of 5 of us from Sustainable Bolivia had made a (very informed!) plan to get an early bus from Cochabamba to Ururo, and from there board a train to Uyuni. We have heard nothing but bad things about the overnight bus to Uyuni and how cold and uncomfortable it is, but there is a train that runs once or twice a week from Ururo and is apparently miles better than the bus, even if it takes a little longer to arrive (about 7 hours). 

So we got the 4.5 hour bus from Cochabamba to Ururo and arrived in plenty of time to buy our train tickets. We were super excited planning our photo-shoot stunts on the Salt Flats over lunch. But when we returned to the train station at 3pm and were just about to board, we were met by hoards of people getting off the train and going in the opposite direction. There was a blockade down the track, the train (and us) were going nowhere. 

We had to queue for a while to get our money back, then decided to head to the bus station to see if that was an option. It wasn't. The roads were blocked for the weekend and busses wouldn't be running again for another 4 days. Shizzers. 

The only options were to go back to Cochabamba and try again later on in the week (not an option for Karen and I because we are due to be in Argentina next week) or get a bus back to La Paz and hope there is a flight to Uyuni over the weekend. 

So that's where we are currently - the only 2 gringos on a 4 hour bus to La Paz with Spanish dubbed "Resident Evil 4" blaring through the speakers. We are hoping against hope that we won't miss out on the Salt Flats, and sorry to be missing out on doing it with our buddies who decided to cut their losses and head to Torotoro instead and do the Salt Flats another day. 

Hope we made the right decision, wish us luck... 

Update:

Well unfortunately the Salt Flats are not to be. There are daily flights from La Paz to Uyuni, but the riots in Uyuni mean that all tours of the Salt Flats are cancelled for at least a week. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit devo, it's one thing I was really looking forward to and may never get the chance to do again.

But on the brightside we are get to do another few days in La Paz and we booked a flight to get us closer to the Argentinian border so...

Next stop: Tarija

Cochabamba, Bolivia

We have been so lucky and so glad to call Cochabamba home for the past 2 weeks. 

It was something we had arranged long before we set off, to volunteer with an organisation called Sustainable Bolivia for 2 weeks and to stay in one of their volunteer houses in the permanently sunny town of Cochabamba. If nothing else, it was so good to be able to unpack that godforsaken backpack for a while, but it was so much more than that. 

Sustainable Bolivia works with loads of partner organisations around Cochabamba to provide them with support and funds and volunteers. Most volunteers stay for a few weeks or months and can be set up with an organisation or a project that really suits their strengths and interests. Because Karen and I only had 2 weeks and have a limited level of Spanish, the organisation best suited to us is named Movimiento Sonrisa.

Movimiento Sonrisa helps the families of children being treated in the Videma Hospital in the city of Cochabamba. Parents who have brought their children to the hospital for treatment from rural areas are often forced to sleep on the streets because they lack the funds to pay for accommodation. Movimiento Sonrisa provides accommodation for parents in this difficult situation.

Movimiento Sonrisa volunteers also work within the children's hospital playing with the kids and keeping them company through some pretty tough times. The patients can be on their own quite a bit, so they really appreciate just having someone to hang out with. There's also a rule that they can't leave until their medical bill is paid, which means that some kids end up staying much longer than they need to if their parents are doing it tough. 

We absolutely loved going to the hospital every day and will be so sad to say bye to our little niños when the time comes. We worked between the General Ward and the Burns Unit, with more than an occasional visit to see the babies too. 

The kids were incredible. I can't even describe the feeling that you get from being around them. The kids in the burns unit in particular have such a hard and long recovery time in front of them, but they were the most resilient and cheekiest little ones you'll ever meet. 

I did find myself getting frustrated sometimes because I couldn't talk to them much in Spanish or I didn't understand what they were asking me for, but in reality it didn't matter to them as long as we were there. But one little girl, Carminia, did take me under her wing and teach me all of the colours in Spanish one day while we were painting. Cuteness. 

Call us girls, but we LOVED feeding the babies. Most of them were there due to malnourishment and were so teeny-tiny, but even after just 2 weeks we could see a difference in them and were like 2 proud mammies! 

As well as going to the hospital every day, I opted to take daily intensive Spanish lessons (4 hours a day for 5 days for 1,000bolivianos/€100ish). I can only apologise to my teacher for those 20 hours of blank faces on my part. I am not picking it up as quickly as I'd hoped. No bueno. 

I also learned how to ride in a "Trufi", which is like a cross between a taxi and a public bus but with no set stops. So for 2Bolivianos you can jump in and out wherever you like - just don't expect the driver to wait for you to close the door. 

We took a trufi to the ridiculously huge market, La Cancha, where we bought all kinds of stuff, including some questionable but oh-so-cosy floral thermal leggings, which will remain unphotographed if I can help it. Oh, and we bumped into these llamas:

And of course I have to mention the the Plato del Dias - 3 course meals for less than €3. These may be part of the reason why EVERYONE is sick in Bolivia, but delicious all the same.

We had karaoke, salsa, bbqs, jazz nights, sightseeing and endless fun, but one night that sticks out is when 4 of our group got arrested and piled off to the police station for not having their ID on them... but still made it to the nightclub afterwards! 

We loved Cochabamba and Sustainable Bolivia (can you tell?!) and would stay so much longer if we could, but the thing that makes us saddest to go is leaving the amazing people we've met. Those volunteers are the business and it's safe to say we'll miss them quite a bit! 

Other bits and pieces: 

Looking for a bus to Cochabamba? Follow the people in the bus station screaming "COCHAAAAAAABAAAAAAAMBAAAAAAA" at the top of their lungs! It's extremely annoying but very effective. The bus from La Paz was supposed to take 8 hours but took more than 10, so try to get one with a toilet. 

Bring a copy of your passport and immigration card with you everywhere in Cochabamba, the police are so strict and will ask you for it, especially if you are going out at night. 

La Pimienta Verde is the best club in town, we had the best night there  dancing until 4am.

There is an area called Las Islas which has the best food. Taxi drivers should know it.

It sounds too good to be true, but it actually is always summertime in Cochabamba! 

Next stop: Uyuni and the Salt Flats