Cochabamba, Bolivia

We arrived in Cochabamba, Bolivia on 29 September 2006 and we´ll be here until 14 October 2006. So far, we think this city is by far the nicest we´ve experienced in either Peru or Bolivia. For starters, there are more plazas than we can count with gorgeous flowering trees and fountains. In addition, infrastructurally (is that a word?!), some genius decided to put medium-sized dumpsters on almost every street corner; there are therefore no piles of festering waste. . . just brilliant.

Besides a luggage debacle (to be told later), I have taken one 3-hr lesson in Spanish (and am now fluent); we found and are staying with a wonderful young family in a great part of town; we went to a school dance recital where we watched K-7th graders perform international dances; we met a guy who will take us fishing; we have hung out with Melissa (Andrew´s cousin) several times and met bunch of her terrific friends; from all parts of the city we enjoy the view of the largest Jesus statue in South America http://www.democracyctr.org/blog/2006/09/you-too-can-have-blue-jesus-for-80000.html , we went to evening Yom Kippur services at the local-only synagogue in town; and finally, we learned a local gambling dice game called Cacho.