Just a couple other comments on Cochabamba

There's almost no sign that Cochabamba was the site of violent protests that resulted in several deaths and hundreds of injuries just a week ago. There is a memorial to those killed outside one of the local churches, and the main plaza features message boards calling the city to action. But mostly everything is peaceful as people once again go about their daily lives. The most constant reminder of the unrest is the graffiti scattered around the city: "long live the organized town," "2/3," (referring to the presidential decree that amendments to the new constitution will be passed by a simple majority instead of a 2/3 majority), "If it's a democracy, it's a constitution," "respect our voice." I did see a couple MPs on the street my first night, but I think that was just a coincidence - there is a military base here, after all.

My guidebook says that there have been problems supplying water to the city, and my hostel says that guests should limit their time in the shower, because there is not much water here. Which is funny, because my map shows a lake directly adjacent to the city, and there's scores of fountains all over.

Popular here are gambling machines that look like they operate kind of like slot machines: they each have a theme, mostly football (or what some call "soccer"), but sometimes race cars or Wild West. You put in your money and bet on a team or a car, and a bunch of lights flash, and one of the teams is picked randomly to "win," and if you picked the winning team you get a payout. They kind of remind me of pachenko machines actually, even though there is no moving ball or anything. There are signs up saying "no minors," but that doesn't stop 12 year olds from playing. Maybe that would be an interesting sociological study for someone: gambling addiction in unregulated places like Cochabamba.

There's a little sign up in my hostel that says "we're Catholics here, and we're not interested in changing, so please don't ask." I guess they're tired of all the Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists and whatnot trying to convert them!

I was riding in a combi late last night (a share taxi), and there was this boy who was maybe 10 riding with his campesino parents. He had this strange look of resignation on his face, kind of a bored serenity. It was sort of inspiring and depressing at the same time, like this kid had mastered the eastern philosophical view of detachment, but also like he'd just given up already, and at such a young age.

I was sitting in the plaza today, and had the damnedest time trying to explain to a horde of shoe-shine boys that you don't shine hiking boots, and if they were clean, there'd be no point - not to mention how weird I would feel having someone kneeling at my feet, cleaning my boots. At first there was just one, and eventually he stopped trying to shine my shoes and we just talked about where we were from and our families. But one by one, more and more shoe shiners were attracted to our bench, and each time, I had to explain for several minutes that I didn't want my shoes shined. But once that was over with, it was fun to talk with them. I even learned my numbers in quechua (the language of the Incas, still very much in use today) up to ten. Of course, they were still going to ask me for something - and who can blame them, after I told them how much my shoes cost ($65, which totally took them by surprise. That isn't even that much for Gore-Tex boots. Imagine if I had something fancy that had cost $220!). Anyways, they somehow knew my weak spot, and wanted me to buy them ice cream. 7 bolivianos for 7 shoe shine boys - not even a dollar (one of them was maybe 17 or 18, making him more of a shoe shine man, but I couldn't well exclude him for that). Could I really turn them down on a hot day like today?