Stranded in the Bolivian Mountains
Out of the three
countries in South America we were going to this year Bolivia was the one I
dreaded the most. Bolivia is the poorest
country in South America- the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere after
Haiti, a popular food is freeze dried potatoes, and it is very indigenous. I pictured us living in an adobe shack for
the month eating freeze-dried potatoes and alpaca all month. When we first got to La Paz I was pretty
surprised at how underdeveloped the capital was, especially seeing how
developed Lima and Quito are. The city
was dirty, crowded, and most of the buildings were just made of bricks and
adobe…so I was a little worried about what Cochabamba would look like. And I was surely surprised. It is the third largest city in Bolivia in a
valley surrounded by the Andes Mountains.
It is very modern and developed.
We are living in a guest house that would be considered nice even in
America, with hot water, couches, nice beds, and our own backyard complete with
a grill. For an elevation of 8,500 feet
the weather is nearly perfect, 80’s and sunny almost every day.
countries in South America we were going to this year Bolivia was the one I
dreaded the most. Bolivia is the poorest
country in South America- the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere after
Haiti, a popular food is freeze dried potatoes, and it is very indigenous. I pictured us living in an adobe shack for
the month eating freeze-dried potatoes and alpaca all month. When we first got to La Paz I was pretty
surprised at how underdeveloped the capital was, especially seeing how
developed Lima and Quito are. The city
was dirty, crowded, and most of the buildings were just made of bricks and
adobe…so I was a little worried about what Cochabamba would look like. And I was surely surprised. It is the third largest city in Bolivia in a
valley surrounded by the Andes Mountains.
It is very modern and developed.
We are living in a guest house that would be considered nice even in
America, with hot water, couches, nice beds, and our own backyard complete with
a grill. For an elevation of 8,500 feet
the weather is nearly perfect, 80’s and sunny almost every day.
Cochabamba
Real Bolivia
Part of me was
bummed that we wouldn’t really be seeing the real Bolivia this month; the
indigenous, the poor, the mountain villages with people eating freeze-dried
potatoes. Instead we were in a booming
city with luxury high rise condos, BMW dealerships, and mansions scattered
across town. This changed last Wednesday
when our contact, Steve, came over to our guest house and said he needed 3 of
us to go with him the next morning to the mountains to work on a project about
two hours away. All we were told was
that we would be doing some construction project in a cow field where they were
building a new orphanage and we needed to bring food for two days, warm
clothes, toilet paper, and a sleeping bag.
So Thursday morning Jamie, Ashley, and I got all our stuff ready to go
not really knowing what we were about to get ourselves into.
bummed that we wouldn’t really be seeing the real Bolivia this month; the
indigenous, the poor, the mountain villages with people eating freeze-dried
potatoes. Instead we were in a booming
city with luxury high rise condos, BMW dealerships, and mansions scattered
across town. This changed last Wednesday
when our contact, Steve, came over to our guest house and said he needed 3 of
us to go with him the next morning to the mountains to work on a project about
two hours away. All we were told was
that we would be doing some construction project in a cow field where they were
building a new orphanage and we needed to bring food for two days, warm
clothes, toilet paper, and a sleeping bag.
So Thursday morning Jamie, Ashley, and I got all our stuff ready to go
not really knowing what we were about to get ourselves into.
About 45 minutes
outside of Cochabamba you see the real Bolivia.
The cold mountain villages, the indigenous women walking their cows down
the road with their kids tied to their backs, the little adobe and thatch
houses that line the mountain side, little bumpy cobblestone roads, and even
the freeze-dried potatoes. The
organization we are working with IOU Bolivia is building an orphanage in a
small mountain village about 2 hours outside Cochabamba. So far I’ve gone up there twice for a few
days at a time to help with construction- digging a 9×11 foot 6 foot deep hole
that is for a septic system for the 2 new orphanages. It is hard work and the ground is rock hard.
outside of Cochabamba you see the real Bolivia.
The cold mountain villages, the indigenous women walking their cows down
the road with their kids tied to their backs, the little adobe and thatch
houses that line the mountain side, little bumpy cobblestone roads, and even
the freeze-dried potatoes. The
organization we are working with IOU Bolivia is building an orphanage in a
small mountain village about 2 hours outside Cochabamba. So far I’ve gone up there twice for a few
days at a time to help with construction- digging a 9×11 foot 6 foot deep hole
that is for a septic system for the 2 new orphanages. It is hard work and the ground is rock hard.
Out there we are
stranded in the Bolivian mountains and if something happened we had no way to
communicate with the other half of the team back in Cochabamba. We had no communication and no way to know if
we were possibly stranded. We are on our
own. Our contact drops us off with our
supplies and food, he shows us what to do then he heads back to Cochabamba only
to return a few days later. Each time he
leaves we always hope he will be back when he says he will. Usually before Steve leaves he says “if all
goes planned I’ll be back around 8:30 tomorrow morning.” That was a huge if after all the stories he
has told us. One time he was stuck in
the mountains for three days because protestors blocked off the roads to get
home.
stranded in the Bolivian mountains and if something happened we had no way to
communicate with the other half of the team back in Cochabamba. We had no communication and no way to know if
we were possibly stranded. We are on our
own. Our contact drops us off with our
supplies and food, he shows us what to do then he heads back to Cochabamba only
to return a few days later. Each time he
leaves we always hope he will be back when he says he will. Usually before Steve leaves he says “if all
goes planned I’ll be back around 8:30 tomorrow morning.” That was a huge if after all the stories he
has told us. One time he was stuck in
the mountains for three days because protestors blocked off the roads to get
home.
In the mountains we get to live in a little
cabin and cook on a little stove.
Supplies and amenities are limited and we are usually in bed by 7 each
night because we are dead from digging all day.
But being up there is refreshing; being able to spend time in the middle
of nowhere in the middle of the woods. When
sitting alone on top of an 11,000 foot mountain overlooking a small mountain
village God is alive and loud and I love it.
cabin and cook on a little stove.
Supplies and amenities are limited and we are usually in bed by 7 each
night because we are dead from digging all day.
But being up there is refreshing; being able to spend time in the middle
of nowhere in the middle of the woods. When
sitting alone on top of an 11,000 foot mountain overlooking a small mountain
village God is alive and loud and I love it.
Fundraising
Update
So far I have raised $10,670. I still need $4,830 to be fully funded at
$15,500. If you would like to donate,
click on the “Support Me” link on the left side underneath my picture. Thank you to everyone who has supported me so
far! I wouldn´t be here without you!
