Cochabamba

The weekend of Max's birthday we took a trip to Cochabamba. Our ward was doing a temple trip and we decided to extend it because we had a 3 day weekend. Tim stayed outside with the kids while I did a session. He intended to go later, but when he got there at 4:00 they were closing...oops! We'll have to take another trip there soon.

We pulled into Cochabamba at about midnight on Friday. We had made reservations at a 5 star hotel. When I walked into the room I realized Bolivia and the U.S. must have vastly different standards on their hotel rating systems! It was dark, dirty, and looked like they hadn't decorated it in about 30 years; not to mention the beds were quite hard. First thing the next morning we called the hotel we had wanted to stay in at first, but they were full. Luckily they had vacancy! Here is a picture of us in front of the hotel. It was really nice and will probably be where we stay each time we return.

Here is a picture of the town square. It was really pretty and quaint. It started raining quite hard right after this picture so we didn't stay too long.

On top of a tall hill overlooking the city is one of the World's largest statues of Christ, "Christo de la Concordia". I read on Wikipedia that Jesus itself is a little smaller than the one in Rio de Janiero, but with its pedestal it is taller. We didn't get any great pictures of our family in front of it other than one that a photographer there took.

After a fun weekend in Cochabamba, we headed back home. When we reached the halfway mark we drove over a bunch of branches that had been laid on the road and thought that was kind of strange. Just beyond that we realized there was a road block. That is how people here try to be heard by the government. They just get big rocks and such and stand in the road and don't let anyone pass by. We found out they had blocked it that morning and it would go on through the next morning. We turned around with another group and headed back to a small town a few miles back. When we got there teenage boys were "volunteering" (for money) to show us lost souls a detour. This is the back of our helper.

The detour was quite an experience. It was some major off roading and we got to drive past big trucks like this on narrow little trail. We were grateful for our tough FJ Cruiser that got us through without a problem. Just when we thought we were in the clear (after our 1 hour detour) we came upon a group of 15 men with big sticks in hand blocking our trail so we couldn't get on the main road. This is when I started to lose it. They told us they couldn't let us through. Tim gave our sob story about our little kids and not being from Bolivia. When they didn't seem affected I started begging...as the tears started to flow. They smiled and said they would let us through if we gave them enough money for a drink. So we gave them some with more to spare. I'm not so sure the group we were leading were so lucky though. We didn't see them behind us after that. I was so grateful we weren't sleeping in a riverbed with our kids and these unpredictable protesters. It was quite an adventure for our first family trip out of La Paz!

Max's 5th Birthday!

Max is 5! I can't believe he is that old...or that I am! We decided to celebrate his birthday at school with all of his little friends. He wanted a Cars themed birthday (of course) and bug cupcakes...I know they don't really go together, but they worked since his birthday is close to Halloween. They turned out really cute too. Tim took time off work and went to help and document. I wish I could have been there, but I'm a working woman now.

His teachers Ms. Carol (in black) and Fabi (in blue) made him the adorable crown and Cars toolbox. They are so sweet. Fabi is new, but Carol has been there since Max started. He loves her and talks about her all of the time.

Liv loves sweets so she was in heaven!

Here is all of his class except for two that were missing. They're so cute, and I love the cardboard people they made in the back as they studied Community Workers. It is a wonderful school with such loving staff. Max is picking up quite a bit of Spanish there. I love hearing him speak it!

This picture is so Max! He gets a little shy when all the attention is on him.

Women's Retreat in Coroico

Forgive me, I am backlogged on my blogging, but I just had to blog about the women's retreat I took back in August. Every few months the Embassy plans a women's retreat so we can get away together and revamp. I decided to go on the one in August although we had just recently arrived and I only knew one other person that was going. I was a little nervous, but all of the women turned out to be great. There were 9 of us that went. Here is a picture of us right before we headed home.

Coroico is at the edge of the Yungas Jungle in Bolivia. To get there you have to take the infamous Death Road. Luckily, they have built a new Death Road which is better so you only have to go on the old one for a short time. The old Death Road is mostly used for bike tours now, which Tim is just dying to do, but hopefully he won't die when he does!

Because it is in the Jungle it is so green. We stayed it a hotel with an amazing view. It had this great outdoor pool that looked out on gorgeous green mountains! For the retreat we did yoga, meditation, goal setting, African dance, humor therapy, got massages and layed by the pool. It was wonderful...everything I love to do. During the goal setting class I commited myself to train for a marathon for 2012, something I never knew if I would do, but decided to wait until I lived at 12,o00 feet. I know I'm smart. The idea is to train here and run somewhere much lower in elevation.

We took a nighttime walk up to the city center, which was about a 15 minute walk up from our hotel. People were out celebrating because we just happened to be there on August 6th, Bolivia's Independance Day. It was a quaint little town with a beautiful church and nice plaza.

They had so many beautiful flowers there. Here is one of my favorites.

Our stuff came!

So a few weeks ago we got our big shipment. About 6 weeks after arriving we received our quick shipment which had some clothes, bedding, some toys, and kitchen necessities. The big shipment had everything else...decor, more clothes, toys, books, not to mention food (mostly Costco stuff) oh, how we've missed Costco! It was quite the process getting it. The ship landed in Chile around the 20th of August. Usually from there it will take about a week with travel time to La Paz and getting through customs, but we hit all sorts of bumps. First, there was a strike at the port right after our stuff arrived so nothing could leave. When it finally did make it to La Paz there computer systems were down for a few days so they got backed up. Anyway, they kept giving us dates when it was going to arrive and they kept changing. First it was going to come on the 6th, then the 9th, the 12th, then the 16th. We found out on the 14th that there was going to be a big blockade up in El Alto (which was where our stuff was) on the 16th and nothing would be able to get through. Somehow the guy that was organizing it was able to get things ready for the night of the 15th so we didn't have to wait until the next week. It worked out great because Tim had no work the next day due to the blockade and protests so we got to stay home and unpack together. Somehow our wonderful maid made her way through the chaos too and came and helped me tackle the whole kitchen that day. We had over 150 boxes total. Much of that was food and kitchen supplies. It was like Christmas the night we got our stuff. We opened all of the toys that night and the kids were so excited to see them all. We even got our car a few days later, which was like Christmas for Tim and I!

Max playing with his lego car.

Liv with baby Zoe.

One of the things the kids looked forward to getting the most was their rain gear, hats, boots and umbrellas. They wore them around the house quite a bit that weekend.

For about a week after getting our stuff our entire yard was filled with empty boxes. Good thing our house is gated because we looked pretty "White Trash"

A few days later was the Utah vs. BYU game. Max sported his Utah Superhero cape this day. Sorry to say Mayka, but he has yet to wear it with the BYU side up. He thought about it one day and I told him he could as long as his dad didn't see, but he decided he didn't want to do anything his dad wouldn't approve of.

Soon after our shipment came I was really anxious to get our decor up on the walls. We put in a request for some workers from the Embassy to come and hang it all (we can't do anything for ourselves anymore), but they were taking much too long so I put Max to work!

La Entrada Folklorica Universitaria

The last week of July every year, the Universities in the area put on a parade. Each school performs music and dancing in elaborate costumes that represent dances and cultures in Bolivia. Its the first parade I've been to where I've had to pay for a seat, but it was worth it. The costumes were amazing and the music and dances were fun. Max was sitting in the stroller in the street and was right in the action. Here are some of my favorite pics we took.

After watching the parade we saw this adorable little boy playing the charango trying to earn a little money. He had quite the crowd watching. One man went and bought him an ice cream cone and as soon as he saw that he packed up his stuff and dug in.

Lake Titicaca

So back in July we took a little day tour to Lake Titicaca, (the world's highest navigable lake and largest in South America). We went to a place called Huatajata; not the most impressive part of the lake, but beautiful nonetheless. We got there just in time for a parade in the small town.

Then we headed down to the lake and got on a little motor boat with a tour guide. He took us around the lake and over to his island.

On the little island we saw women spinning wool and some amazing boats and other artwork our tour guide had made out of reeds from the lake called totora.

He and his dad built a boat out of these reeds that sailed across the Atlantic. Its pretty impressive how they stitch the reeds together and that they are so durable. After our tour we ate at a restaurant right on the lake.

We also got to see a vicuna (bicunya) up close. These are similar to llamas and alpaca. Their wool is extremely fine and soft. I read that a scarf made of their wool costs about $1,500 and a coat about $20,000.

I also thought I'd post this picture of Liv and Rosendo. He is a driver here that took us to Lake Titicaca, as well as other places. Liv loves him and always gives him big hugs when we see him around. He loves it!

No Fireworks This Year

So less than a week after getting here we celebrated my birthday. It was different than any other birthday I've had. There were no BBQ's and no fireworks :(. We still managed to have fun though. We went shopping in downtown La Paz and found some fun things. I got a couple of cool rugs! We ate out for lunch and dinner. I was a little nervous about the place for lunch, because it is easy to get sick here eating out and we hadn't heard if this place was trusted or not, but we all came out okay. Max made a cute little friend that he played cars with while we waited for our taxi. Later that night we went out to eat with a friend and then ate some cake that Tim and the kids made for me. Then I crawled into bed at 8:00 feeling sick as a dog. I had woke up that morning with a sore throat and by nighttime I had chills, my neck was swollen and I just felt yucky! Although we had a fun day it didn't really feel like my birthday.

Excuses, excuses...

Sorry I've been a slacker on posting, but we have temporary internet right now and the more we use it the more money it costs. We got good news today though, our permanent internet is getting installed Friday. That means we can hook our phones back up and communicate better, and I will try to post more often!

La Casa Rosada (Our Beloved Pink House)

So within the first week we learned some valuable things about our house.

1) There is no central heating. Four space heaters just don't quite cut it. We do have a fireplace...that is if you have the skills to keep a fire going with such little oxygen. Good thing Tim is an Eagle Scout ;). Jackets, sweaters, and thick socks are good things to pack if you come visit. Its not quite as bad now as it was the first week, but it is winter here so the mornings and nights get cold. It is good to brace yourself when you first sit on the toilet seat...its a little shocking. I did go out and buy an extra space heater for our bathroom though and that brings me joy.

2) Even though we live in a nice home, I sometimes get a little reminiscent about camping trips growing up. Why, you ask? The water is the biggest reason. Our tap water isn't so clean. In the beginning I was really paranoid about showering and washing our dishes. (We have a purifier for drinking and cooking so that wasn't a worry.) I was actually using the purified water for washing dishes the first few days, but that was a pain, and people told us as long as you let your dishes get completely dry after washing them you should be okay. Still, I can't help but think of camping trips with my dad washing dishes in the lake or river water, but at least he boiled it. :) When we went camping we always had clean water to use for brushing our teeth...its not much different here we have two liter water bottles in each bathroom for this purpose. A time or two I have forgotten and stuck my toothbrush under the tap. We've spent several nights huddled around our fireplace to stay warm. By the end of the night we have a little bit of that campfire smell I love so dearly.

3) A couple days after getting here I noticed a drip coming from the bidet sprayer mounted on the wall in the kids' bathroom. Lesson learned: Make sure sprayer is pointing away from you when you don't know which way is off and which is on. It was a good laugh after the initial shock of cold water in the face wore off!

First day, First Impressions

We left Baltimore on a Wednesday at about 3:00 PM and arrived in La Paz at 5:00 AM the next morning. It couldn't have gone more smoothly. The kids slept almost the whole time on both legs of the flight. I opted to watch a movie I had already seen and didn't get to bed until around 2:30 so I was a little tired when we landed. We were met at the airport by several people who helped us get through customs quickly and easily. We jumped into a shuttle from the Embassy that even had seat belts. I didn't know what a luxury that was down here at the time. I got a little taste of how they drive down here, but it was quite early so not too many were out. The airport is pretty much at the highest part of the city. This is also the poorest area. So things were looking pretty third world on the drive to our house. It did start to improve by the time we were in our neighborhood though.

We took a tour of our house. It looked pretty much like the pictures we had gotten, but the layout was a little different than I had imagined. We were happy to see we had 4 bedrooms since we couldn't tell by the pictures if there were 3 or 4. So come on down everyone. We've got room. Anyway, its pretty and we were happy with it. It was cold though and we were all beat so we climbed into our warm beds...or couch (for Liv) and slept the morning away.

That afternoon we headed out on a little walk around our neighborhood. The air was thin and we were doing a lot of huffing and puffing...(which has improved a little, but not much.) Right at the end of our block is a colorful playground. We stopped there and played for a bit.

Mostly we just checked out the neighborhood & took in all of the beautiful mountains that surround us.

I was amused by the broken bottles that are cemented into the tops of peoples gates around their houses...its pretty smart really, I'd feel safe.

This picture below is just a block up from our house. I love these mountains right at the end of our street!

Here is pretty much the view from our bedroom window. Its gorgeous! It always makes me happy.

We're here!

So after creating this blog two months ago with the help of a friend, pushing me along, I am finally ready to make a post. We've been in Bolivia for almost a month now...and we finally have internet. Anywho, I thought I'd start from the beginning and catch you all up on whats been going on in the tops of the Andean mountains.