La Corona Aparthotel Cochabamba

... much!

But this country is definately the most challenging and culturally interesting place i have ever visited! i dont think there are many places like bolivia!!i love their traditional dress and the fact that this country has not yet been spoilt by globalisation. although it cud do with a bit more money from tourism! there isnt one word to describe Bolivia and im still unsure as to what to make of it- it is what it is, a third world country and i knew ...

It was a very early start to make the 7am flight. We got picked up by the taxi and after checking in, there was even time for us to enjoy a rather expensive orange juice and empanada/muffin in the departure lounge. Yet another flight with many people wearing masks.

Arrived in Cochabamba at 7.30 and waited until 8am for May Kristin, but she wasn't ...

... a lighter as it was pitch black and I hunter around at peoples´feet. After a few minutes of inhaling smelly socks I found the first one. The bus by now had arrived so I was under pressure and I had visions of me limping along with my backpack at 3 am in the freezing cold ... I asked the driver to turn on the light and pointed at my feet. On went the lights and I had to make an announcement )in english as most were ...

... dogs - Friedoline (the big one - although not even a full year old) and the little one Maxi (only a few months old). They literally jump for joy when you come back, and in the morning they scratch on the door willing you to get up. We miss them terribly. They also have a lady who helps around the house, called Sophia. She always has a smile on her face and greeted Joel as "joven" (young one). Sonia is an amazing cook and treated us to home-baked bread ...

... to 2 hours each day, and thats the parents that dont have numerous other jobs and children to look after, who actually have the luxury of spare time to spend there. So tomorrow i begin the task of feeding and cleaning and amusing/distracting poor burnt children (of whom im not entirely sure how many are accidental and how many are abuse cases), whilst at the same time trying to not be completely overwhelmed by the sadness of such a scenario. Wish me luck...

... a lot of other questions, I'd also asked for that day and a half off here, so I would have time for self-directed learning. I had received a response saying "that will be fine for both placements"...but on arrival discovered that the doctor hadn't actually read my email!! So I then had to come to the compromiso that Saturday would be my self-directed-learning day. Woo hoo! Ok at first. But it's gotten long and hard to keep motivating myself, especially while doing nothing ...

... But... My bus ended up being late (surprise surprise) and the last bus to Uyuni half an hour earlier than the silly bus lady had told me. So I was stranded in Oruro at 10:30 at night, no idea where to stay (knowing that you should book about 2 weeks in advance if you do want to stay there) or where to go. Fun! After half an hour of panicking and then calming down, I was approached by a guy asking if I needed a room, chatted for a bit, and turned out he was a Medical ...

... for aa bli i Cochabamba med dem, og billetten til Sucre ligger (dessverre) fortsatt ubrukt i lommeboka mi... Det var veldig hyggelig aa ha selskap igjen, og vi feira med aa dra ut og spise en altfor dyr middag og drakk oel i hostellets bakgaard etterpaa. :) Lene spaadde oss alle, saa naa vet baade Elin og jeg alt om fremtida vaar!! (Ja, Kyrre. Du blir verdenskjent rockestjerne!!)Dagen etter gikk vi helt bort til den andre plazaen, Plaza Colon, en litt finere del av byen. Der vandra ...

... little left. In the last week I had to contend with rumours that i'd gotten one of the volunteers pregnant! This came about because I stayed over one night in the dorms at the orphanage (on the couch) and this made a natural progression, especially since protection is almost unheard of here, to pregnancy. The rumours got so bad that i was getting dirty looks and the co-ordinator had to 'have a chat' with the girl in question to find out if it was true.

... blockages by protesters! That's pretty much of a daily event in Bolivia, and even though I had spent over a month of my life in Bolivia in three different trip, I had somehow got the chance to avoid them - until now.

I was supposed to take the 17:00 bus and no one knew how long the road blockage was gonna last, but I thought I'd just stick around nearby the bus terminal, go on the internet, call some people, write and stuff, and ask locals about ...