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The White City, part 2...Bolivian Supermodels
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It is not often on our journey that we are able to revisit anywhere, so on our return to Sucre we saunter into town with our backpacks - knowing where to stay and more importantly, where to eat! We've also been looking forward to more lessons with Tatiana - she is a fantastic teacher and great company - we couldn't wait to get to class! Returning to a favourite cheap and cheerful restaurant we are asked all about our Salar trip and given a hug and a kiss by the waitress.
We had spent the night before in Potosí, this time able to breathe easily having adjusted to the altitude on the Salar journey. It had been a frustrating day there, a highly recommended museum we wanted to see was closed, a highly recommended church closed for a long siesta the only time we could go. We were consoled however by a good soup, milanesa (weiner schnitzel) with rice and salad and jelly dessert - for a grand total of 75 cents.
Our five days of lessons (4 hours per day together) went really well. Tatiana met every mistake we spoke with an exaggerated cough, glare or some other method to get us to realise the errors of our ways! She never missed a beat and we really felt our conversational skills had stepped up a notch by the end of our time with her. Added to that, Ed's homework, no matter what the topic always seemed to involve risque themes (nude women dancing sensually) - I think she will remember his essays for years to come. Our friends Wim & Ria were in Sucre with us this time and we'd told them what a lovely, safe place it was to relax in. Unfortunately, the weekend and the higher tourist season brought with it a huge assortment of beggars from the countryside into town. At one stage, we were using the internet and getting poked in the arm by a guy who thought we would like to donate. With Tatiana´s advice, we toughened up a little on the beggar front - we stuck to giving a little money to the elderly, people with disabilities and otherwise just buying things from street sellers who looked like they needed help. There was also a convent who sold great cookies and fed the poor through the profits. It takes time in a town to figure out the best way to help out.
We noticed one unfortunate lady who we thought was a victim of horrific burns, her eyes had disappeared, her nose and she only had part of her mouth left. A really shocking sight. Asking Tatiana about her, we learned that she has leprosy which started with a little spot on her face and has done terrible, terrible damage. Of course we gave money to help her out. She is a lovely lady, said thankyou and hoped we would travel safely. Others we gave one or two pesos to in the past, have looked at the coins with disgust - even though that money would buy them a basic hot meal in the markets. All in all, it was quite distressing at times seeing the poor and the sick on the streets. During just one day in the city you can see more blind people than you would see in a year in a more developed country. It just makes the contrast between poor, sick and the fortunate few Bolivians all the more shocking.
But back to the touristy stuff... We made a visit on Sunday to the famous handicrafts market in the altiplano town of Tarabuco. There were a few tourists there, some beautiful woven goods, great fruit, vegetables and brown bread (a novelty by now!). Showing our photos to Tatiana later on, she could identify which campesinos (people from the countryside) were from which villages and often their marital status. She noted one style of hat worn by men and women from a certain village which denotes their equal status. Highly unusual in Bolivia where men are considered the boss in many ways! Visited San Felipe, a church in the region of 500 years plus with beautiful views over Sucre. Our guide pointed out a nearby house of a similar age which had three distinct sections, the largest for the Spanish conquistadors, the smaller for the mestizo (mixed blood) servants, the third for the indigenous and the animals. She also showed us some 500 year old cedar furniture which the local students use for homework and playing cards! That church really has an embarrassment of riches.
Continuing with our busy week, Tatiana insisted that we visit her mother´s artesania shop so that we can dress up in national costume and take photos for memories. We had no idea how complex this would be. Tatiana´s Mum is lovely, but it is clear where Tatiana gets her strength of character from! Various polite people came in and out of the small shop commenting 'Que Lindo!' - How Beautiful! while we were dressed up in outfits like: Miss Bolivia pageant outfit Tarabuco man Campesino woman Campesino man We felt vaguely ridiculous, but couldn´t help enjoying the conversation and laughs with the Señora and her husband who continued sewing away at a pedal-operated old Singer. At one stage, Ed was wearing wooden high-heeled sandals with huge spurs on the back, highly dangerous for him and requiring a pigeon-toed walking style to avoid shredding his ankles.
We were so sad to leave Sucre again, especially to say goodbye to the crack birdwatching squad from Groningen - Wim and Ria - and our brilliant teacher and close friend Tatiana. More thumbnails ...
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| 66. | The White City, part 2...Bolivian Supermodels - Sucre, Bolivia Jul 06, 2007 (  21 ) |
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