The 21st of September

Saturday, September 21^st

Lydia and I woke up bright and early this morning, and prepared for our adventure to “La Cancha” market which is the biggest open market in Bolivia. Lydia woke up around 7:30 and I woke up at 8 as Veltza and her daughter offered to drive us to a halfway point, and we could walk from there. Lydia and I are both learning that the time frames given here in Bolivia are much different than Canada. Not a bad thing, just a different culture. Around 10 A.M we arrived downtown, near La Plaza and began our market adventure. IT wasn’t a far walk at all, just a few blocks. I was amazed at all the people on the streets selling jewellery, snacks, and even artwork. I walked by a man selling hand painted portraits of famous people, and the first one to catch my eye was a gorgeous painting of Bob Marley and for a total of 10 Bolivianos, it is now mine! I can’t wait to get home and hang it up in my room.

Lydia passed some fruit vendors in La Cancha so we stopped and got some grapes, apples and later we bought peanuts from the same merchant. As we kept strolling it was amazing to me to see all these North America brands filling up the streets; shoes, sweaters, body care products, hair care, they had it all. We passed by huge spot selling different pieces of clothing, I spotted a pair of leopard print leggings that were absolutely awesome. We stopped and chatted with one of the ladies working there, and she showed us a variety of different patterns and styles. She offered us 3 for 150 Bolivianos, so I bought two and Lydia bought 1. They are so unique, I can’t wait to wear them. The best part of the market was a section that sells handmade items such as bags, socks, ponchos, souvenirs, hats, basically anything you can think of and all in the beautiful original pattern that you see in many different areas of South America. It was hard to stop myself from buying absolutely everything they had to offer, but for about 28$ Canadian, I was able to purchase quite a bit for myself and a few gifts for my family and friends. Can’t wait to go back!

We decided that since it is after all Saturday night, that we would go out and find something to do. We are so lucky that our neighbour Oscar was kind enough to welcome us into his home and go over some of Cochabamba’s best and safest nightlife.  

We went to an AMAZING restaurant, I can’t remember the full name of it now, but it was something “Diablo” which means “Devil” in English.  We started off with a local beer that we were told was the best in Cochabamba and it surely did not disappoint.

Here is Lydia and I enjoying our brew!

 

 

 

We both were quite hungry but weren’t sure what to order, until we saw “Mixed Table” which had dried fruit, nuts, cheese, bread and cured meats. The best possible choice we could have made! It was incredible, so many varieties of cheeses, amazingly flavourful cured meats, and delicious homemade breads.

 

 

To go with our mixed table appetizer, we ordered a salad so we felt at least a bit healthier ordering some vegetables, it was also incredible. Overall it was a great first night out in Bolivia, it actually reminded me of some of the places you would find downtown Halifax, which was in strange sense very comforting.  Back to work on Monday, going to finalize our research question and start really getting into our work. I’ve also emailed a few Language schools so that I can start taking Spanish lessons and become more comfortable speaking with people here in Cochabamba! Until next time bloggers.