Santa Cruz, Day 2

Ok so after another really frustrating time at the immigration office Wednesday afternoon (I won`t go into details because it turned into one of those occasional bad days), I finally got my passport back and was able to get the bus on time.

I didn`t get to say good bye to Naomi, unfortunately, cuz when I returned to the hostel she had checked out. I have a good idea of where she went, but I hadn`t the time to check.

Anyway, I arrived here in Santa Cruz after a long long bus ride. Here`s part of what I wrote on the way and after I explored a little:

"11.24am - 19 Oct. 2006

"Still on the bus. I had an off and on sleep partly because I`m sitting next to a woman with her 5ish year old daughter sharing the space and partly because there are so many checkpoints in Bolivia, which means the bus starts and stops a lot. They are those police checkpoints I read about in Lonely Planet; they occur at every town exit.

"Waking up to the light this morning has brought an enormous change to the landscape. It`s the first time since Lima, Perú, that I`ve been below mountain altitudes, so now it is hot and humid, and the land is some of the lushest and greenest I`ve ever seen. It`s beautiful. The houses are different, too - they are smaller, lower, and though I`ve seen some tin and tile roofs, are mostly thatched.

"I gotta get used to this heat! Depending on how appropriate it feels in Santa Cruz I might have to wear shorts for the first time since I`ve been here.

"Because Santa Cruz is at 415m I`ve also been taking my malaria pills in them mornings. Only a few days away from Parque Ambue Arí and the big cats! ... I think after wandering at will for over a month it`ll be good for me to do some actual work and to settle long enough to make some better friendships. I want to feel like I`m making a difference here and not just tour around the whole time, though no matter what I do I`m learning a lot, and that alone is important.

"6.58pm

"I can`t get over how modern Santa Cruz is. I`ve been walking down the streets for a few hours, comparing prices on pants and mosquito nets, but passing much more on the way. Out o the centre you can still find your regular South American market, but in the centre I sometimes feel like I could be walking down a street in California...almost. They`ve got posh shops with glass windows, many sports shops like Puma and Adidas, and even more expensive stuff like Chanel and Gucci! It`s definitely not what I expected in South America`s poorest country. And to top it off, most of they pricey stores charge in US dollars, not bolivianos, and for some things you pay close to what you`d pay in, say, an outlet for these brand names. For Bolivian people that`s very expensive, which makes me think the country is not the poorest because everyone is poor - there is obviously a huge gap between the rich and the impoverished.

"I`ve also noticed, as in La Paz, that the fashion here is a bit more liberal: the girls are wearing short skirts and low-cut tops, so I wouldn`t feel uncomfortable, or that I`d get too much attention, wearing shorts. This is a good thing in a way, nice for the hot weather. On the other hand most of the fashion is very Western with Western prices, so who knows what kind of harm it`s doing to the country. Helping to eliminate the middle class? I really have no idea. I`m ignorant on the details of Bolivia`s economy..."

Today I bought a few things I need for the refuge. Now I`m just going to look into bus prices and I`ll either head there tomorrow or Sunday at the latest. I do hope to get one more blog entry in before I go.

CONTACT INFO:
Just so someone knows the details of the park while I`m gone, it`s called Parque Ambue Arí, about 5 hours north of Santa Cruz. The organization I`ll be working for is called Inti Wara Yassi, and their website is www.intiwarayassi.org. On the website they have details about the program, how to call the park if necessary, that kind of thing. Note, however, that there are two locations - if you need details, make sure you look for Parque Ambue Arí and not Parque Machia, which is near Villa Tunari.