Photo Slideshow

We now have a slideshow of our most recent pictures from our trip to Bolivia. Some of them you may have already see on the blog, but lots our new.

Take a Look

Being Cuban

We haven’t moved to the hotel owner’s home. We are still here in the hotel in a room that is being paid for by the Cuban delegation but not occupied yet. Jose is quite delighted with the deception and calls me his accomplice. We didn’t charge our supper to the room but we will accept the free breakfast.

I had to repack my suitcase after we were out of our room because we picked up the sweaters to bring home from the MInkha office this afternoon. I used a hidden corner on one of the patios and when it came to check the weight I took advantage of one of the army guys who are acting as police security for the Cubans. He lifted both at the same time and finally decreed they were the same. I just hope they aren’t more than the 22kg we are allowed.

We have to be at the airport at 11:30 am to check in and Minkha will arrive about 12 noon to say goodbye and there will be tears.

Tomorrow night we are “intransit” and we arrive Wednesday morning in Panama City.

Internet Miracle

I have been on the internet all evening- which is a miracle and it may mean that Jose (hotel owner) is right about the Nokia people because they are gone as the hotel clears out for the Global warming conference. Some Cubans have already arrived and from time to time we have police outside to show that Cochabamba is serious about security.

Patricia feels that the city simply can’t handle such an influx of people. They don’t have the hotels or restaurants and if the visitors try food on the street they will all be sick and it is going to be a disaster all round. I think God is taking care of it by making flights for Europeans impossible and that will leave a lot of delegates at home. Imagine a global warming incident (the volcano) coming to the forefront of the global warming conference in a way that none of the participants would likely have planned to mention in their presentations.

Last week I thought only the outlying town of Punata was all closed up for Sunday but today we found this city is too. Even the museum!

Printing Calendars

The email here is so spotty that I will try to send this every few minutes so I get something off to you (she did). The hotel claims it’s Nokia’s fault. They are running an office from a conference room and take all the juice from the wireless lines. So how come it’s taken until midnight to get on tonight? Even Nokia stopped working about 7:00pm.

We have calendars printed for the knitters; well nearly printed! They did beautiful prints at a reasonable cost – you would love them, however it took forever to find a colour copy place – there are copy shops in every block, but only do B&W. We finally connected with Melissa who is with Amanacer and she took us to her colour copy shop, conveniently near a very good coffee shop. They did 2 of the 5X7 prints to a business size page (their measures aren’t the same as ours) however when we got back to the hotel we realize they missed 4 of the photos! We have no receipt or anything to remind us where to go except we do have the card from the coffee shop and a receipt from them. We will go first thing in the morning and get the last pages printed.

I haven’t even mentioned our day with Minkha or Amanacer. This is a very full life!

Photos from Cochabamba

Fabiola priced out printing our catalogue. Maybe next year we can go this route; but for now we are off to the copy-shop.

Jose, the hotel owner, manager, and our host prides himself in pouring the perfect capacino. And I drink it!

Tending the gardens in the Plaza Principal. 15 years ago I watched women carry the soil to upgrade these gardens.

Mary is ordering a Ruana in her favorite colours and needed help to get the combinations right.

The Minkha Knitters met us at the airport and took us straight to the office where Mary got a picture of Prima in her traditional hat.

Tam Air has all the best things – even passengers with the classiest shoes I’ve ever seen a man wear. (Except, of course, Bob Dylan on stage in red cowboy boots.)

Mexicana Air still serves peanuts. Comfortable and nice service but they left the luggage in Mexico City.

Back to Bolivia

I’m now on my way back down to Bolivia, this time with my friend Mary. Together we will meet and work with the women of Minkha. Keep checking back for further updates and feel free to post some comments. For more on Minkha check out www.MinkhaSweaters.com

Second Last

Well computer access has been spotty and when I have been able to get on just writing family the personal stuff was all I seemed to be able to manage.  I tell people I have no secrets but some of the news really wouldn’t be of any interest to the world wide web.  We will be on our way home after 2 more overnights.  That last one is over at 1:00am so I wouldn’t agree that it is an “overnight!”

The locations have surpassed our expectations.  The bus trip logistic has Ted sitting on park benches saying “Let’s just get going!” but it is still a very good way to see such a poplular tourist place.  The churches are always amazing with so much design expertize and  modern art is placed right beside the antique so you can appreciate both.

I may try to fill in the blanks when I get home and add a photo for each day of this trip.  We’ll see.  Next trip I’ll have my own travel computer – Brad is researching what I should get to match up with the new MAC at home.

Day 9

Tel Aviv and a perfect travel day washing Ted’s clothes (I do mine by hand).  We found the laundry without too much trouble and got help from a perfect young couple.  They knew to send us to the store next door for a dish of soap.  We told them we were from Calgary and she said she had been there often because her family owns a ranch at Pincher Creek!  He was a French photographer who freelances and we talked a bit about cameras.  He was a wealth of knowledge being the only one in Tel Aviv who could direct us to a liquor store that would sell Ted a new bottle of Scotch.  Happy Day.  Now we have EUROSport and can even watch the Olympics.  Aren’t we great travellers?  Always wanting to be close to home.

Day 8

We pulled our bags and walked across into Israel.  It reminded me of the comment that if man was so smart why did it take him so long to put wheels on suitcases.  We spent a wonderful day in Eilat which is at the very southern tip of Israel on the Gulf of Aqaba and beside the town of Aqaba, Jordan.   This is very much a tourist town but a lovely relaxing time for us.

Day 7

Driving across the Sinai Peninsula.  This isn’t quite as empty as the Sahara, but it’s close.  I sit here in the back seat beside a back-up driver who doesn’t ever drive while the one in the driver’s seat could be called Mr. Middle of the Road.  I’m listening to Emmylou Harris and Spanish.  We have it on our itinerary that we could climb Mt. Sinai in the morning before breakfast and now find out that we can’t even see the mountain from here and no one is really sure where the true Mt. Sinai is or even if Moses was here for that 40 years in the desert!  As long as I’m at computers that give their instructions in Hebrew I won’t be trying to bring in photos.  Sorry about that.  I’m asking for a travelling computer for my birthday, and you all know when that is, so I’ll be doing the picture thing for the next trip!