Continued
Since the internet is dirt cheap, and easy to get to I think I shall post most days in the morning. I am trying to plan a trip for this weekend to Semipata. We will see how that pans out. But for now, I am in the city and posting. Also, no comments on grammar, I am not proof reading much. I am just trying to get as much down, as fast as possible so I can get back to being a tourist.

12-17-2003 The Tourist
I was super tourist all day! For real. I took about 180 pictures of downtown Santa Cruz. I did not get many of the surrounding city so I will carry the camera again tomorrow. So more walking and photo taking tomorrow.

So far I have taken every imaginable picture, at every angle of the plaza downtown. It is so beautiful, and they are doing even more construction to repair some of the buildings. The colors, architecture, style, and people were just amazing. I got some amazing shots. No sloths in the trees of the plaza though, they took them all to the zoo. Abuela told me the one had a baby so they took them to a safer place. I will have to get to the zoo to visit them.

I walked, and walked, and shopped, and walked, and shopped, and walked, and shopped, and walked, and then ate. I did not buy Bolivian souvenirs yet, just two shirts for me... but I priced out all the stuff people wanted me to bring. Prices can vary a lot from store to store here on touristy things, especially for a gringo like me. So I got to watch out so I don't get jacked on the price again. I had the best lunch, kinda boring eating alone, but the food was amazing. I ate surubi, which is a type of fish. Of course accompanied by some potatoes and a coca-cola. Then I left to walk some more and take a few more pictures.

As I was returning to the plaza, taking a few more pictures, I was distracted by a beautiful cruceña... and when I looked up... there were los abuelos. They were sitting on a park bench, talking and relaxing. I took a few pictures of them before they could notice me, and then walked up and asked, "una photo?", before realizing it was me they waved me off thinking I was some beger with a camera. Then we sat, I took more pictures and we fed the pigeons. Of course we discussed Bolivian politics, and the reasons why Miguel should be president, bought some cafe con leche, and headed back on the micro.

I just had dinner with everyone at the house (Jorge, Loyda, y los abuelos). Abuelita told me she does not like to be called abuela, I got to remember that. We talked politics again, and abuelo complained that from the ministers to the vagabonds; everyone in Bolivia is corrupt. Everyone will cheat you, from the micro driver, to the cabinet staff of the president, to the girl from the shoe store last night.

Now I am waiting for Ivan to come over. He brought his two kids and later on his wife joined us as well. We had a great talk about politics, how much money Tiger Woods makes (it was on the news he made 100 million this year), how our kids are doing (well he has kids, I have kid), and what we are doing the rest of my time in Santa Cruz. Ivan has a soccer game on Saturday I think I will go watch, and it looks like Sunday we are off to Semipata.

It is now time for bed. I am getting a much more regular sleep pattern these days. Feels good and very refreshing. Off to downtown tomorrow, right now I am downloading all my pictures from today, charging my camera and getting ready for another day as a tourist.

12-18-2003 The Tourist II: Chammy on the loose
I headed downtown. I did some shopping, and this time for other people. Trying to find gifts for the family back home and my friends as well. Touristy things are kinda expensive though, especially for a gringo like me. They do not mark prices here often, they tell you the price according to what they think you will pay. I did find a store, with a nice couple working and they had great prices. They seemed honest, and had christian music playing. The wife was pregnant, and they offered me deals on everything. Much better prices then what I looked at yesterday. So I bought the place out. I think after me they were going to shut the doors.

Then I walked to the plaza. Taking more pictures. Speaking of pictures, an email on one of fraternity list serves had me cracking up this morning. My fraternity Brother Rey Myles posted this quote, ¨I hope you got some digital pics to put up...this way I can see the "real" Bolivia through your eyes and not some wack book with pictures of some old dude standing by a basket full of whatever harvest that just got picked and some mountains in the background wearin' a throwback pancho he jacked from some Australian tourist back in '78.¨ Too funny bro, and yes I got the real scoop.

I was excited to come and eat at the private social club on the plaza. However, since I decided to enjoy the warm weather and act extra American I wore shorts and flip flops. It is mad hot, I was not about to wear jeans and dress shoes. They would not let me in, they didn´t even ask me to pay to get in. So to put a long story short, I got disced.

So now I am back in Shopping Bolivar (the mall on the plaza) in the cyber cafe. It is funny that everything in this city closes from noon to 2. Lunch time. The only things open are the street vendors, cyber cafes, and places to eat. I am sitting next to some business man who is watching a DVD here on his lunch break. Well I got to send out this post, and then head off to take more pictures. On the way here I stopped a few times and got off the micro to walk and take pictures of different parts of the city. I figure at 20 cents American per ride I can afford to get on and off a few times in the name of my photo journal of Bolivia.