A
Tour to Remember
A
young man arrived at my hotel at 8:30 to take me on a walking tour of Sucre.
“Hello,
my name is Camilo,” he said as we headed out the door. My first impression was that he was a rough
looking street kid. He quickly changed
my opinion and reminded me not to prejudge people.
“Nice
to meet you,” I said, shaking his hand. “Will
we join the rest of the tour at the Plaza?”
I had purchased a small group tour.
The website said there would be between five and ten people on the tour.
“The
rest? You are the only one.”
It
turned out to be a private tour, with one of the nicest young men I have met in
Bolivia. He loves photography and
travel. We talked about both a lot. Who could ask for better? As we stopped at churches or monuments, he
knew the right place to stand on the correct side of the street, or out of the
sun. He was always patient, making sure
I was comfortable, that I understood what he was saying, and that I was happy.
Our
tour began at the market, where he treated me to a traditional Bolivian
breakfast, a corn drink that tasted like tapioca and banuelos, a delicious
sweetbread. We stopped at a fruit vendor
who gave me bites of cherimoya, peaches, and papaya. Before leaving we had an explanation from a
potato vendor about the varieties and preparation of different potatoes.
Passed
the market is Bolivar Park, the Old Supreme Court Building, arches resembling
the one in Paris, a grand Theater, and the national asylum. In the park were statues that reminded me of
ones from Versailles and a miniature version of the Eiffel Tower. This one is more accessible, easier to climb,
and you don’t have to wait for hours to visit it.
We
then took a city bus to La Recoleta. I
spent the afternoon there the day before, so I didn’t take a lot of
pictures. He explained to me about
indigenous weaving, the art of the region of Chuquisaca, and about the founding
of the city at the site of the Recoleta, or resting place. The view from La Recoleta is stunning. White arches overlooking the beautiful city
below and mountains of the Andes. The
school on the plaza let out and children invaded it to play soccer or laugh at
each other’s stories.
Our
tour ended with a visit to the cemetery.
My guide impressed me as we were entering. There was a blind man looking for a taxi, but
of course, he couldn’t tell which was a taxi and which a car. Camilo stopped my tour to help the man with a
taxi, making sure he was comfortably inside and sent to his destination. Impressive.
I
have mentioned before that the cemetery in Santa Cruz is beautiful, but the one
in Sucre is gorgeous. Tall trees line
the walks creating a shady park. If I
were to ever live in Sucre, even for a short time, I would regularly visit the
cemetery to write in solitude. Camilo
said he has come there to study at times.
That
is where the tour ended. Camilo talked
to me about places I should visit on a future visit to Sucre, and promised he
would show me his photography one day. I
thought that was the end of the tour.
The
next afternoon he texted me to ask if I were free. I was writing in my hotel room, so I said I
was. He came over to show me some his
photography. He sells them very cheap,
but he is talented. Someday he could
make money off his photographs. Before
he left he invited me to taste some real Bolivian food for dinner, so again I
had a guide. I was surprised that when
the bill came, he was going to pay. I
didn’t let him of course.
Sucre
is definitely on my list of places to visit again. Camilo already has an entire week planned for
me. I am truly grateful to him for
opening my eyes to such a beautiful city.
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