February 15, 2017
The Plazuela Blacut
For a while I have been meaning to introduce
you to the little plaza around the corner from my house. It is dedicated to the heroes of the Chaco
War. The trees are beautiful and
shady. There are dozens of benches, all
of which affords a shady place to rest your feet, or to watch your kids play.
In the center is a statue of a charging
soldier. It seems so out of place in
this peaceful haven. A statue of Mother
Teresa or Saint Francis would seem more at home here. Also in the middle is a giant mango
tree. Today the plaza was carpeted with
mangos. If you love mangos, come to
Bolivia and grow your own.
To the north on Calle Diego de Mendoza is a
branch of the Banco Nacional, and behind it is a skyscraper that is just
bones. I was told it was condemned
during the building process and it has now sat there for years. It is such a cool structure that some
architect needs to come in and figure out how to make it work. On the northeast corner of the plaza is this
amazing tree with roots hanging down from the branches.
The street on the east is Rene Moreno. If you follow this street for another 10
blocks you arrive on the main plaza, the Plaza 24 de Septiembre. The main occupant on this side of the plaza
is the Fidalga, one of the grocery chains in Santa Cruz. It is a different store than in the 80s, but
I remember the store on this spot was the first air conditioned grocery store
that I knew of in Santa Cruz. You can
get just about anything in this mini Wal-Mart.
I discovered the other day that they have a bank window in the store
where I can pay my gas, electric, and internet bills. And they have a lunch counter, so if I don’t
want to cook, I can come here. Also on
this side of the street are several little food shops, Burger King, and an ice
cream parlor called Piccolo.
On the southern side, on Calle Andres
Manso. There is a beautiful house that
has a gorgeous garden. This is the house
that I pass by and become intoxicated on the jasmine smell, because the fence
is covered in jasmine. And on the corner,
is the Banco Ganadero, where I go to pay rent once a month.
The western side of the plaza is occupied by
the busy Avenida Velarde. This street is
Restaurant Avenue. There are lots of
fancy restaurants, as well as Papa John’s and Starbucks. Immediately across the street from the plaza
is Tigo, a phone store; Cosmic Bowling; the Hipermaxi, another grocery store
that has good meat, cheese, and produce; and the ugly wall of the New Tribes
Mission House, a comfortable place for missionaries that work far from the city
to stay and buy supplies.
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