Barber, Taxi, and Tourist
This morning, I had two things to
accomplish, getting a haircut and buying ink for my computer. Neither would be called particularly
exciting, but were necessary, and both turned out to be an enjoyable adventure.
This is my 5th or 6th
visit to Yolo, the hair salon in my neighborhood. Elie insists my name is Señor George, no matter how many
times I say it is Mark or Marcos. I
always get a one-hour star treatment that only costs $13. I get a shampoo at the beginning and the end,
a beard and mustache trim, and a very detailed cut.
Today Elie and I talked about
regional difference in Bolivia. Cruceños say this, while Paceños say this. That led to her encouraging me to visit La
Paz, because, she said, I must visit Copacabana and Tiwanaku. Copacabana is a town on Lake Titicaca and she
said it is one of the hippy towns of South America. Tiwanaku is a site of pre-Incan ruins. Both she said are a cheap bus ride from La
Paz, though both, she said I should stay the night and as far as she knows, I
can’t take a bus between the two. The
bus is supposed to cost 20 Bs., or about $3.
I don’t know how long I’ll stay
in Bolivia. One year? Two?
Five? But however long I stay,
one of my goals is to see as much of this beautiful country as I can. So I am thinking a visit to La Paz should
come in the next few months. What do you
think?
From the hair salon, I took a
taxi to the Comercial Chiriguano to buy an ink cartridge for my computer. You can’t just run down to Wal-Mart or Office
Depot to buy that, you go to a special place that sells computers. It turned out that I encountered a nice man,
named Luis, as my taxi driver. He waited
while I bought what I needed and took me back to my part of town. While driving me around town, he encouraged
me to visit his home department, Trinidad in the Beni.
“When should I go?” I asked.
“Don’t go in the rainy season.” He answered.
“June, July, or August are the perfect time to go because it is dry and
the temperatures are not so hot.”
Luis taught me about taxi drivers and how much things cost. He makes 200 Bs. on an average day. That is around $30. In a month he said he earns 4800 Bs., or about $700. His wife works in an office, but earns less than he does. Yet, this man is proud that he is sending his daughter to college.
He asked, "Do you know where my wife is right now?"
"No," of course I didn't.
"She and my daughter are on a tour of Europe. They have been to Spain, and just left Venice and are going to Paris." That is on a $700 a month salary. We waste so much in the States. I'm trying not to do that here. This man saved up for years to do this for his wife and daughter.
Luis taught me about taxi drivers and how much things cost. He makes 200 Bs. on an average day. That is around $30. In a month he said he earns 4800 Bs., or about $700. His wife works in an office, but earns less than he does. Yet, this man is proud that he is sending his daughter to college.
He asked, "Do you know where my wife is right now?"
"No," of course I didn't.
"She and my daughter are on a tour of Europe. They have been to Spain, and just left Venice and are going to Paris." That is on a $700 a month salary. We waste so much in the States. I'm trying not to do that here. This man saved up for years to do this for his wife and daughter.
I am planning on going to
Cochabamba in a few days. I want to
visit all nine of the capitals of Bolivia.
Cochabamba will be number four. I
think in May I might go to Oruro and the Salt Sea of Uyuni. June and July? How about Copacabana and Trinidad in the Beni?
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