July 4, 2017 - A Hot Day in the Beni

A Hot Day in the Beni

The last two months, I have become accustomed to nights in the low 60s and days only occasionally topping 80.  In the Beni, the sun rises to a morning already in the mid-70s.  It is humid and there are lots of mosquitos who feast on Gringo meat.  I still had itchy ankles a week after I left.

I only planned on staying two full days at Trinidad, planning on going back to Santa Cruz on the third morning.  After breakfast, I looked at a few places around the cathedral, and walked around the cathedral too.  By 9:30, I had pretty much seen all there was to see in that area, so I would have to explore if I wanted to see anything else.  By 9:30, even on the shady side of the street, I was drenched in sweat, and I was not seeing anything that special.

I started a new plan.  I would find a taxi and have him take me to a few museums I was told about.  There is supposed to be a fish museum at the university and an ethnological museum near there.  But there were two problems with that plan.  First, there are few cars in Trinidad, and fewer of those cars are taxis.  There are millions of motorcycles, but few cars.  I walked a mile in the sun before I encountered a taxi. 

My second problem was that I did not know it was a national holiday, Corpus Cristi.  The taxi I finally found drove me to both, for me to discover that both were closed for the holiday.  I had him drive me back to the hotel to cool off and asked if he’d pick me up at 11:30 to take me to lunch at the lake.  That ended up being the highlight of my day.  The lake had a bit of a breeze and the meal was cheap and delicious.

I took a long nap, deciding not to venture out until 6:30, once the sun had set.  By then it was comfortable enough to escape out of doors.  I discovered that the Plaza was blocked off and a crowd had gathered on one side of the plaza.  There was a parade that was preparing to circle the plaza.  People were dressed in traditional outfits of the Moxos Indians, white robes that hung to the knees, sandals, and a hat that looked like the rays of the sun.  A few ladies were dressed in bright dresses of every color under the rainbow.  

I went over to study the procession and heard the priest pray.  He invoked the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the blessed Virgin.  It made me sad that this priest was teaching something heretical.  Mary is not part of the Trinity.  She was a woman, one who had to accept Jesus like anyone else, though I think she was a believer her entire life.  Twice Jesus corrected people about revering his mother.  She is not to be placed on a level even close to God.  That is idolatry.  We are to worship the Creator, not the creation.

Well, because of the procession, the few places that were open the night before were not open.  I encountered the first place in Bolivia I was ready to leave.

Home never felt so good the next day.