Bolivia High Andes Adventure 2012: Cochabamba

After our first meal in Bolivia, we set off back up the hill through the maize of people and traffic back to the airport up on the Altiplano. One of our crew was not feeling too good for wear. Not sure whether it was the altitude or what but she never had lunch. It had been a four hour stopover,

and we got to check out the fashion in Bolivia. The women, called chola and the younger ones are cholitas, wear bowler hats, fancy tops and skirts that are either gathered or pleated at the middle, they generally wear a shawl or they have an indigenous blanket they use as a carry all, to carry their child or quite large loads. They are also not too keen on us gringos taking their photos, had to be quite discreet when attempting to take photos. I know the feeling, I was in Government Garden in Rotorua one day taking some photos of the Bath house and there were a couple of Japanese men taking photo of the Bath House, then I looked around and they were taking photos of me, quite embarrassing actually.

Arrived in Cochabamba to be met my Mike and Angela and Cory where we checked into our hotel then went out walking for dinner. Bolivian meals consist of huge amounts a meat not much room for anything else on the plate.

Our Hotel in Cochabamba

random bus in the street

Next morning we were picked up and piled into and on the back of Cory's truck for a tour around Cochabamba. We up to the top of the hill that looked over the city and surrounds and of course San Pedro acclaims the highest point.

on the back of the truck

San Pedro

San Pedro with a special halo from the sun

Looking out over Cochabamba

A tour of this still inhabited cloisteredConvent

Convento Museo Santa Teresa. The most interesting building in town is the noble, timeworn Convento de Santa Teresa. Visits to this timeless and gracefully decaying complex are by guided tour only and provide a snapshot of the extraordinary lives led by the cloistered nuns that inhabit it. You see the peaceful cloister, fine altarpieces and sculptures (from Spanish and Potosí schools), the convent church, and even get to ascend to the roof for a glorious view over the city. The convent was founded in 1760, then destroyed in an earthquake; the new church was built with an excess of ambition, and was too big to be domed. The existing church was built inside it in 1790. There’s still a Carmelite community here, but its 12 nuns are now housed in more comfortable modern quarters next door. It’s a fascinating visit; pacing the convent’s corridors, you could be in a García Márquez novel.

The Nuns put objects, maybe something they had made, to be sold in these cupboards then the shelves were revolved to the outside.

Names of the girls that have been in this convent. It was sometimes considered an honour to a family that a daughter was accepted into the Convent

a Nuns room

Medicine cabinet

The Chapel-for the cloistered Nuns- they were behind a barred wall

Then it was back to Cory's for lunch, first we got to see our bikes, they had all been labelled with our names, so no fighting over bikes, loved the one they chose for me, good size. Paola put on a magnificent spread for all of us. Then once we got ourselves organised and changed into our riding gear it was off for a ride around the mountains around Cochabamba to get familiar with our bikes. Experiencing a bit of high altitude (3800metres then coming back down to spend the night in Cochabamba, ending the day with a group dinner.