Catch up on Sucre

Ok, so today i forgot my journal and most of notes on what I wanted to write, so instead I'll just give you guys some more stuff on Sucre and my future plans.

Sucre is still wonderful. The people are great and their bicentennial was a real blow out. They have pretty lax standards on fireworks here so we could be much closer etc. One of the nights I found a great little bar where I hung out all night drinking with some of the locals. The bar was tiny and when new people arrived the staff would seat them at any table where there was room, intermingling strangers which was great. I sat at the bar and kind of just watched things. They were doing some flaming shots and the most popular drinks were ordered in what we called supermugs (36oz?) glasses with a tiny spout. They would pour the drink into shot glasses and drink from those. They even did this with the beer.

Yesterday I went to their cemetary which is fairly famous. This is where the latin american dedication to family really hit me. The cemetraty was beautiful, well cared for and it was amazing how many graves/tombs/crypts had fresh flowers on them. I saw very few sites with dead flowers, nearly all looked good and the cemetary crew can't clean out dead flowers becuase most of them were in glass cases with locks on the fronts of the tombs. It looked like the families of took great care of the gravesites. It made me want to visit the grave sites of my forgotten family members and leave some memorabilia.

Most days here, I finish Spanish lessons around noon and start walking downtown. Everyday I try to take a different road, some of which seem to go straight up the mountains. I'll find a lunch spot and then head to a park where I do my homework and enjoy the weather. Most days here have perfect weather..never too hot and never too cold. The night cool off to a perfect temp. They have tons of police and military here but my confidence was shaken when I saw a typical teenager fight (like in high school) in the park that was never broken up...it just went on for about two minutes until they were tired of fighting. I also saw a sweet dog fight today...nothing Michael Vick style just two mutts duking it out in the street..a turf war if you will. One dog had the other pinned down and he was biting the others neck...it was pretty violent, finally the beaten dog ran to the other side of the street, gave a glance back then trotted away to find another corner. However, overall the dogs in the streets are very nice and don't bother people. Speaking of the streets, I find it very interesting that the people of Sucre are very proud of their city and in Bolivia. Not so much with the government but with their heritage. However, no matter how hard the city crew works to keep the parks beautiful, the people think nothing of throwing their trash right on the ground, even though there is a trash can a few steps away.

My spanish is finally starting to turn some corners. I am speaking better in public and comprehending speach a lot better but still a long way to go. Also for those who care to have it, I bought a cell phone today...I am not really sure how to call it from the US but the number I got was 73477897. I plan to use it more in Chile where I will probably buy another SIM chip for a few bucks with a number for santiago where I plan to spend more time. I haven't really needed one so far but wanted to buy one here where they were still pretty cheap b/c I think I'll want it in Santiago to hook up with people. I am in the middle of planning my home stay and teachers there.

I think I have formulated most of my plan for the remainder of my trip. This Friday, I leave for La Paz on an overnight bus, once there I am hopping a flight to Rurrenabauque (sp?) in the Bolivian jungle where I want to take a 3 day jungle boat up the river. Today i am trying to locate anti malarial medicine in Sucre. After the jungle trip, I am going to hit Lake Titicacca, then grab a bus for Cusco where I can see Machu Pichu and do some hiking for a few days. Then it is onward to Chile maybe with a stop along the way but it will be about 30 hours on a bus. I plan to spend 2 to 3 weeks in Chile and then head to bariloche in the patagonia to do some skiing for a week or so then back to Bs As for some last minute night life and finally back to the US. Its a lot but I still have a lot of time.

Thats about it for now. I am doing great. Hope everyone at home is well!

Pierce