There are slight odds Jess and I have been kidnapped.
Or rather, I mean, we took a bus this morning to Apolo, bordering the Amazon, and most definitely what you would call South Amerian tropical rainforest. Our bus was able to ford a surprising number of washed out sections of the road, as thundering cascades pummled the narrow dirt strip. The road was a gentle scar across the verdant mountains, and I´ll tell all about it later, when we´re not kidnapped.
A friend of ours in La Paz said we should meet her friend Bruno in Apolo. We said sure, and to our surprise someone met us at the bus stop, ferried us to a hospedaje, and now we are going on some jeep tomorrow morning to work at Bruno´s woofing farm. This is, I should state, not something we planned on. It is also as close to being kidnapped as I can attest to, and further developments may include some kind of demands.
We have to get back to La Paz to meet Andrew in a week or so, so our escape has a deadline of some sort, but frankly, we are slightly confused as to how some guy named Bruno turned into our forced working arrangement on a farm in the rain forest.
If no one hears from us in a few days, assume we´re processing coca, and someone call the embassy.
N.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
This is what disease looks like. - May 23rd, 2008
Ugh. Hack.
Well, I´ve been ill for two weeks straight now, first a chest thingy and now a more normal invasion of the sinuses. In all reality I´m more just frustrated by such a long bout of uselessness.
We´re in La Paz again, have been for a week while we saw the Gran Poder, which I will attempt to find the energy to describe later. Tomorrow we leave very early for a town called Apolo. Yes, the article really covers everything. It´s in the Amazon, it´s hot, and that makes me maybe the first person to go into the South American jungle for their health. My dear friend Andrew who lives in Buenos Aires is coming for two weeks to tromp around Bolivia with Jess and I, so I´ve got this week to return to the living.
Talk to you soon. Hack.
N
Well, I´ve been ill for two weeks straight now, first a chest thingy and now a more normal invasion of the sinuses. In all reality I´m more just frustrated by such a long bout of uselessness.
We´re in La Paz again, have been for a week while we saw the Gran Poder, which I will attempt to find the energy to describe later. Tomorrow we leave very early for a town called Apolo. Yes, the article really covers everything. It´s in the Amazon, it´s hot, and that makes me maybe the first person to go into the South American jungle for their health. My dear friend Andrew who lives in Buenos Aires is coming for two weeks to tromp around Bolivia with Jess and I, so I´ve got this week to return to the living.
Talk to you soon. Hack.
N
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The Black Death - May 15th, 2008
Is what I think I have. I swear I´m dying. Okay, maybe not dying, but comatose. The kind where you can still type.
Jess and I are wrapping up our time in Sucre tomorrow, then to La Paz for the gran Poder, which I´ll explain later, at some unforseen, less-mucusy time.
I have spent the last five days glued to my bug infested matress, staring at the yellowing walls in our daggy, albeit cheap hospedaje, surviving on the eternally graceful Jessica´s offerings of coca maté and ginger tea, as my lungs construct some sort of interstellar spacecraft in my throat. A plan to which I have opposed myself by coughing up all progress on a routine basis.
More later. Ciao.
Hack. hack.
N.
Jess and I are wrapping up our time in Sucre tomorrow, then to La Paz for the gran Poder, which I´ll explain later, at some unforseen, less-mucusy time.
I have spent the last five days glued to my bug infested matress, staring at the yellowing walls in our daggy, albeit cheap hospedaje, surviving on the eternally graceful Jessica´s offerings of coca maté and ginger tea, as my lungs construct some sort of interstellar spacecraft in my throat. A plan to which I have opposed myself by coughing up all progress on a routine basis.
More later. Ciao.
Hack. hack.
N.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
¡Cumpleaños! May 8th, 2008
Well well well. For all of you out there who are card-carrying members of the Kill Nick Squad, it is my pleasant duty to remind you on this wonderful day that you have failed for yet another year. Yes, it is once again My Birthday.
Already I feel the graying of age climbing my skin, last night hair began to grow from my ears and I awoke several times to pee. I have already forgotten large tracts of memory, but if any of you would like to send me a photo with a small essay detailing our relationship, I´ll put it next to my pills and hopefully it will all pan out. That´s right, I have become the ancient age of 25.
As usual, the days before the date are filled with angst, especially at the big Quarter Century mark, but the day is new and shiny here in Sucre, and I´m high as hell on sugar from the box of chocolates I had for breakfast. I´d love to showcase all the terrible photos of me through the years, but the links aren´t working, so you could, if you desperately missed me, check out the ol´photo album at www.viasolus.myphotoalbum.com but that would be weird, no?
Miss you all guys, ciao.
Also, this was my birthday in Whitehorse in 2006, http://kappasig.ca/psycho/?p=61 Good times. Bloody Beavers.
Already I feel the graying of age climbing my skin, last night hair began to grow from my ears and I awoke several times to pee. I have already forgotten large tracts of memory, but if any of you would like to send me a photo with a small essay detailing our relationship, I´ll put it next to my pills and hopefully it will all pan out. That´s right, I have become the ancient age of 25.
As usual, the days before the date are filled with angst, especially at the big Quarter Century mark, but the day is new and shiny here in Sucre, and I´m high as hell on sugar from the box of chocolates I had for breakfast. I´d love to showcase all the terrible photos of me through the years, but the links aren´t working, so you could, if you desperately missed me, check out the ol´photo album at www.viasolus.myphotoalbum.com but that would be weird, no?
Miss you all guys, ciao.
Also, this was my birthday in Whitehorse in 2006, http://kappasig.ca/psycho/?p=61 Good times. Bloody Beavers.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Update - May 5th, 2008
Make that 500,000 people at the rally yesterday. Didn´t stop Santa Cruz for voting overwhelmingly in favor of autonomia, but still, incredible.
Todo is calm here in Bolivia, going to Sucre tonight. Lot´s of super cool news for later, and yes, my birthday is in three days, thank you.
N.
Todo is calm here in Bolivia, going to Sucre tonight. Lot´s of super cool news for later, and yes, my birthday is in three days, thank you.
N.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
The Street - May 4th, 2008
The vote in Santa Cruz is today, and the opening march here in Cochabamba was maybe two hundred thousand people. Maybe much more, maybe a little less. It is absolutely impossible to guess a number to attribute to such a display of force.
No violence, which was happily expected, but tensions are high in Santa Cruz. The polls close at 6 tonight, and we´ll see then.
For now, here´s some good images from this morning...
Friday, May 2, 2008
Poder - May 2nd, 2008
I can hear the crackling of rifles and small explosions as they echo through the narrow streets of La Paz, but instead of a frenzied crowd they seem to reverberate harmlessly across the people of the city. The sounds are not those of revolution and warfare, but the constant cacophony of marches and demonstrations. As I sit in a cafe and try to communicate what the mood is like here in Bolivia, the sounds fade away into the background noise of micros and street vendors selling their wares.
For those of you curious, here is a quick (quick!) intro to Bolivia to set the scene, or rather, you can simply click here to figure it out better. Bolivia is named after Simon Bolivar, the Sudamerican-born Spaniard who practically single-handily liberated all of South America. It was actually the last country to receive it´s independence, and has always struggled with it´s decidedly diverse populace. (Map) In the eastern half of the country lies the imposing Andes, and in the southwest the Bolivian Altiplano. The capital of the country, La Paz, also lies in the west of the country. To the far north and northeast of Bolivia lies the amazon, relatively undeveloped and underpopulated. The major cities of Cochabamba, Sucre, and Potosi lie in the middle, and Santa Cruz and it´s lowlands make up the countries southeast. In all of these states the culture and ethnographic mix varies wildly, a situation which, like Canada offers an incredibly diverse and dynamic culture, but also the possibility for civil strife and misunderstanding.
Bolivia has the highest population of indigenous peoples in the world, somewhere between 50 and 70%. Primarily this population is made of two groups, the Aymara and the Quecha. The Quecha are known for being direct descendants of the Incan empire, which collapsed only a few hundred years ago, and their language is the same. Their presence in the country is primarily focused in specific areas where the Incans needed to consolidate their control over the more resident Aymara, such as Potosi. Both languages are fluently spoken by a majority of the population, which is in itself a unique trait for most global indigenous languages, and for the first time in history, the president, Evo Morales, is of indigenous descent. A historic moment, and one that has opened the door to much of the current political strife here in this country.
I came to Bolivia with the belief that it was a country undergoing something of a revolution for the populat, but can now say that I was pretty much completely wrong. If anything, the country is pulling itself apart.
As it is currently, every state except two is pushing for Autonomia, which while in some occasions does not mean complete separation, in many others it does. The major reason for this seems to be, in my and others opinion, the sudden shift of power inherent in Morales´political ascension. He is the first president not to directly represent an elitist and primarily eastern lowlands agenda, meaning that the wealthy elite of the oil and gas-rich Santa Cruz department have suddenly found themselves sitting outside the fence, instead of owning it. In this gulf the push for autonomy, essentially the demand not to share the state´s wealth with the poor, and more indigenous altiplano. The vote is on Sunday, and the country waits expectantly for the result.
All in all, it is understood that the vote will pass for Autonomy with a crushing margin, but as there is no legal precedent for succession, a situation most Canadians understand, no one quite knows what to expect. Civil war is a possibility, albeit very minor, as there are no Santa Cruz corps waiting to march on La Paz. If anything, increased tension and racism will be the major results, and in a country with more governments than years of history, the fragile nature of Bolivia seems shaky and unstable.
I´m off tonight to meet with an MSF head to see if he can sneak me into some work here in the country. (For those of you unaware, I´ve been working at becoming a Logistician with them for the last couple years, and this would be a huge step.) As well, I´m going to ask Naomi Klein to dinner tonight at her talk. It´s so easy to be brave when you´re a naive gringo whose Spanish sucks.
Tomorrow photos of marches, and children dressed as chickens.
Nick.
For those of you curious, here is a quick (quick!) intro to Bolivia to set the scene, or rather, you can simply click here to figure it out better. Bolivia is named after Simon Bolivar, the Sudamerican-born Spaniard who practically single-handily liberated all of South America. It was actually the last country to receive it´s independence, and has always struggled with it´s decidedly diverse populace. (Map) In the eastern half of the country lies the imposing Andes, and in the southwest the Bolivian Altiplano. The capital of the country, La Paz, also lies in the west of the country. To the far north and northeast of Bolivia lies the amazon, relatively undeveloped and underpopulated. The major cities of Cochabamba, Sucre, and Potosi lie in the middle, and Santa Cruz and it´s lowlands make up the countries southeast. In all of these states the culture and ethnographic mix varies wildly, a situation which, like Canada offers an incredibly diverse and dynamic culture, but also the possibility for civil strife and misunderstanding.
Bolivia has the highest population of indigenous peoples in the world, somewhere between 50 and 70%. Primarily this population is made of two groups, the Aymara and the Quecha. The Quecha are known for being direct descendants of the Incan empire, which collapsed only a few hundred years ago, and their language is the same. Their presence in the country is primarily focused in specific areas where the Incans needed to consolidate their control over the more resident Aymara, such as Potosi. Both languages are fluently spoken by a majority of the population, which is in itself a unique trait for most global indigenous languages, and for the first time in history, the president, Evo Morales, is of indigenous descent. A historic moment, and one that has opened the door to much of the current political strife here in this country.
I came to Bolivia with the belief that it was a country undergoing something of a revolution for the populat, but can now say that I was pretty much completely wrong. If anything, the country is pulling itself apart.
As it is currently, every state except two is pushing for Autonomia, which while in some occasions does not mean complete separation, in many others it does. The major reason for this seems to be, in my and others opinion, the sudden shift of power inherent in Morales´political ascension. He is the first president not to directly represent an elitist and primarily eastern lowlands agenda, meaning that the wealthy elite of the oil and gas-rich Santa Cruz department have suddenly found themselves sitting outside the fence, instead of owning it. In this gulf the push for autonomy, essentially the demand not to share the state´s wealth with the poor, and more indigenous altiplano. The vote is on Sunday, and the country waits expectantly for the result.
All in all, it is understood that the vote will pass for Autonomy with a crushing margin, but as there is no legal precedent for succession, a situation most Canadians understand, no one quite knows what to expect. Civil war is a possibility, albeit very minor, as there are no Santa Cruz corps waiting to march on La Paz. If anything, increased tension and racism will be the major results, and in a country with more governments than years of history, the fragile nature of Bolivia seems shaky and unstable.
I´m off tonight to meet with an MSF head to see if he can sneak me into some work here in the country. (For those of you unaware, I´ve been working at becoming a Logistician with them for the last couple years, and this would be a huge step.) As well, I´m going to ask Naomi Klein to dinner tonight at her talk. It´s so easy to be brave when you´re a naive gringo whose Spanish sucks.
Tomorrow photos of marches, and children dressed as chickens.
Nick.
Paz in La Paz - May 2nd, 2008
Hey Gringos.
Ah, SO much to tell about, May Day in Bolivia, marches, parades, petite revolutions. I have oodles of photos, and now Jess and I are in La Paz for a few days solely to see Naomi Klein speak with a cohort of activists gurus here in Bolivia. Then on the 4th is the Major referendum vote to decide what the future of the country is. I can tell I´ve done a shoddy job of explaining anything, so I´ll do that all this afternoon when I can upload photos and the rest.
Paz,
Nick.
Ah, SO much to tell about, May Day in Bolivia, marches, parades, petite revolutions. I have oodles of photos, and now Jess and I are in La Paz for a few days solely to see Naomi Klein speak with a cohort of activists gurus here in Bolivia. Then on the 4th is the Major referendum vote to decide what the future of the country is. I can tell I´ve done a shoddy job of explaining anything, so I´ll do that all this afternoon when I can upload photos and the rest.
Paz,
Nick.
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