Onto the next chapter of my life…La Paz, Bolivia! For those that don’t already know, I will be working here for the next year and a half with the World Food Programme (WFP), a U.N. organization focusing on alleviating hunger throughout the world. Although I can tell my specific responsibilities will develop overtime, my overall job will be to help expand the school feeding program to the north of Bolivia. I will be doing a lot of in-country travel (which will be a great way to get to know the country) and I have my first trip next week! First, here are some facts and info about Bolivia…
Physical characteristics: Bolivia is a landlocked country, just less than 3X the size of Montana, which borders Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru. Less than 3% of the land is arable and it shares Lake Titicaca with Peru, the world’s highest navigable lake. The La Paz airport sits at about 13,600ft, while the city is built into a canyon below at just over 12,000ft.
History and Government: Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon Bolivar, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825. Since then, there have been nearly 200 coups and democratic civilian rule was established in 1982. In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism party leader Evo Morales president – his platform was based on empowering the nation's poor, indigenous majority. He has been a very controversial leader with strong anti-North American sentiments.
People: The population of Bolivia is approx. 9.7m, and just under 1m in La Paz city. 95% are Roman Catholic and 5% are Protestant (Evangelical Methodist). The Quechua, Aymara, and Guaraní indigenous ethnic groups comprise the majority of the population. Literacy is at 86.7%. Only 4.5% of the population is over 65 yrs of age and 60% of the country is below the poverty line (Bolivia being the poorest in S. America). [Indigenous flag, left]Resources: Agricultural products include soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, and timber (*note – demand for timber is causing serious environmental issues). Industries include mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, and clothing.
Economy: Following a disastrous economic crisis during the early 1980s, reforms spurred private investment, stimulated economic growth, and cut poverty rates in the 1990s. The period 2003-05 was characterized by political instability, racial tensions, and violent protests against plans to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets, plans which were later abandoned. Private investment as a share of GDP, however, remains among the lowest in Latin America, and inflation remained at double-digit levels in 2008. The decline in commodity prices in late 2008, the lack of foreign investment in the mining and hydrocarbon sectors, and the suspension of trade benefits with the U.S. will pose challenges for the Bolivian economy in 2009.
Interesting tidbits…
· There are 1,009 airports in Bolivia, only 16 of which have paved runways.
· Bolivia is the world's third-largest cultivator of the coca plant (after Colombia and Peru).
· The Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat at 4,085 square miles, roughly 25X the size of the Bonneville Salt Flats in the U.S. It contains about 10 billion tons of salt, of which less than 25,000 tons is extracted annually. It also holds half of the world's reserves of lithium. There is currently no mining plant at the site and the Bolivian government doesn't want to allow exploitation by foreign corporations, but instead it intends to build its own pilot plant.
As for travel, I will be most often going to Cobija (the most north and western city in Bolivia, right on the border of Brazil and Peru) and to the area around Potosí, principally Tupiza (look south, near the border of Paraguay). Cobija is the amazon, so it’s really hot and very different culturally. Potosí is the highest city in the world topping out at about 3,900m = over 13,000ft! My boss is Bolivian and the Director of WFP is Mozambican so I have already exercised many Spanish and Portuguese muscles. They both seem very practical-minded which bodes well. More details to come…(once I do some real work!).
So far, La Paz is a very interesting city. Much like San Francisco, you have really steep streets and given the altitude, it makes for some really good exercise. Plus most of the sidewalks are made of stone and having been worn down, they are somewhat slippery both up and down. Rubber soles are important! The nice thing is that it is a very walkable city as long as your cardio side can keep up with your legs. People are generally very helpful and extremely polite, except maybe some of the drivers, but that’s to be expected. The views as you can see from my pics are amazing. It’s a city literally built into rocky, dry mountains.
Some surprising observations…shockingly unlike Central America, you can literally find anything you want to buy here. Life in general is quite cheap, but of course imported stuff is not, although I can buy anything from Classico tomato sauce to Pantene shampoo to Ziploc bags. Dairy and chocolate products are really good here (I know you’re all relieved to know) and there are quite a few good bakeries and restaurants. I’m constantly am amazed at how South America, considering this is the poorest country in the region, is so much farther ahead than Central America. Also, smoking unfortunately is a popular activity by both foreigners and locals. Only some restaurants have designated areas and bars are unlikely too. I guess I am spoiled by all those U.S. states that finally banned it!
I managed to find a great apt (below, the greenish one) – it’s in an ideal location, 10 min walk to work and just a block or so from two supermarkets and a fruit and vegetable market. I wasn’t expecting to be in a high rise, but it’s nice to have the views and more space in the apt. Transportationwise, most people take radio taxis (ones that you call) or trufis to get around once it’s dark unless you are going very nearby. A trufi (pronounced true-fee) is a like a minivan that has a particular route and makes stops all along the way so they are quite safe as long as you know where they are going (I haven’t quite mastered them yet). Generally, regular taxis are discouraged as there is less security with them. Since radio taxis and trufis are very reasonably priced, there’s no need to take a regular taxi. Buses are dirt cheap but the time you’ll spend is never worth the hassle. In general though, La Paz is pretty safe.
I’ve met some nice people so far, both professionally and personally, and I share my apt at the moment with an Italian guy and a Bolivian woman, both in their 30’s. (Don’t anyone get any ideas, he’s married!) Both are really nice and pretty chill about apt stuff, although I admit I haven’t had roommates in a long time. We all three travel so it will be interesting to see how often we’re all in La Paz.
This past weekend I went to a bbq (which are apparently quite popular here) at my boss’ country house, which really did feel a world away from La Paz, and was about a 45 min ride. I went with some friends to hear some live jazz at a bar a few blocks from my house on Sat night and then to a huge book fair on Sunday. It was so crowded, I couldn’t believe it and we were sweating, which really shows you how crowded it was since it’s pretty much fall weather here all the time, although midday does warm up a bit. It was nice to see so many people really valuing reading and books.
Well, if you’ve gotten this far, I commend your dedication. I’m sure there are more stories to come as I get settled here. I hope you’re all enjoying the end of summer and have gotten in a bit of relaxation! Miss you all lots and oh, in case I didn’t mention…VISITORS WELCOME!
