Skiing at a non-resort

Well the trip to Chacaltaya to watch an Orchestra didn't exactly turn out as planned. Once Max and I found out that there was an old ski resort where you could actually hike up and ski, we decided to ditch out on the music and headed for the slopes. It was a long journey up hill and at 5300 meters, my lungs were killing me.

Finally we made it to the top with a group of Bolivians, and it was time to let go. I hadn't skied in maybe 13 years, since I usually snowboard, so it was quite at experience. AND the first part of the mountain was a very steep downhill. I'd say the first 20 metered I just stayed horizontal and let my skis slowly slide down. I fell of few times, and since it was unplanned I was in jeans. That was pleasant! But at the same time I couldn't help but laugh. The whole experience was amazing and it was definitely something that not everyone gets to experience.

Arte Trabajo

For work we had a creative workshop this weekend. This meant working on Saturday but in the end it was really fun. Many of the activities reminding me of AIESEC events (especially LDS). It was a good time and more than anything it inspired me to want to put on more events like this.

Later on in the day there was a session for free expression. Basically meaning that there were a bunch of different art materials and absolutely no rules. With the help of my friend Max, by the end of the session, I was covered in art. We're talking a box tied to my leg, foam around my stomach, with pants wrapped around my shirt, paint everywhere, and other miscellaneous pieces. Good, good times.

True Italian Bruschetta

So now that I have lost my camera I have to depend on the trusting photobooth.

Here is dinner last night. Delicious.

You got the main course, rum and coke for a drink and strawberry shisha for dessert. The perfect menu.

Daily Life

So now that I have settled into Bolvia the daily life doesn't seem too different from home. For instance, each morning I wake up, I make my English breakfast tea and get ready for work. Now of course the work thing differs quite a bit, considering everything is in Spanish, but the work I do isn't so different that what I could be doing in the states.

And each day I go online and chat with my girls, just like I would if I were in the States. When I get home I make dinner with my roommates and then continue to the couch where we finish the night with a few episodes of 6FeetUnder and a HouseMix. Of course this is a pretty mild day but it is nice to know that I can still have days like these.

Peru for the day? por qué no?

So my friend Max needed to extend his visa so we decided to go to Peru yesterday. We left at around 9 and started out 10 peso bus ride down to the border. Apparently you are not allowed to cross the same border on the same day so once we were in Peru we headed to the next closest border about 2 hours away.

We changed some money into Soles, bought some lunch on the street, and headed to the Bolvian border. A nice 3 hour day in Peru. At the border we spent our last few soles on a couple of beers and headed to the immigration office. Of course, they wouldn't let us pass. Making up rules along the way they asked for bribes to get through. Max wouldn't have it, so we just stood there, passports in hand waiting for our stamps. Finally they stamped mine but wouldn't budge on Max's. As if I'm going to make the 3 hour trip back alone. So instead of a bribe we offer them the beers. They laugh a little and then see some other travels come in. They start getting nervous and instead ask for a Fanta. We aren't about to go buy these guards a fanta (because it is ridiculous) so again we just wait, holding out the passport.

Then for no reason at all they just stamped it and we left. We were kind of confused to why they changed their minds. I think they were just annoyed with us. So we enjoyed our beers and hung out in Copacabana the rest of the day. I was so tempted to jump into Lake Titicaca but decided against it because, well, no one else was.

We walked to a nearby Church and laid in the plaza under the warm sun. It was a perfect day to just "be". After we walked to a nearby restaurant where a little woman and her husband served dinner from their kitchen. It was some of the best food I've had. Reaching 7pm we asked them when the last bus to La Paz was. She replied 6pm as we through money at the table and ran out the door to the bus station (road). While running down the street yelling La Paz, we see one last bus. Victory is so very sweet.

We made it home by 11pm just enough time to make some mac and cheese and watch an ep of 6ftUnder.

Still green from last night

My head, my lungs, my head, my stomach. I am wrecked. Last night we celebrated St. Patty's day like the good Irish would have wanted. Started at the Irish Bar (literal name) and there we received free shots of tequila. Don't ask why? They gave out free green jester hats and had lots of music. After much loopty loo we continued to the street and then to a bar where they also had free drinks and a game of die. At this point we were all pretty toasty and soon realized that they were trying to rob us.

I, having lost almost everything I own the week before, had merely 10 Bolivianos in my pocket. They soon realized that these were not the type of tourists to take advantage of. They cut off our supply of free booze and sent us packing. I'm gonna go ahead and say that we won the night.

Burn baby, burn

Fed up with the Bolivian food, my roommate and I finally attempt to turn on the oven. This requires cranking the gas, sticking your hand into the dark abyss and sparkin' the flame. After a very scary eruption we saw that the oven was ready to go, with little flames safety burning under it's grill. Now the temperature, that was another issue. So if a recipe says 350 degrees should we choose Setting 1, 2, 3 or 4? Not exactly precise. The cake agreed with me too.

First baking attempt turned out like nothing I've ever seen. The consistency of puddy. One of the couch surfers, Milo, did I pretty good job baking pizza last night but I don't know if I could re-create it. But tomorrow I will attempt to cook enchiladas for my couch surfing event. With this weeks Sushi then Pizza events, I have a lot to live up to. If all else fails we always got guacamole, right?