The Llama Chronicles: Christmas Edition

Hello the people,

¡Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo!

Hope everyonés holiday was lovely lovely and that you didńt miss me too much. I had a very
weird Christmas, first of all it was summer,second of all, Ím more like an aunt here than a kid so
my role shifted from participant in the arguments over who gets to play with the new toy
first to mediator of such arguments. It́s just good that my little kid Spanish is stupendous so I can
successfully intervene without the focus of the conflict shifting to how bad my spanish is...

I did find a cd by a very cheesy guy Miguel Luis or Luis Miguel, cańt remember which, who does
Christmas songs in Spanish with a swing band. Incredible. Learned Santa Claus is coming to
Town in Spanish to the delight of young and old alike.

We did big celebrating Chirstmas Eve, getting started with hot chocolate and panetón (think
fruitcake but less icky) around 8, moving on to presents which was quite the event. After
presents we spent an hour playing with the playstation-esque thing that Dayana got
(they cost $10 in the market here. INCREDIBLE!) because the duck hunting game was just too
fun. My abuelo kicked everyonés butt. Then we got in the car and went down to Plaza Colon to
look at lights and for the girls to play some, there were pony rides and bouncy castles and other
carnival stuff which Ciria, bless her little 6 year old heart, found thrilling beyond all reason. Then
on to the other grandparentś house for dinner, which started at midnight and was huge, more
presents for the kids and the playing and chatting continued on until 2 in the am. It was fun,
lots of family, lots of love, some tears over sharing presents (hey, it was MY hat and I dońt have
to share if I dońt want to) and it was basically all very new. I spent a lot of it doing that thing I
have to do a lot, watching confused until I get what´s going on and can participate.




Christmas day was all eating and visiting family and neighbors and being visited and playing.
Turns out I can put together a play kitchen faster than anyone. Points for me! I got a makeover
from Ciria who was eager to use her new makeup set and between you all and me, blue and violet
are not my colors...when they are applied to my cheeks. It was pretty comical but to her credit
she did it in the dark, by christmas lights only. I got to talk to my family in the states all through
their christmas dinner which was lovely and made everything better. Next year I will be the
heart of the christmas joy, just watch.

I am also writing now to let you all know that I did it. I  really did. I found the llamas. There are
pictures to prove it and I will send them along assoon as I find a computer that will let me upload
them. My mission iscomplete, which is really too bad because I have MONTHS left here.


I need a new project and I am open to suggestions. The last few weeks before Christmas have
been spent traveling, which wasn´t as adventure-y as I expected. First, I spent 5 days traveling
to Copacabana and Isla del Sol with Danielle Kravetz (for SLC people) which was part for fun and
part to cross overinto Peru to get our passports stamped. Lake Titicaca is the highest
navigable lake in the world and I could feel it. I forgot how icky altitude exhaustion is but that
difference of 4,000 feet between Cochabamba and the lake was plenty. It didn´́t help that
Danielle and I kept choosing these ambitious hill-climbing hikes but that́s not the point.

I dońt  want to talk about Peru, it was a disaster and not even a funny one but the chicken was
good. Copacabana is lovely and touristy and by the water, which I miss a lot when Ím in Cocha.
It́s Boliviás major pilgirmmage site for the Virgen of Copacabana, the Cathedral is the focal point
of the town and there is this hill, that looks less painful than it is, that has the stations of the cross
all the way to the top where you have altars of the seven sorrowful mysteries and forthe Virgin
herself along with incredible views.


Isla del Sol, howeveris the center of joy in the universe. To the Incas it was the birthplace of the
sun and it is incredible, covered with ancient terracing. The only downside is that you step off the
boat and have to haul yourself up these awful ancient Incan stairs, which you cańt appreciate
until you come back down, to get to the top of the island where they hide all of the hostals and
llamas. The hostal, though, was charming and the views incredible. It came complete with
resident llama and lots of donkeys who make hilarious noises about every half hour. At night,
because of the altitude and the darkness of the island and surrounding lake, the stars are
incredible. Previously hopeless with the whole astronomy thing, I could find constellations and
saw stars I didńt know existed. I wish I could have spent more time but Cochabamba and a group
trip were waiting so I only got one night under those bright Bolivian stars.


Back home a day and off again, this time to Sucre which is the official though not active captial of
Bolivia (I really cańt explain, I dońt get it either) and Potosi, which used to be the richest city in
the world and a major silver-mining center. Sucre is very white, they have a law that dictates
that everyone in certain areas of the city must whitewash their buildings once a year to preserve
the reputation of the city. Tons of Spanish colonial architecture and a really bizarre park with a
kid́s speedway and pony rides and a lagoon and a small eiffel tower. It also had this incredible
musuem of indigenous textiles of the jálqa and tarabuco quechua-speaking groups, I was a fan.
Potosi was high and cold and gray and seriously needs to look into some sidewalk expansion.


Cerro Rico looms over the city. Once it was the source of an incredible amount of wealth, which
mostly benefitted the Spanish, now it is still mined but is considerably less bountiful. It was a
strange contrast, the poverty of the city and the people in it and the remnants of its legacy as the
richest city in the world. Amazing architecture, often poorly maintained surrounded by
delapidatd buildings. On our final day, we took a tour into the mines of Cerro Rico. This was an
adventure. First of all Bolivia doesńt do seatbelts and really doesńt do safety codes. We got all
dressed up in these bright orange uniforms and headlamps and piled into a van and started a
harrowing journey up the mountain in the rain. I tell you, every ride at Disneyland, every
rollercoaster, every roadtrip with my biological father did nothing to prepare me for this ascent.
It fell somewhere between thrilling and horrifying but I lived to write the email, so I guess it́s all
fine. Our guide stopped off with us near the top to set off an explosion of nitroglycerine and
fertilizer and it was pretty strange, watching him running with the burning fuse to drop the
package off. The boom echoed off the surrounding mountains and I cannot believe that they do
that inside the mine. Unbelieveable.

Yes, so there you have it. More Bolivia joy than anyone could ever need. That is my Christmas
gift to you all.

I hope you all did have beautiful holidays and that your vacations (or not) continue to be great
fun and everyone has a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Lots of love from here and the llamas!

LOVE!

Mollie