"Sensing the Bolivian culture"

Last week I had a wonderful opportunity to "live" the culture of Bolivia with all my senses! As part of the orientation program at the Maryknoll Instituto de Idiomas, I went with a group of 25 fellow students to an area near Cochabamba called Valle Alto. We travelled by bus (quite an interesting adventure in itself!) to this agricultural region about 15-20 miles south of the city. The altitude is higher than Cochabamba so we were climbing into beautiful pastoral countryside. Each small "pueblo" that we visited is famous for a particular product. Our first stop was Tarata where we visited an historic church and retreat center established by the Franciscans. Within the courtyard walls of this colonial structure was an incredible oasis of flowering plants, trees and pools of flowing water...a beautiful tribute to St.Francis! The small pueblo of Tarata was centered around a plaza that was filled with people enjoying the balmy Sunday morning. We stopped briefly to purchase freshly baked rounds of flatbread and then we were off to our next stop in Cliza...

The town of Cliza is famous for its open air Sunday "mercado" that sells everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to clothing and household products.  The merchants (vendadoras) are almost all women who display their colorful produce and products on street mats and often use a bartering practice called "trueque" where they exchanges one product for another...for example a handful of flour for six carrots! Cliza is also famous for selling roasted pigeon as a luncheon speciality...I didn't have a chance to taste it but the aroma was amazing! By the time we wound our way around the market labyrinth we were all starving...

So our next point on the tour was lunch at a popular provincial cafe in Arani. Our menu included a steaming hot "sopa" of meat, vegetables and quinoa and a beverage made of fermented corn called "chicha" that tasted a bit like hard cider (?). Our last stop of the day was in Punata, where the bus driver unfortunately had to change a tire (!) while we strolled through the plaza of this tiny pueblo known for its unique pastries called "rosquettes" that have some resemblance to pretzels but are slightly sweet and covered with a thin white icing. On our way back to Cochabamba, our tour guide convinced us to make one last stop at a roadside cafe famous for its empanadas and homemade ice cream...now how could we say no to that! All the sites, sounds, smells and flavors of that day in Valle Alto linger with me...as I write this entry. I hope I have given you all just a "taste" of Bolivia...as the Bolivians say provecho!