Sucre 19 December 04
We hopped out of Sucre airport – very small, and into Mario`s taxi. Mario is cool. If we want to go somewhere, he`ll take us there. He knows the routes. He knows what we want to see. He even sounds cool – remember Max from Heart to Heart?! It was about 10 minutes drive to the centre of Sucre. The dwellings weren`t as bad as we`d imagined – certainly seen worse in other countries. But the packs of copulating dogs were still to be found on most street corners.
So, we arrived at the Hostal de Su Merced and promised to see Mario the next day, in case we wanted to go to Potosi.
What a lovely place. We were swiftly booked in and Eugene was dragged up the flight of stairs through the courtyard to our room, number 5, where he was shown the two remote controls for the TV with speedy Spanish instructions. By the time I got to number 5 with the rest of the bags he was starting to realise the effect of a speedy walk on “the toe”.
The room was lovely. Full of old antiques – a crystal chandelier, lovely old wooden wardrobes and chairs, a brass bust (no chance of nicking that). The bed was very comfy and the toilet seat was cushioned – what more could you want?!!! All rooms looked into the central courtyard full of flowers. And considering we were only two blocks away from the main plaza, it was oh so quiet! A couple more flights of stairs up was the rooftop terrace where you could see out across the whole of Sucre and even towards the mountains. What a lovely place!
Before we went out for dinner, I think Eugene encountered a new phase in his life. Usually reserved for Dads and particularly chaps more in the 40`s age bracket, the socks and sandals comfort-wear is something that we thought we`d never do. But the necessity to not squish a swollen toe into a walking boot and the fact that it gets a bit nippy at night meant that practicality was at the forefront of “fashion”. We carefully selected the socks, making sure it was clean and could not in any way be viewed as an “off-white”. The resulting effect was “it`s just like wearing slippers”. But hey, if it keeps “the toe” quiet, and no-one knows us here anyway, then let`s go!
We had a meander around the main square. Most of the buildings are painted white and everywhere was very clean. Plenty of Bolivian women in the traditional dress, normally with a couple of children at their sides. Lots of little boys with grubby faces with shoe shine kits, or selling bottles of pop. It was sad to see them working so young, but at the same time, they all seemed to be mates and have a laugh together.
Repizza was where we ended up for dinner. We ordered a beer each – guessing which one might be OK. Naturally, we had ordered the “giant” cervesa, served in what I can only describe as a 500ml measuring cylinder. Not the easiest drinking vessel but the beer disappeared eventually! The food was good there too – tasted fresh and as usual, so much cheaper than home.
Back at the tranquil Su Merced, I think we were in bed by 9.30pm! Tired out and ready to do some exploring tomorrow.
Tags: Bolivia at last!
mihai