Cochabamba, Eternal Spring City
13 November 2005 (Sunday) – Cochabamba, Bolivia
I arrived in Cochabamba at around 6am to find my backpack NOT on the bus. Well, there was a fancier bus leaving La Paz at 10pm and then, there was my normal bus leaving at 10.30pm. When I left my backpack at the reception at 9:30pm, the guy had asked me for my bus ticket to check which bus I was on. Naturally, with the usual picture of efficiency here, the assistant figured the loading guy must have put my backpack on the 10pm bus – the WRONG bus. I was very sleepy, and I needed a toilet terribly, but first, I had to go to the office to get this all sorted out. The guy working there told me they were still unloading the 5pm bus from La Paz. It would take a while to get to the 10pm bus. Thankfully, a man soon came by and he gave me a look up and down and asked if I was missing a black backpack. Si!! So, he showed me to the bus and I got it back rightaway without the administrative crap.
However, I was still not able to get to a toilet as I went from residenciales to alojamientos (the cheaper hotels) around the bus terminal area and every single one of them was full at this time. Many told me to come back at 10am or mid-day, but even then, they could not be sure if anyone would check out. Others told me no one would check out so I need not bother about coming back to check. What can I do? I can’t just sit and wait til 10am… I might as well keep on searching for a hotel.
Finally, after going through at least 8 hotels, I found one that said they would have something free in an hour’s time. Great! It also looked less dodgy than some of the other hotels I had been to. I left my backpack with them and finally, yes, finally!, I could use the toilet. Yes, I am now a free woman!
I stumbled upon a local breakfast eatery – El Palacio de Api – which sold delicious fried cheese pasteles, sprinkled with sugar powder and api, a maize drink of beige and purple colour. It seemed very popular for after I sat down for a while, I observed the queue had grown all the way to the road!!
When my room was free, I slept til 1pm or so, before heading to the nearby market for a lunch of pique macho. The name had sounded intriguing, but it was a heap of just juicy meat and sausages cooked with tomatoes and onions, scooped on top of fries. Very unhealthy and fattening, like most food here.
I spent the day wandering around Cochabamba, but many of the shops in the centre were closed, including the Tourist Information. However, I could tell that Cochabamba, a town which is famous for its eternal spring weather, was a rather pleasant little unassuming town with nice plazas. One of which had an obelisk with a condor at the top, even. I had a vague idea to visit Torotoro National Park but I guess I just had to wait til tomorrow to see how I could organize my trip there. Everywhere was so quiet and empty that I figured it was perhaps best to return to the busier market area near where I live.
Tags: 09) Bolivian Rhapsody, Cochabamba
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