In Bolivia, one of the most common forms of transportation is the trufi, or taxi. Bolivian trufis resemble vans, in which you normally wouldn’t accept rides from strangers in the United States. Trufis push the limits of their capacity with three......Read More
After a month of q’oas, charlas, and scavenger hunts, the vast world of Bolivian culture is opening up and we are starting to make sense of its distinct communities. In doing so, I have found it helpful to think of things in terms of Ayni, a......Read More
In the 1950s, the Canadian government forced the Inuits into settlements. An old man refused to leave, even after his family left him with no weapons or tools to fend for himself. While a blizzard smothered the Arctic lands one evening, the old man......Read More
The town of San Salvador sits atop one of many Andean mountains that surround Cochabamba. As our trufi ascended up the windy, bumpy dirt roads, the dust gave way to the hazy glimmer of city lights. My eyes stayed glued to the lightshow, until we......Read More
A Headless Mountain, A Phantom Army, and Wet Handshakes: Trip To Tocaña, an Afro-Bolivian Community You’re all privileged. You know that? It’s a real privilege that you can be here in Tocaña. And if you don’t take advantage of it then......Read More
Oscar Olivera is the director of “la Fundación Abril,” an organization in Cochabamba, Bolivia which seeks to address water issues in the city. Prior to meeting this icon of the Cochabamba Guerra de Agua (Water Wars), we read a chapter......Read More
Sometimes, as I might have expected, the mountains don’t have much to say. Their presence is enough in these moments, just as I hope is mine. But I’ve also learned that other times I just need a heap of patience and a desire to wake up at 4am to......Read More
When we first arrived to Tocaña the only vestiges of human life were the paintings and pictures on the walls. I was admiring a picture of Bob Marley, Mick Jagger, and Peter Tosh, when Pulga, the first Tocañeno I met, came out. With his short......Read More
There’s a saying that there is no winded road. We are only walking zigzagged on a straight road. When it rains, it’s not the clouds that are crying, but rather the sun, and the clouds cannot keep the sun’s tears from falling. As we......Read More
Equipo celeste Two chinos and one and a half gringos, a poem: Walking down the street Looking for a traditional Bolivian dish to eat Trying to check tasks off the list Is a great feat It started to hail We didn’t think we could prevail But......Read More
Hello friends and families, Tomorrow morning, we will head out on our first trek in the Cordillera Real. This is one of the most stunning mountain ranges in all of the Andes. We will spend four days in this magical range. Here’s our trek plan: Day......Read More
Luciana is seven years old and contains more energy in her fingers than we do in both our eighteen year old bodies combined. When we met her for the first time she grabbed our hands and jumped up and down and spun herself around and around.......Read More
We have landed ourselves in a wonderful casita. (You know it´s meant to be if it´s where you take your first hot shower in Bolivia). As per reponsibilty and in temporary break of our Wifi fast, here are a few snippets of our experiences in El......Read More
Live from El Alto, where we are currently rushing to write a Yak on a crowded bus, this is Nicole, Anna, Cody, and Harry. We could attribute our failure to complete this Yak on time to ‘la hora boliviana’ (the “Bolivian hour”). Bolivians are......Read More
Hi friends and family, Enjoy a few photos of our time together in beautiful Coroico! Abrazos, Mateo, Leah, Pedro...Read More
