Eastward, ho.

Bolivia continues surprise me at every turn with its unique stature amongst the countries of South America and its facinating, if subdued, culture. I have found that of all nationalities in South America, Bolivians are by far the quietest and the shyest. They walk with their faces to the floor, and if I casually say ¨Buenos Dias¨ while passing on the street they will only venture a timid ¨Hola¨ once they've already passed me... and this is bold by their standards. I heard a Bolivian joke that if there were no beer in Bolivia, there wouldn't be any weddings, friendships or families either, and I am begining to see exactly what he meant. My personal theory on this national trait is that it has it's roots in Bolivia's particularly marginalizwed history.
Bolivia, originally Alta Peru, was colonized by the Spanish in particular for its Silver mines in La Paz and Potosi (the highest city in the world, incidentlally. When I was there waiting for a bus I could get winded just telling a story). The mines were famous for their abominable conditions, which exist up until today in Potosi, which records up to 30 deaths a year. When South America-wide independence movement began to get moving in the early 1800s, Simon Bolivar, who was leading the independence movements of Peru, Colombia, and his own Venezuela, did not even support Alta Peru's independece beause he thought it would be too weak. To appease the general the new nation named itself after Bolivar and made him its first president, but his doubts slowly came to fruition as Bolivia lost territory to all 7 of its neighbors in three wars which it lost throughout the century. Particularly poignant was the loss of access to the sea after the War of the Pacific, which saw the loss of Bolivias only coastline to Chile, which clearly needed just a little more oceanfront... Bolivians self-depreciatingly say that the only victories that they've ever had were against Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (100 Bolivian Soldiers against 2 outlaws) and against Che Guevarra's expeditionary revolution (the Bolivian Army plus the CIA and Green Berets against 45 rebels).
At this juncture, Bolivia is the weakest nation in all of South America, and seems always to be dependent on the whims of foreign powers. For many years the United States had a very important role in the nation, but the agressive tactics of the War on drugs, including crop eradication and alleged human rights abuses on the part of the DEA led to the election of Evo Morales, the nation's first indigenous president, who expelled the DEA from the country and now relies heavily on Venezuelan support. Bolivians remain divided, however, on Evo (who never attended High School or College) because he has not improved infrastructure and instead gives money back to the people in tax breaks and grants, which some see as buying votes.
My experience so far has led me to Sucer and now top Cochabamba. Sucre, also known as the white city, was the Spanish colonial capital because it is close to the mines of Potosi but has a far better climate. It looks like a city right out of the mediterranean, but set in the cloudy foothills of the Andes. I made it to Cucre just in time for the Carnival of Tarabuco, a pueblo nearby, that commemorates a traitional dance specific to Tarabuco that features rattles and sheets of metal attatched to sandals that people use to keep time while dancing. The Carnival was a blast, as everyone and their mother in Sucre hops in the back of a pickup truck to make it out, and the entire crowd is driking Singani (a strong wine-spirit famous in the region) and chewing coca. At the main stage I was actually able to see Evo Morales from only thirty feet away as he made his vice president (a tall, white Bolivian of the old ruling class) don traditional garb and partake in an indigenous dance as the crowd laughed and cheered.
My other days in Sucre were much more subdued, as the only thing to do when out at night is go to any of the myriad Karaoke bars that seems to be an unusually popular Bolivian pastime. This was were I met some of the nicest people that I have met so far on my journey, as everyone wanted to give me there number to hang out or see the city. I left the karaoke bar one night having recieved three guys's phone numbers and having promises extracted to hang out... not sure what exactly to make of that, as I have yet to have the same luck with the girls here.
In Cochabamba, which famously has the best climate in the country, I me up with Carlos, who I found through couchsurfing.org, to stay with him and see the city. He turned out to be a marvelous guide, bringing me not only through the central square but also to a church soup kitchen to meet destitute elderly and sick Bolivians, which is an experience I will not soon forget. He also invited me to lunch with his family and try a popular dish here: fried cow stomach. Not bad actually, although a little tough and salty.
Finally, because Carlos actually did not have a ton of room, I spent the night at a Brazilian friend of his apartment, which is in a neighborhood made up almost exclusively of Brazilian medical students who come to Cochabamba in droves to study medicine for a fraction of the cost of Brazil, although they don't seem to bother to learn spanish on the way. Overall, Cochabamba has been one of the least touristy places I have yet to visit in South America and is something of a booming university town near the Amazonian side of Bolivia. Vamos a ver.