Santa Cruz

Hot. Hot. Heat.

Low humidity.

Thirsty all the time.

This is Santa Cruz. It's such a change from the mountain towns I've been in the last little while. I'm actually close to sea level and I don't get out of breath climbing a few steps. The jungle seems so long ago. I start with the complaints, but I actually enjoy the weather. The city shuts down for siesta time 12 to 2pm. The real party starts when the sun goes down. Lovers are out for strolls. Families go out for ice cream. Kids are playing in the streets. Vendors are packing up for the night. There is so much life in this city after the sun goes down. The highs easily hit 30+ everyday, and this is wintertime. Seasons are opposite in the southern hemisphere.

The square is very nice. There are old guys playing chess all day on the tables which have boards in them. There are families just enjoying the heat. There are lovers holding hands and making out. And there are people begging. Sometimes the harsh reality of life hits you when you see a little kid begging for some change or selling gum to make money. They probably don't want to be doing that, they have to, so their families can eat.

I went to a soccer game finally. It was only a two local Bolivian teams, but it was still pretty good. The visiting team won. I wanted to be in the stands with the home crowd, but I had inadvertently bought tickets in the visiting side. So I just cheered for the visiting team. I wore a white t-shirt, just to be safe. I didn't want to wear the wrong team's colour, haha.

While I was in a local market here with my friend and one other guy, some "policemen" stopped us and asked for our documents. I didn't really believe they were police because they weren't wearing the uniform. Their car was not marked in any way. They wouldn't show me their badges. And they just had t-shirts that said "Bolivia Interpol" on them. No way in hell were these guys real in my mind. So I started making a commotion and a scene. They wanted me to get in the back of the car. That's when I really started raising a fuss. They finally just let me go after asking when I came into the country. But seriously, that was scary. The sun was going down. There were 8 of them and 3 of us. It was not a good place to be. I've gotten complacent and a little too comfortable. This was an easy reminder to be on my toes. I'm off to the next town tomorrow. It's called Sucre and the weather should be more temperate and less tropical, which will be nice for me. I love spring weather. I'll also get to do some cheap Spanish lessons.

Hasta luego.