Ciao!

Sometimes I forget how beautiful Bolivia can be

After the Friday protests, things went back to normal in the city. I walked down the Prado Saturday morning to see a bride & groom, covered in white confetti, dancing in the boulevard to a Mariachi band.

From there I made my way down to San Miguel, which was alive w/ street life. Puppies were sold on the sidewalk. And in the shopping plaza, a folkloric group named Alaxpacha played to a vibrant crowd, clapping along to the rythm of the cueca. Suddenly, a group of shopkeepers, local residents, and other various people started dancing along the hallways.

At night, I met up w/ my friend Daniel and we found ourselves watching fireworks outside a Nissan dealership celebrating its anniversary. It was a carnaval scene; a Japanese taiko group performed before the local band Kacha went on. Fireworks exploded low in the sky as the crowd sang along to traditional Bolivian songs.

Of course, later we discovered that peasant protesters in Warisata had opened fire on police and soldiers, leaving five dead and several wounded. A state of siege has been delcared, though it's not yet affecting La Paz. The city seems normal & safe.

Posted by Miguel at 09:43 AM

Comments

Posted by: Andres at September 22, 2003 09:39 AM