Buses

Buses in Uruguay and Brazil are generally quite and comfortable. Usually no electronically amplified sound; seldom movies and I never experienced loud music.
In Brazil some passengers might get as unpleasant as some in coach on a flight. In general cross country buses are better than U.S. counter-parts, even back to the days when the "the old grey dog" was young and strong.

Paz in La Paz

I´m in La Paz. Tried three hotels last night trying to get a tranquill night´s sleep. Didn´t quit make it. Paid for two hotels. Will try another room in the last one tonight.
El Alto La Paz is enormous. It´s like 3/4 of every village in the Andes has moved there and is well into becoming part of the modern world. Painful process, but we humans are pretty tough.
The airport is in El Alto and I had an ablogging cab driver show me around a bit of that high platau. (I´m getting spellcheck in Spanish again). As the drive down to La Paz proper is a bit expensive I thought a bit of a tour was in the offing.

The rid down was amazing and dramatic. The views of the city are astounding. The road down is good, but very steep and long. La Paz is in a big, hilly valley. The a variety of elevations ads even greater interest to the long, wide, amazing sight.

Its getting a bit harder for me to go into a strange new place and accomodate myself. I would like to get used to the reality of being a 70 year old before I am 75.

Anyway I am more or less accomodated here. Found this little combined coffee house and internet cafe after arranging for a new room, laundry and ironing, having breakfast, buying medication, and a pen this morning after a bad nights sleep which began well after midnight. Not too bad for a 70 year old.

Wonder what Evo will do about persons of capital reach for greatter autonomy a top of the other problems of the country. Some of his moves seem a bit ill advised. He is getting some help from the powers in Cuba and Venezuela, but it doesn´t seem to be quit enough. He still has the overwhelming support of the "working class."

A Beginning

Well I am writing this seated between two very young children with a drunken father seated to the left of the the little girl on my left and a nervous mother, trying to appear calm hovering around and pehaps tying to use SKYPE.

Had A nice lunch. A bit like stake and eggs. Translated to the language of Philly it might be called ýeah Frankie!´ It was set off by a very large glass of strawberry juice. Here the better restaurants have double linen as many once did.

This situation is disturbing my mood a bit. The kids are behaving, but the ´father´ is a borderline case.

My rooms at La Montana Magica, which seem very inviting at this point, were a bit like a Swiss or Barvarian chelet. Downstairs was a nicely apointd small living room, a small kitichen, and a bath. Upstairs the bedrom had five very large windows with marvelous log views of cyprus covered valleys and ridges. One of the widows was done in cut glass much liea church window.

In the bedroom was a nice double bed with elegant linen, four wool blankets, and a simple quilt. Close to the been was a nice small raised fire place. I position to enjoy the views was a hamoc, and a wool rug set with pillows. I had the bautiful quiet place with two very good large meals a day --- for 40 dollars a day and cried about the steep prices. Enjoyed myself anyway. I evenejoyed looking at the rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, goats and sheep on the property.

Made to pligimages down to Medelin and saw the changes to be amazing. Beautiful transportation system of elevated rails and cables plus a very good bus system. Tall beautiful buildings everywhere. Great shopping places. Ruanas and carriels were gone and the arrepas were flat!

Still in place were much of the Antioquian fine manners and the beautiful Antioquenas long graceful legs.

While here in Santa Cruz, I plan to attend two days of a festival of barroc and renaisances music. (I need a functional spellcheck!) The festival has been held every other year for about a decade. I have encountered a Dane and a Japanese that not only plan to attend but also to play. A While back, while some wooden mission buildings the Jesuits had constucted in the 1600 and 1700s were being saved, about a thousand pages of original barocco an ranacanse music was found around which the festival developed.