Hola from BOLIVIA!!

HEY everyone!!

I´m in Bolivia and doing well. Our trip here was the most taxing thing EVER. Bottom line, we flew to Santa Cruz and got to the hotel around 330 am, went to bed at 4, and got back up for breakfast around 830. We then at the breakfast at the hotel (bread.) walked around Santa Cruz a little in the morning and waited an extra horu til our cars came to take us to the airport at 1 pm. We then waited in the aiport for like three hours locked in the departures room without lunch (we managed to get one small empanada each!!) We got to Sucre so late, they rushed us out to just change and head straight to the opening ceremonies. The first two to three hours were kind of boring and drawn out honestly, but the last two hour part with the marching and fireworks was a lot of fun. As a specific highlight after all this was the fact that I freaking MET EVO MORALES (hated by the people of sucre by the way, according to our volunteer and judging by all the negative whistling.) And I got an amazing picture to prove it even though I dont have the cable to upload it and show you. His handshake is hand-crushing its unbelievable. I think the only reason all this was at all bothersome was because we had eaten a peace of bread and an empanada all day. We then got hanburgers brought to us by our volunteer who follows us around and hits on Edgar Crespo ;) but is nice... but I pulled all the veggies out (no getting sick for me!) so i got a sad bun and tiny patty. That night we tried to get more food hahaha but the only place who had food left was one who had 10 hamburgers left (!!!) and 10 salchipapas, which I soon found out are cut up hotdogs on top of french fries buried in ketchup and mustard (my stomach saw it and turned.)

But, I survived!! And even though I hardly slept last night due to extreme street noise I had a small yet comforting normal breakfast this morning of some scrambled eggs, bread, and coffee (STRONG!), a nice big lunch of meat and soup, and will eat some pizza I think with my team when they get back from watching the swimmers compete (I opted to hang out around the hotel or this internet cafe and relax a little with a movie before I compete tomorrow since I´m wiped.)

I guess what strikes me about bolivia is how BEAUTIFUL it is in this totally stark and clay-colored way. I really enjoyed the drive in from the airport, and seeing all the people waiting to meet Morales and people in their houses. Its very arid and everthing is made from some the earth because its all some different shade of brown or white. Theres sticky trees but not much else foliage-wise. I dont know but the Andes have always been very beautiful to me and they just make me happy.

Well, theres lots more to tell, but I compete tomorrow, and Im going to go relax in my hotel room (VERY sketchy...my bed is tilted and has a gigantic hole in it.. and our mirror is broken and much more hahaha... the lamps are there but not plugged in because there arent any plugs in that wll...), because we aren´t going to be able to stay in the Villa.

We are planning at some point to go to a really cool dinosaur bone museum they have here. Many dinosaur bones have been found around Sucre and in Bolivia. I´m also getting along very well with my coach and teammates who are all younger than me but all very cool and sweet, who made this trip awesome so far even though that one day was slightly trying. I have UN MONTON of pictures so far... I hope I don´t run out of room. Oh, and I might go back to panama on the 19th... more on this later.


LOVE!

Eileen