More Cochabamba

Here are a few more photos to supplement the post below. About a month ago we held a four person seder on our bedroom floor. It was another event that was made more awesome thanks to some long distance culinary advice from Elaine (mom, the charoset was really good!). Dani and Nathan were our lovely guests and seder participants, although only Nathan's legs made it up here. Sorry Nate. There are also a couple more pictures of the guarderia. Those kids are just so darn cute.

This is what the past three months looked like from Leah's perspective. Toddlers are a bit like ants or low flying bees; they swarm you as soon as you get lower than three feet off the ground.

Arnold hadn't yet learned to sit down on command.

Jeff with homemade matza. Look mom, Judaism!

The spread. Note the giant gob of wasabi that served as maror. At first the man at the sushi place seemed to think that Nate and Jeff were spies from a rival restaurant who wanted to clean them out of wasabi, and refused to sell them any. He soon relented and brought them a loaded styrofoam cup for free. We made a good dent in it and shed many tears, both for our bondage in Egypt and for our suffering nasal passages.

Our friend Dani reading the four questions. She also found the afikomen. Or was that Jeff? (Editor's Note: Dani found the afikomen. We apologize for the error)

Street foods that need to be adopted in Toronto: deep fried empanadas, hot popcorn, fresh squeezed grapefuit juice, stuffed and deep fried mashed potatoes, pizza made in gas ovens on wheels, grilled beef hearts (more delicious than you might think).

Inside a workshop where carneval costumes are beaded, embroidered, and stitched together. These dresses are waiting patiently for their time in the spotlight to come around again.

A picture that Jeff took of our friend Mica.

¡Chau Cochabamba!

The seasons are changing in Cochabamba, which means the weather is exactly the same and everybody talks about how it's so cold at night during the fall. Then we explain to them about how we live on the tundra and only have three hours of light during the winter, and they stop complaining. The change in seasons also means that it's time for these wanderers to start wandering again, so off we go to Brasil. The pictures below are what Leah managed to take today before she remembered how embarassing it can be to walk around a city with your camera out, gawking at everything. Some plazes, some vendors, and a little from the Cancha, the enormous market by the train station, as well as two photos from our going away party. Hopefully they're enough to get a sense of what Cochabamba is like.

Near our house: the very lush, very pretty Plaza Colon. A favourite hangout of Argentine jugglers/drug dealers and Bolivian couples eating ice cream.

Our despedida. Adios amigos!

Pique Machu is like Bolivian poutine, only without cheese and with slices of hot peppers. Goes well with a cerveza or three.

Some graffiti on a very very very old church.

The Plaza Principal on a Saturday afternoon.

Some cotton candy, also in the Plaza.

A very congenial juice man. More pomelo please!

The bakery section of the Cancha. The best part about buying a cake here is that everybody will give you a sample before you commit. It's always a good idea to shop around a bit. That way you don't go home hungry, or get tempted by delicious looking market salads that will be poorly received by your intestinal tract.

"Oh my god. Somebody filled the trunk of my car with baked goods. Who would commit such a delicious crime?"
"I don't know, but I'll take a donut."

Outside of a movie theatre before the double matinee.

The micros (buses) in Cochabamba all look this groovy. If you're lucky and it's nightime, you may get to ride in one with coloured disco lights inside, or at the very least a good collection of Avril Lavigne posters.

Textile row in the Cancha.

There are renovations happening in the indoor part of this market (25 de Mayo), so everyone has moved onto the sidewalk outside under improvised tarp shelters. What used to be just a regular alley is now Butcher's Alley.