What a Difference a Day Makes

This was my sentiment as I went to work Tuesday morning. One day of travel can make quite a difference! I thought about what it would have taken to make this same trip 100 years ago and shudder. We could have taken the new railroad to the coast and then gotten on a boat. At that time in history, Bolivia had a port, so when we reached South America, we could have docked in a Bolivian port. Getting to Santa Cruz would require crossing the Andes Mountains, though, and I assume that would have been on foot or perhaps mule. There were no bridges, so we would have had to swim across many rivers or maybe paddle a canoe. Who knows, maybe we would have met Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? Still, I prefer one day of travel to the many that journey would have required.

It’s good to be home, to see family and friends, to be able to drink the water, to sleep under a blanket. But I miss Bolivia already. I miss the town square in every town. I miss the yuca fritas. I miss the big white smiles on the friendly brown faces of the kids. I miss the hammock. I miss swimming in the river. I miss the sweetest bananas ever. I miss the mountains. Anyway, I will stop the list here in the interest of space. Anyone interested in going to Bolivia in August? Say, the last two weeks?

Overall, I am getting better at living with my feet in more than one country. I adapt to the rules of my location much faster. I do not experience the same degree of culture shock that I once did. I cross the street using the rules of the local traffic without even thinking about it, and, so far, I have made it across successfully every time. I could cross Deerfoot Trail on foot using Bolivian rules, but only if the drivers on Deerfoot were Bolivian! If I tried to cross Deerfoot Trail on foot now, I would cause a 20-car pile-up!

I am very excited about my newfound R/C friends! I certainly feel more connected to Bolivia because of them, and I can’t wait to fly with them again! I am planning a new plane to take down there. (Ok, maybe two planes!) I like the idea of taking my swim suit to the flying field--something I would never do here. A swimming pool at the flying field…go figure!

A special thanks to all of you in Bolivia who made our trip better and more rewarding. Marg and Jake, and the community of Patujusal Dos, Zenon and his family, Wally and Maureen, Marie Jose and all of CERENID, and especially Juan, our great bus driver. I also need to thank those at home who covered for us, worried about us because we were too busy, and supported us financially and emotionally. It was a great trip for me and, I hope, for the rest of the group as well.