Cochabamba - where the mountains summit in the clouds

Travelling in the night bus was a treat - seeing Bolivia by night. They have amazing buses, spacious seats that recline so far back. Why dont we have these in England?!

Anyway - landed in Cochabamba and it's WARM - REALLY WARM!! I am so totally made to live in hot climates!! So happy that i'm based here! And it's greener with trees and flowers everywhere which La Paz doesn't have. It's amazing how the little things make such a difference and how God just knows exactly what we need and the things that makes us smile.

The people here are fondly known as Cochabambinos in Bolivia. I like that - I'm going to be one of them this year.  Cochabamba is also known as the 'Eternal Spring' as it is always like spring time here. The weather is so hot and it's only just turned spring. Don't know how i'm going to cope with summer! It's  a hot dry heat so it say 29 degress but feels more like 34+ degrees everyday. It is also surrounded by mountains -it sits in a bowl surrounded all around by mountains. it's so incredible whenever I look up, there they right in front of me towering high. It never seems to get old or familiar - still a wonder to look at everytime as they disappear intp the clouds.

Also Cochabamba is the food centre of Bolivia as it had the most fertile land so grows most of the produce in Bolivia and so is known as part of 'mother earth' because it supplies most of the food for the whole nation. (That's a LOT of food.) It also explains why 'defending mother earth' is an important ethos in their cultrual value.

Mateo, Monica and Silvana

All 4 volunteers that are in Cochabamba are living in different places. It's really interesting to see the diffference between each place. The contrast between Sarah's house which is a massive house with a swimming pool and where I live are polar opposites. My set up is very basic and I live by myself.


The family next door (pic on the right) are relatives of the lady who owns the house. Graciously, God has been so kind in that I get on very well with the family and they are really friendly and have opened  up their house to me so that I can eat with them at meal times rather than making lasagne for one.  They have welcomed me as part of their family and say that I am their daughter / sister which is such a blessing.