campesinos

Campesinos are the people who live in the countryside...along the long stretches of highway between cities, there is normally only one road that goes from here to there. Anyway, last night Juan Pablo came home late and had been helping a tour guide repair the windows on his bus. I didn't think much of it. He often has to stay late to help tourists fix problems from lost passports or other things. But he told me when he got home, that the tour bus had tried to pass a road block the campesinos had put up, with about 6 other trucks, and when the campesinos saw, they came running out throwing rocks at the bus! And broke three windows! That's not great for the tourism business! I bet those people on the bus will never come back. No one was hurt, and they've fixed all but one window on that bus. There are different companies like Dragoman, Encounter, Oasis, and Toucan that offer tours of South America, and they come through La Paz and sometimes stay at our family's hotels. Can you imagine being one of those tour guides? Knowing your way around many countries and always on the road? The hotels try to get contracts with these companies so they will always stay with us and have a more stable income. Right now is starting the slower season. Juan Pablo was out one night trying to encourage tourist to stay at his hotel. You know there are like 6 or 7 hotels on that street. That how things are here, all shoes on one street, all hardware on another, all hotels on another. just another little insight into life down here.