Achumani market

This week I discovered the Achumani market! My neighbor, Claudia, took me, and I love it! I went back by myself the very next day. It's like a grocery store, but everything is divided up into separate little markets. So at one you can buy milk and yogurt. At another breads. At another fruits and veggies. And our favorite, the meat market, you can get chicken, beef, or even cow's tongue! That was the kids' favorite part....seeing the hanging cow's tongues...I'll try to get some pictures for your viewing pleasure later! There was also a lady who sold dried goods and I found Old El Paso taco sauce!! Woohoo! Nearby there is a toy store and a place to buy pots and pans...which I desparately need, and an arts and crafts store (my favorite!). And then when you are done shopping, there are taxis waiting to take you home.
Got a few pictures today...sorry about the quality! Those are the cows' tongues hanging by the light!

kitchen?

Here's some pics of the kitchen...the tiling has been finished for about two weeks or so, but the rest of it is on hold. I'm not sure why, but I can't wait until it's done. That white thing on the wall is the water heater for the new kitchen and the new washer down in the basement. It's got this huge cartoon rabbit on it...doesn't really go with the decor. But who cares...hot water one day!

zoo

After the restaurant, we went to the zoo which is nearby. I told Juan Pablo it more like a test of desert survival than a zoo. That bear definitely has the right idea. It is flat and arid and a long walk between the few animals that they have. We had more fun pouring water on our heads than anything else!

outdoor restaurant

We went to this fun restaurant this weekend! It's a nice drive up the mountain and through the mountain!! It is outside and has some fun things for the kids to do while you're waiting for the food to come. The food's not too bad either...grilled meat and french fries basically. It was hot and sunny!! That big cactus tells the whole story.

bird in the hand

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush...but what about one in your house! Here's a picture of the dove that was in Isabela's room this morning...I guess that's why you should keep the doors shut. I was too scared to get it out, it kept flying around, so my neighbor's housekeeper had to come over and get it out.
And speaking of birds...those are some bat puppets we made for Halloween. It could be a picture in Family Fun magazine, except for Isabela in the background!!heeheehee!

car wash

Who remembers waxing a car by hand? Wax on, wax off. I think we did that when I was little. But they still do it here in Bolivia all the time. When you park on the street, usually there is someone there that asks if you would like them to take care of the car. That means that they'll watch it and make sure no one steals anything from it. Sometimes it's children and usually it's an older woman. I don't know what they would really do, should someone steal something. It seems like there are car washers on every street too. We've been having the car washed a lot because it's for sale. One day, we came back to the car and Isabela asked, "Did the guy wash it or watch it?" Usually you give like one boliviano for watching it, and I think a car wash/wax is like 15. Sure beats CarPool.

Coroico: trip home

Joaquin was zonked right away! We made one wrong turn on our way out and asked a lady for directions, and she told us...but also asked for a ride, so we gave her one. People hitchhike all the time here. She only rode for like 10 minutes. The views were just as nice on the way home, and you could definitely notice the temperature change as the altitude did. How about those clouds? All in all, it was a Feliz Viaje just like the sign says...("have a nice trip!" if your still working on your spanish)