Saturday night in Santa Cruz Bolivia

Saturday evening May 2
Points of happy traveling that quickly returned today:
* Look for the shady side of the street; it’s worth crossing back and forth to stay out of the sun.
* Toilet paper goes in the trash, in order to not overload tenuous sewage treatment facilities
* Paper goods are expensive and trash disposal is a challenge; handkerchiefs are the way to go.
* The normal US walking pace seems frantic here and others must wonder where you could possibly be going in such a rush. Getting behind a family on the sidewalk gets you in touch with the normal walking pace in the tropics.
* Darkness falls very shortly after sunset; know where you’re going by that time.
Saturday evening starts early in Santa Cruz, and continues late. At 7pm, the central plaza is filling with strollers (mostly people and a few pushing baby carriers). Cars circle the plaza and surrounding streets, slowly parading and seldom stopping. Women street vendors begin selling a different type of goods: the fresh fruits of morning and afternoon are replaced by ices, roasted nuts, and soft drinks (the most interesting of which is a large orange globe pushed around in a baby’s stroller). Women sit patiently on curbs or the feet of columns waiting for customers, of whom I don’t see many.


The coffee vendors are in greater demand: two elderly men wearing dark pants and what could be tuxedo or waiter jackets trundle small carts stacked with metal containers similar to small milking cans containing coffee. In my walk through the plaza, it wasn’t clear if each of them has his own half of the plaza or if they rotate one after the other. It appears to be a job with some status and pride; they are the best dressed men in the crowd. Ice cream shops around the plaza are also very popular. Dumbo – one the big Bolivian chains – blares music onto the street and has Wonder Woman, Spiderman, and Mr. Palm Tree or Mr. Jungle Animal -hard to tell- handing out coupons and encouraging strollers to come try “helados.”


The crowd downtown is mixed: middle aged couples, pairs of older men or women strolling arm in arm, lots of young people in couples or groups, and many families. Dress is mostly dark and except for young women, quite conservative. sIt appears to be a middle-class and lower crowd rather than the extremely wealthy Bolivianos that you read about as profiting from oil, land, and drugs. The only American cars around are a few Ford SUVs. Two young men stand out as likely Americans with their red short shorts, T shirts, cowboy hats, and cross-chest camera kits. Even more noticeable is how they stand together and look around, rather than sit down or stroll as is everyone else.


A balcony table at the Lorca is a great place for watching people without being watched too much, and I can understand how women in Muslim societies were able to stay abreast of street life from their covered perches above the streets. In my case, I get to come down when I want

and head back to the GlobeTrotter to get ready for the next day.