We are hours from saying goodbye to this town as we head south this evening, inching closer and closer toward Argentina. I have mixed feelings about Cochabamba but it wouldn't make any top 10 lists. It was our jumping off point to visit Torotora National Park - a definite headliner, but this town doesn't pack much as a destination. They claim this town to be the gastronomic capital of Bolivia but I think we ate better in La Paz. We have gotten used to the set meals that most restaurants here serve for Almuerzo, the big meal of the day. A small salad, soup, main dish and a small dessert. Sit down and dishes start to apear in front of you almost imediately, good food, but nothing spectacular. Beef has replaced chicken as the primary meat here and we are hesitant to order the unknown for fear of looking down at tongue or heart on our plates.
Yesterday was America day for us. We walked to the Cinecenter and watched Cats & Dogs in spanish. I couldn't even tell it had been dubbed, the lips of talking animals are very hard to read. The kids loved it and although we missed some of the jokes, it was pretty easy to follow the plot. The popcorn was good and thankfully Bolivians haven't learned to gouge you at the concession stand. Afterward we feasted on giant ice cream sundays and cake at Globos, a dessert chain here complete with an indoor playland.
Cochabamba is celebrating it's 200 year aniversary as a city, September 14th is the big day but we will be a couple hundred miles south by then. We have been getting a glimpse of the celebration festivities to come. Friday night we watched and listened to a marching band contest in one of the parks, preparing for the big parade. Today, as on all Sundays the streets downtown (probably a square mile) are closed to vehicles and full of folks walking and biking around. The plazas and parks are full of food and craft vendors, an impressive gathering for any city and it seems to be the weekly norm. A 200 aniversary celebration here is bound to be huge. Maybe it's best that we say goodbye now.
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