Today we went for a walk exploring La Paz, Bolivia and at first everything seemed very quiet (it is a national holiday). All of the shops were closed and everyone seemed to be resting. We noticed a few people wearing ponchos and were taken aback (it was a little bit like seeing the abounding Pringles in ¨Brazil¨) It is a warm sunny day and it seems quite ridiculous to dawn a poncho in this cloudless sky.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a water balloon hits Alisa in the back. For the next hour, we were bombarded periodiocally by balloons, super soakers, and shaving cream. At this point, however, most of the hits we were receiving were from little smiling children (who are being encouraged by their fathers) and drive by shootings (of shaving cream and super soakers, of course).
We decide to treat ourselves to a peaceful lunch in the plaza where we figure we can get an intimate viewing of the water escapades, but not get too intimately involved. The plaza is full of families and little children playing together. Eventually, we decide that we should probably join in. So we buy a mere ten water balloons and get ready for the fun to ensue.
In no time we were engaged in a full on water battle, unlike any we could have ever conceived, within minutes we were SOAKING wet and bruised (both internally and externally...truly the force that these children throw with is unparalleled).
Tessa: ¨I don´t know if i should aim for the feet or the body!¨
Alisa: ¨Aim for the face. They´re hitting us hard!¨
(I feel like I should explain myself. We truly were being clobbered and these kids had no respect for any personal boundaries..nor our passports, cameras, or important personal documents).
We started gathering children to protect us and then hired them out to buy balloons and attack our most serious enemies, mainly a four year old boy who had the best aim and a never-ending water supply. Eventually we had spent the great majority of our daily stipend on water balloons. Finally, we were forced to give up and retreat.
Soaking wet and cold, we start the long walk home. Little do we know, our troubles have just begun. We continue to be tormented by water balloons and shaving cream our whole walk. At one point, we had to cross streets and enter the main avenue, and it is like walking through a gauntlet. Now our attackers are no longer little children but gangs of teenage boys. We are like sitting ducks. Out-armed, out-skilled, and out-numbered. Suddenly, a gang of at least 15 athletic 14-17 year olds attacked, with their full might. Alisa started running. Tessa thought it would be wise to duck and cover, and she obviously suffered the consequences. Okay, maybe she wasnt thinking it was wise to duck and cover, in war-like situations, there is no time to think. Either way, she was getting destroyed. Balloons pelting from all angles and they seemed to never cease. I think we were the only ones screaming for our dear lives on these streets.
It also seemed as if everyone could tell that we were foreigners. As the balloon crashed against Tessa´s skull, we heard one man shout, ¨Welcome to Bolivia.¨
At this point we were exhausted, and truly hoping for a respite. We then passed a kind older man and his son who looked us in the eyes and pleasantly remarked that they would not attack. Moments later, the father crushed his balloon over Alisa´s head.
With our hostel in sight, we assumed that we were in the clear. However, we saw a group of kids lying in wait twenty feet ahead. We moved to the other side of the street and started sprinting. All the kids chased after us, as wild as ever. Definitely the best work out we have ever encountered (and at this altitude, even a simple walk up a short flight of stairs is quite the work out).
Funny that the one advice we were given was to ¨TAKE IT EASY ON YOUR FIRST DAY IN LA PAZ¨ yet this was, by far, the most intense day of our lives.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a water balloon hits Alisa in the back. For the next hour, we were bombarded periodiocally by balloons, super soakers, and shaving cream. At this point, however, most of the hits we were receiving were from little smiling children (who are being encouraged by their fathers) and drive by shootings (of shaving cream and super soakers, of course).
We decide to treat ourselves to a peaceful lunch in the plaza where we figure we can get an intimate viewing of the water escapades, but not get too intimately involved. The plaza is full of families and little children playing together. Eventually, we decide that we should probably join in. So we buy a mere ten water balloons and get ready for the fun to ensue.
In no time we were engaged in a full on water battle, unlike any we could have ever conceived, within minutes we were SOAKING wet and bruised (both internally and externally...truly the force that these children throw with is unparalleled).
Tessa: ¨I don´t know if i should aim for the feet or the body!¨
Alisa: ¨Aim for the face. They´re hitting us hard!¨
(I feel like I should explain myself. We truly were being clobbered and these kids had no respect for any personal boundaries..nor our passports, cameras, or important personal documents).
We started gathering children to protect us and then hired them out to buy balloons and attack our most serious enemies, mainly a four year old boy who had the best aim and a never-ending water supply. Eventually we had spent the great majority of our daily stipend on water balloons. Finally, we were forced to give up and retreat.
Soaking wet and cold, we start the long walk home. Little do we know, our troubles have just begun. We continue to be tormented by water balloons and shaving cream our whole walk. At one point, we had to cross streets and enter the main avenue, and it is like walking through a gauntlet. Now our attackers are no longer little children but gangs of teenage boys. We are like sitting ducks. Out-armed, out-skilled, and out-numbered. Suddenly, a gang of at least 15 athletic 14-17 year olds attacked, with their full might. Alisa started running. Tessa thought it would be wise to duck and cover, and she obviously suffered the consequences. Okay, maybe she wasnt thinking it was wise to duck and cover, in war-like situations, there is no time to think. Either way, she was getting destroyed. Balloons pelting from all angles and they seemed to never cease. I think we were the only ones screaming for our dear lives on these streets.
It also seemed as if everyone could tell that we were foreigners. As the balloon crashed against Tessa´s skull, we heard one man shout, ¨Welcome to Bolivia.¨
At this point we were exhausted, and truly hoping for a respite. We then passed a kind older man and his son who looked us in the eyes and pleasantly remarked that they would not attack. Moments later, the father crushed his balloon over Alisa´s head.
With our hostel in sight, we assumed that we were in the clear. However, we saw a group of kids lying in wait twenty feet ahead. We moved to the other side of the street and started sprinting. All the kids chased after us, as wild as ever. Definitely the best work out we have ever encountered (and at this altitude, even a simple walk up a short flight of stairs is quite the work out).
Funny that the one advice we were given was to ¨TAKE IT EASY ON YOUR FIRST DAY IN LA PAZ¨ yet this was, by far, the most intense day of our lives.
9 comments:
HAHAHAHAHA that's amazing. and i totally believe you, kids are brutal. it's sounds as though you both handled yourselves very well; i probably would have started crying, tried to run away, and then passed out from lack of oxygen. do you know why everyone was playing violent water games? was it just because they had a day off?
i'm sorry but i laughed a lot throughout this blog post. thanks for keeping up the blog it has been a pleasure to hear about your adventures.
Seriously laughing out loud! Keep the adventures (and the blogs) coming... I'll be sure to send out the camera cord soon - could take a month to get to Cali! Miss you girls
BWAHAHA god i love you both. and this image.
ladies- i just wanted to say how much i am enjoying your blog! thank you so much for sending me the link. these last posts have been wildly entertaining-- may you continue to be WELL in every way!!
miss you both...
love,
angela
hahhahha. beautiful.
I have read this story about your first day in La Paz several times. It is so funny and you two are really great writers. Thank you for making your blog so much fun to read. I know all of your adventures won't be so wonderful as the ones you've had so far, but you certainly are off to an amazing start!
You both know how I feel about this. Every American child regardless of gender needs to be able to throw an object accurately and hard. If you had stuck with softball instead of wasting time with that effete sport, tennis, you would not have suffered such indignity at the hands of seemingly every citizen of La Paz. You should have been able to armor up with water balloons and used a strong arm (which along with a mind is a terrible thing to waste) to "chuck that apple baby kid", "hum that C", "rock and fire" and "smoke 'em inside" to teach those rascals a thing or TWO!
What an amazing adventure you both are having. Thank you so much Alisa for sending me the link to your blog. I miss all my friends in Eugene so much, it is really fun to log on and see your adventures and the comments of others.
Take care girls! I'll be praying for both of you.
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