Post disappointing business news (losing the govt bid for rural Telecenters)... we have continued to pursue business/development opportunities in the Bolivian telecommunications market. Current project proposals include equipping all the schools in Bolivia with computers and Internet, teacher training in rural Bolivia through distance education utilizing the Internet and an international bid to build distance health facilities to provide training and medical care to doctors in rural Bolivia. In each project we would partner with an ngo to provide the technological solution, while the partner would provide the technical implementation. In the meantime, we continue to pursue signing up institutional clients for connectivity and investors for the funds we need to build a hub facility in La Paz.
Finally Back to a Beach - Apart from work, a couple weeks ago my visa expired so I was forced to flee Bolivia. I chose the warm climate of Arica - a beach front community in northern Chile. It was great to leave the perpetually cold weather of la paz for the sun, sand and warm salt water. While wandering aimlessly on the street looking for a place to stay - I met an eccentric older New Zealander that offered me a place to stay at his house. Ross was a bit of a character, having moved to Chile to export Vicunas to New Zealand. I guess it didnt work out too well (no surprise) as he has resorted to picking up gringos on the street and renting them rooms in his house. But he does know how to make a great breakfast. Arica was a quiet hangout as it was out of season but it was a relief to lay in the sun, get a tan and chill.
The real reason to visit Arica is for the drive west from La Paz. First of all, it is the first black pavement i have seen in the entire country. The road weaves past several snow capped peaks, including the highest mountain in Bolivia, through a national reserve and finally cuts through the desert of northern chile until reaching the coast. The drive was spectacular.
News in La Paz - moved into a new apartment with Oliver in Sopocachi (same neighborhood as the old place). The pad is sick. Two bedroom apartment with two floors on the 19th floor of one of the tallest buildings in La Paz. The outside walls of all rooms are glass from floor to ceiling revealing a view of la paz, illimani and zona sur (its sweet). Other highlights include the shower which is along the aforementioned glass wall providing the women of la paz a show twice daily and the empleada (maid) who cooks, cleans and does laundry for $30 a month.
The only other topic of relative interest would be my trip last weekend to Sorata. Sorata is a small town 5 hours north of la paz situated at the base of Cerro Illampu, a 21,000 foot snow capped peak. The base of the mountain is home to a raging whitewater river which cuts through a ravine between towering lush green peaks. The setting is somewhat like my memories of Switzerland. Driving in on Friday afternoon there were several moments of terror as the bus wobbled around hair pin turns weaving along a one lane road situated precariously on the cliff faces of the mountains of the Cordillera Real.
The visit to Sorata included a hike to San Pedro cave. The cave is fairly typical except for a large lake several hundred meters inside. It was great to kick back and swim around in the eery darkness and listen to the bats fly overhead. The trip was great with the exception of the ride home. On the bus, I had the good fortune to be sitting in the aisle seat when a charming indeginous gentleman entered the bus. He moved precisely down the aisle until he was standing just next to me. Nothing unusual about this situation until I was greeted with one of the most horrifying odors man has ever known (no exaggeration). The guy's breathe was a putrid mix of hangover breathe, stale urine and rotten milk (not like a couple days past the past due date - more like when the white seperates from the clear and coagulates at the bottom). Fortunately, for me he was a deep breather and remained in his selected position for about two hours. The experience caused a stomache/headache and required a steaming hot shower and incineration of my wardrobe. Thanks dude.
Time is short in Bolivia. I plan to be here 3 or 4 more weeks. Then I depart for Washington DC from Santiago Chile June 8th. So I will spend first week of June skiing in Chile or perhaps travel east through Bolivia, south through Argentina and then back north through Chile for the last two weeks of the trip (depends mostly on snowfall). Either way, I am back in the USA June 10th.
Monday, April 29, 2002
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Kick in the Pants
lost the bid by 80k... 2nd place sucks
anyone got a job they want to give me?
back in the USA June 10th
anyone got a job they want to give me?
back in the USA June 10th
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Ayuda!
FYI - LINKS TO PICTURES OF BOLIVIA AT THE BOTTOM
Its been several weeks since the last email because my life has been more boring than usual (until this past weekend) - consisting of working (preselling telecom services to institutions) and going out in la paz and thats about it. More or less waiting for the government to announce the winner of the bid which has been postponed 5 times so far. next announcement date has been set for monday - we shall see.
so getting frustrated waiting for some type of news on the telecom project - i weasled my way into a trip to Potosi in southwestern Bolivia (situated between 11,000 and 13,000 feet - excluding peaks and bordering Argentina and Chile). The purpose of the trip was to do preliminary work on an Ecotourism proposal for the IDB (int'l dev. bank). And they need a finance guy to validate the viability/sustainability of the proposal - so there I am on a 5 day trip with Peter, Mela (his wife), Allen Robinson (tourism consultant from colorado), Anna Maria (bolivian architect), Freddy Yupa (bolivian tourism consultant), and the guides (Eberth and Rubin - both very cool).
Potosi is one of the poorest departments in Bolivia although it has a very rich silver mining history (much like the rest of bolivia - all the wealth was taken out of the region). It is also home to the largest (and highest - although everything seems to have that description in bolivia) salt lake in the world. There are also dozens of volcanoes, lakes, some ruins, etc. Also, this is an area of extremes recording 25 degrees and negative 30 degrees Celsius in one day (a world record).
The project will build hotels, restaurants, sewage and water systems, electricity, telecommuniations, transportation, etc. in communities in this region to increase tourism. It is currently very isolated and infrastructure is bleak - so only backpackers hit it. The project will include 5 or 6 sites and a ethno-historic museum in Uyuni (the starting point for seeing this region). The communities provide the materials, land, labor, etc. and receive a percentage of the gross revenues in return. The rest of the money covers operating expenses, infrastructure and goes into a pool for future tourism investment.
anyways the trip was awesome. it entailed being driven around potosi by rubin in a toyota land cruiser visiting various communities and talking to local leaders, businesses and others involved in tourism. along the way we crossed the salar de uyuni (the salt lake) several times which was very cool, passed dozens of volcanoes, saw some ruins and saw almost no human beings. a few highlights included watching a group of israeli girls take naked fotos of each other on the salar, a bit of hiking, and spotting various native animals (vicachi (similar to a rabbit), rhea (similar to a ostrich), llamas, vicunas, etc. - but no pumas). oh and we had to stop every time the light changed or a shadow moved so that allan and peter could take photos - this was very annoying.
the community meetings were an experience. we met mayors, alcaldias, townspeople, business men, artists, tourism officials, etc.. we also went to several town meetings. it was awesome to see the hope and wonder on these peoples faces as we described what we hope to accomplish for them. although personalizing the names on the map makes the urgency to get project funding much deeper and personal. but the hugs, handshakes and words of encouragement are something i will not soon forget.
and peter is an absolute hero. we were in towns of 500 people or less most of the trip and without fail he knew 3 or 4 of the people in each community and many more knew him. he has an excellent repoirte with these very simple people. so good, in fact, that he was asked to be the godfather of two children during the trip.
the most interesting 24 hours began the night we slept in the town hospital in san pedro de quemes. well it used to be a hospital but the doctor left and now it is just an empty building with beds and some old medical instruments. i was a little freaked out by the prospect of sleeping in a bed with old malaria or hepatitis germs but this was an act of kindness by the community - so there wasnt really anything we could do but accept it. (the blood on the wall next to my head didnt help)
the next morning we headed out to for the hot springs near the border with chile (about 70 kilometers). about 10 kilometers from our destination, in the middle of nowhere the jeep suddenly died. we hadnt seen a house or a person in 2.5 hours and had traversed the worst road i have seen on my trip (for those who know - much worse then the road from Coban to El Estor in Guatemala).
luckily the weather was nice, we had some food and water, and we were near the border with chile -(being near the frontier we were optimistic that there must be a military station somewhere). after several hours of 3rd world mechanics 101 and jeep pushing - a group of us set out to find help. and as luck would have it - help was less than 1 kilometer away in the form of a military station. the four soldiers were ecstatic to see us - we were a little bit of entertainment in an otherwise miserable and lonely existance for these guys. they let us use their radio and stared at me. and after a couple hours of trying we got through to san pedro and help was on the way.
unfortunately, help got lost a couple times on the horrible, winding unmarked roads. so we waited from 11am til 8pm when they finally showed up in a very small pickup (and 12 liters of beers). incidentally - the truck is the alcaldia's. so 10 of us piled in for a 3 hour ride in the dark - sitting and drinking in the back of this little truck on this shitty, dusty road with visions of hospital beds in our heads.
we all hopped out of the back of this god forsaken pickup for dinner at 11pm. we were a site for the locals - a bunch of gringos covered in dust, coughing, and miserable.
the next morning - we are informed that the only mode of transportation back to uyuni (where we have meetings and get the train to la paz) is the same truck. so after 5 of us get in back with all our luggage - the locals throw in another 4 kids for good measure - and all our luggage. goldberg is now pissed off. needless to say, this segment of the trip is filled with various problems. the highlight of which is getting stuck in the salar (when it is wet it is much like cement) and pushing the pickup out of the salt mush while getting sprayed with salt and water and generally soaked. there were many pictures of gringos stuck in paradise throughout the trip. i will try to scan some - but make no promises as i am very lazy.
much more to tell later over beers - but i just got back on an overnight train and want nothing more than to go to bed.
oh here - if interested are links to bolivia fotos since i have a crappy camera and am lazy
this is the view from my apartment in la paz:
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/south_america/bolivia/illimani.html
and links to pics of the salt lake in uyuni and other areas in potosi:
http://www.min.tu-clausthal.de/www/lager/excursion/pict_07.htm
http://www.bolivianbeauty.com/SalarDeUyuni/MainPage.htm
http://www.cinemascope.com/photos/bolivia/index.html (great slide show)
http://octobre.free.fr/photos/Altiplano_Salar_Uyuni/
Its been several weeks since the last email because my life has been more boring than usual (until this past weekend) - consisting of working (preselling telecom services to institutions) and going out in la paz and thats about it. More or less waiting for the government to announce the winner of the bid which has been postponed 5 times so far. next announcement date has been set for monday - we shall see.
so getting frustrated waiting for some type of news on the telecom project - i weasled my way into a trip to Potosi in southwestern Bolivia (situated between 11,000 and 13,000 feet - excluding peaks and bordering Argentina and Chile). The purpose of the trip was to do preliminary work on an Ecotourism proposal for the IDB (int'l dev. bank). And they need a finance guy to validate the viability/sustainability of the proposal - so there I am on a 5 day trip with Peter, Mela (his wife), Allen Robinson (tourism consultant from colorado), Anna Maria (bolivian architect), Freddy Yupa (bolivian tourism consultant), and the guides (Eberth and Rubin - both very cool).
Potosi is one of the poorest departments in Bolivia although it has a very rich silver mining history (much like the rest of bolivia - all the wealth was taken out of the region). It is also home to the largest (and highest - although everything seems to have that description in bolivia) salt lake in the world. There are also dozens of volcanoes, lakes, some ruins, etc. Also, this is an area of extremes recording 25 degrees and negative 30 degrees Celsius in one day (a world record).
The project will build hotels, restaurants, sewage and water systems, electricity, telecommuniations, transportation, etc. in communities in this region to increase tourism. It is currently very isolated and infrastructure is bleak - so only backpackers hit it. The project will include 5 or 6 sites and a ethno-historic museum in Uyuni (the starting point for seeing this region). The communities provide the materials, land, labor, etc. and receive a percentage of the gross revenues in return. The rest of the money covers operating expenses, infrastructure and goes into a pool for future tourism investment.
anyways the trip was awesome. it entailed being driven around potosi by rubin in a toyota land cruiser visiting various communities and talking to local leaders, businesses and others involved in tourism. along the way we crossed the salar de uyuni (the salt lake) several times which was very cool, passed dozens of volcanoes, saw some ruins and saw almost no human beings. a few highlights included watching a group of israeli girls take naked fotos of each other on the salar, a bit of hiking, and spotting various native animals (vicachi (similar to a rabbit), rhea (similar to a ostrich), llamas, vicunas, etc. - but no pumas). oh and we had to stop every time the light changed or a shadow moved so that allan and peter could take photos - this was very annoying.
the community meetings were an experience. we met mayors, alcaldias, townspeople, business men, artists, tourism officials, etc.. we also went to several town meetings. it was awesome to see the hope and wonder on these peoples faces as we described what we hope to accomplish for them. although personalizing the names on the map makes the urgency to get project funding much deeper and personal. but the hugs, handshakes and words of encouragement are something i will not soon forget.
and peter is an absolute hero. we were in towns of 500 people or less most of the trip and without fail he knew 3 or 4 of the people in each community and many more knew him. he has an excellent repoirte with these very simple people. so good, in fact, that he was asked to be the godfather of two children during the trip.
the most interesting 24 hours began the night we slept in the town hospital in san pedro de quemes. well it used to be a hospital but the doctor left and now it is just an empty building with beds and some old medical instruments. i was a little freaked out by the prospect of sleeping in a bed with old malaria or hepatitis germs but this was an act of kindness by the community - so there wasnt really anything we could do but accept it. (the blood on the wall next to my head didnt help)
the next morning we headed out to for the hot springs near the border with chile (about 70 kilometers). about 10 kilometers from our destination, in the middle of nowhere the jeep suddenly died. we hadnt seen a house or a person in 2.5 hours and had traversed the worst road i have seen on my trip (for those who know - much worse then the road from Coban to El Estor in Guatemala).
luckily the weather was nice, we had some food and water, and we were near the border with chile -(being near the frontier we were optimistic that there must be a military station somewhere). after several hours of 3rd world mechanics 101 and jeep pushing - a group of us set out to find help. and as luck would have it - help was less than 1 kilometer away in the form of a military station. the four soldiers were ecstatic to see us - we were a little bit of entertainment in an otherwise miserable and lonely existance for these guys. they let us use their radio and stared at me. and after a couple hours of trying we got through to san pedro and help was on the way.
unfortunately, help got lost a couple times on the horrible, winding unmarked roads. so we waited from 11am til 8pm when they finally showed up in a very small pickup (and 12 liters of beers). incidentally - the truck is the alcaldia's. so 10 of us piled in for a 3 hour ride in the dark - sitting and drinking in the back of this little truck on this shitty, dusty road with visions of hospital beds in our heads.
we all hopped out of the back of this god forsaken pickup for dinner at 11pm. we were a site for the locals - a bunch of gringos covered in dust, coughing, and miserable.
the next morning - we are informed that the only mode of transportation back to uyuni (where we have meetings and get the train to la paz) is the same truck. so after 5 of us get in back with all our luggage - the locals throw in another 4 kids for good measure - and all our luggage. goldberg is now pissed off. needless to say, this segment of the trip is filled with various problems. the highlight of which is getting stuck in the salar (when it is wet it is much like cement) and pushing the pickup out of the salt mush while getting sprayed with salt and water and generally soaked. there were many pictures of gringos stuck in paradise throughout the trip. i will try to scan some - but make no promises as i am very lazy.
much more to tell later over beers - but i just got back on an overnight train and want nothing more than to go to bed.
oh here - if interested are links to bolivia fotos since i have a crappy camera and am lazy
this is the view from my apartment in la paz:
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/south_america/bolivia/illimani.html
and links to pics of the salt lake in uyuni and other areas in potosi:
http://www.min.tu-clausthal.de/www/lager/excursion/pict_07.htm
http://www.bolivianbeauty.com/SalarDeUyuni/MainPage.htm
http://www.cinemascope.com/photos/bolivia/index.html (great slide show)
http://octobre.free.fr/photos/Altiplano_Salar_Uyuni/
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