Now don't let the fact that I am starting with an alter throw you.  It was just so pretty and in such an unexpected place I had to share it with you first.   On Mon., Wed., and Fri. my great group of new friends  meet at either of two places, both of which are very close to the apt.  We then walk approx 6 blocks downhill, cross the Rio Rocha River and continue many, many blocks into Cochabamba to the Main Plaza.  There the traffic and people multiply many times over, and the streets get many times smaller.   By the main plaza is a smaller open market place than La Cancha (which is the largest in South America).  In the middle of this market place is this beautiful shrine above, full of fresh flowers and burning candles.  God is truly everywhere! 

We shop in the market place.  There are other much nicer or rather more to the US style of places to shop, but the prices are much better in the market.  It just depends on what you are looking for.  Below the ladies are buying chicken (poll0) for their dogs.  Again the dogs of Cochamba do very well.  See an older post, Dogs of Cochabamba.   There really are mall style shopping places (on smaller scale) and a beautiful CineCenter.  The CineCenter is nicer than any movie theatre I have ever been in anywhere in the states.  The seats are awesome.

Below is also my new Avon Lady, or something like that.  They do have name brand cosmetics in very nice stores, but then again anything imported especially name brand is very expensive.

Also selections are extremely limited.  

The ladies I walk with, are all English speaking and have really taken me under their wing.  They have shown me where to shop, and tried to teach me some basic Spanish.  They all belong to the Cochamba  Women's Club, some are part of the book club, and a couple are my new art students.  They are from all over the world - Hawaii, Canada, Okla., Tex, Az., London, it is great fun listening to the stories that brought then to Bolivia in the different accents.  You know me, I always end up sounding like whomever I am around.  I will come home sounding like a Brit, with a Texas all ya'll in there somewhere mixed in with Desi Arnaz.

After our 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour walk/shopping we always end at Cafe Espresso.  Very European just off the main plaza.  It is usually crowded, almost exclusively by men.  Now when 8 American speaking women walk into this pretty much all male coffee Cafe it is needless to say,

" upsetting the apple cart".  I was pretty much oblivious, (my normal state) to how much attention we were getting until I was taking the picture of our little group.  I looked around and noticed the men studying our group and discussing, I think "why weren't we home where we belonged".  Well, I had so caught them so in the act, I turned my camera on them catching them.  I asked them to give ma a big "Hi Ya'LL for the camera and they were immediately our new friends.  Before we left it was kisses on the cheeks and Choe Choe.  I am sure as we left they were all thanking God they had married nice Bolivian women and "no gringas"!!!!!!

My Avon Lady

Buying dog food.

If you have to ask, DON'T

My coffee Ladies!

My new coffee buddies!!!