En Rurre

10 July, 2010

Hello from Rurrenabaque on a cloudy and peaceful Saturday morning. The town slowly awakens: usual birds singing away, slowly getting over-matched by the local boys having an early soccer game on the dirt outside the clinic/office (today is the World Cup game that determines third and fourth places – nearly everyone wants Uruguay to beat Germany); some workers across the way dig trenches and begin to stack rock for a foundation - nothing like the sound of rock on rock signaling manual labor; and music already comes from the Plaza as the municipality is having a special meeting today. Rurre.

I arrived in La Paz last Tuesday after the flight from Santa Barbara. Hard to believe that I first took this route to visit Dr. Lou in 1999, and have averaged three trips a year since then. The altiplano of Bolivia rose up and met the plane on its slow and short decent right on time at 5:05 a.m. I wanted to breath deep the cold dawn air, yet knew better. Slow goes the entry at 13,200 ft.

In La Paz I did mis mandados (errands): went to our friends at America Tours Eco-travel and confirmed that everything was organized – which I had no doubt they were. Great folks. I then went to the Ministry of Health with Dr. Frida (she worked with the Rio Beni Foundation since the earlier days, now lives in La Paz unfortunately because of health conditions) to try and sort out some paperwork. Went twice. Sort of sorted out. We’ll know more on Monday…or maybe Tuesday, or…. We have a great working relationship with the Ministry, yet the presidential office is putting some regulations into place that are fairly tough on the different Ministries. Enough of this.

My flight to Rurre, my second home, up and oooovvveeerrr the Andes, was delayed, but I made it to Rurre by mid-afternoon Thursday. After all these years and delays I know the airport rather well. I was happy when they remodeled it and added on a new section a couple of years ago. More areas to explore and busily wait.

The team had a busy clinic day yesterday, especially because the laboratory is now up and running. We met and discussed logistics for El Puente 8 as the community of Tawa plans for our stay there. The group at Chalalan is preparing for our trek, our camping stays at Yariapo Camp and their community of San Jose de Uchupiamonas, and of course our stay at Chalalan Eco-lodge. Needless to say, all I see and speak with are in admiration of you. Everyone is eager to meet ‘las chicas’ and is really amazed and proud of you for making the commitment to help the work here and become actively involved. They are going to meet a special group of girls. The El Puente journey, now in its 8^th year, has become something the town anticipates -- part of its calendar year.

I’ll work this morning, and then in the afternoon watch the World Cup with friends. Then I’ll meet with team in early evening as tomorrow I head back up to La Paz. In time, I plan and hope, to watch the finales de La Copa Mundial and feel the energy of a global phenomena and very much a local game in every part of the world’s streets, dirt patches, homemade pitches and soccer fields in shantytowns, barrios, towns and the modern stadiums of the big cities.

See you all bright and early (actually it will be dark) on Monday. Together we’ll watch the sunrise and the Andes explode with majesty on our way to Lago Titicaca.

Que tengan un buen dia con sus familias. ¡Nos veremos!