Monday, May 31, 2010

Siripaca



So every weekend I go to a town that is located on the other side of the Copacabana Peninsula. I am working with a local NGO that is trying to help small villages like Siripaca develop tourism. Siripaca has a lot of potential. However, for a long time most of the high school graduates leave and head to La Paz to work. The NGO I am working with is trying to reverse that and create more jobs in Siripaca. They have taken a few highs school grads and are paying for their college tuition and living expenses with the promise that they will return and work in Siripaca. I am going there every weekend to help give workshops in anthropology and archeology to help them know how to better present their culture to tourists.


It really was so relaxing to go and stay in this little village for a few days. No one has cars. In fact the only transportation that comes through is only on Thursday or Sunday.



the beach is BEAUTIFUL and would be a blast during the summer.



The hills that surround Siripaca are covered in terraces that an archeologist has said that are over 3,000 years old. That means they are pre-incan! Its pretty crazy to think how long people have lived in this little valley.



plus, there are llamas everywhere!



I decided to walk (I guess I should say backpack bc I was carting my backpack and two other bags) halfway from Siripaca to Copacabana. I had a teacher drop me off where the highway starts. After awhile I found this path. My professor told me that these are incan roads! So it was really cool to hike through the countryside. I think I might do it every week! It took about two hours.

Here are some other pictures I have taken lately.



here is Eli at her store. I spend a lot of time just sitting there with her. She makes me lunch every day, the sweety. We also watch our nightly Spanish soap opera (novela) "Mar de Amor" every night at 7pm. It is a a good time.



Here is my "little brother" Jovy. He is 14 and has an AWESOME obsession with Michael Jackson. He knows a lot oh his dance moves. We had an MJ dance session and he taught me some moves.



Here we are on the beach... that is one of my "dads" swimming. Ferna and Jovy just throwing rocks... I didn't get in this time.. I was too cold!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

HOw fascinating about the 3,000 years old terraces!! That is so cool. The llamas are pretty amazing, too! What an amazing experience. You probably get to do a lot of thinking on that old incan road...maybe the ancestors will start speaking to you! Ha! Love you and am so proud of you!

jhenny jem said...

amacing!!! hellow...can i make a question? What hapenned with that proyect, about Siripaca? there are some results? please can you answer me? pleaseeee....a need that information