There seem to be two “convenient” ways to get to Cochabamba, Bolivia where our office and the vast majority of our volunteer placements are. One is to fly through Buenos Aires, Argentina and the other is through Sao Paolo, Brazil. On the way there I took the Brazilian route from Sao Paolo to Bolivia. Since it was my first time in South America, I asked for a window seat and watched the world below and what a sight! About an hour into the flight all I could see below me was a sea of green, more green and then some more green. It was amazing. With no clouds in sight, all I could see 30,000 feet below me was untouched jungle. There were no roads, buildings or any sort of signs of human kind. In this ever so globalized world of 6 billion souls, it is hard to imagine a place without electricity, TV, internet or roads but that was exactly what I was seeing pass below me. It really makes you think about how big this planet is and how important it is to keep this untouched land untouched.

More about Cochabamba and our projects in Bolivia will be coming soon ….

On Friday, I was fortunate enough to visit the ancient site of Incallajta, 132 km east of Cochabamba, with Ana Silvia, the Desk Officer in our Bolivia office. It takes three hours to get there through the beautiful scenery of the highlands and it was a perfect trip for a art history buff like myself.

A view from the car ride to Incallajta

The ruins are set in a remote valley and rarely visited. On the day Ana Silvia and I visited, we were the only ones there! It was certainly a nice change of pace from the busy commotion of Cochabamba.

A set of ruins at the entrance to the site

More pictures and information about Incallajta after the jump

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More ruins

Incallajta was most likely built in the 1460s by the Inca Emperor Tupac Yupanqui and it formed the easternmost outpost of the Incan empire. Although it looks nothing like Cuzco, Peru at the moment, several researchers believe that is was also designed as a sort of ceremonial replica to Cuzco, the Inca capital.

The first thing I noticed was that the site is enormous as it covers over 12 hectares! The main building is the kallanka, which served as a meeting hall. Although all that survives today are its exterior walls, the roof was supported by immense columns.

Here I am in front of the walls of the kallanka and I am not a small person!

More views of the kallanka, isn’t it big?

Ana Silvia and I also did a little hiking and discovered a beautiful water fall on the east end of the site

The waterfall

Ana Silvia in front of the waterfall!

Stairway to heaven, haha!

Incallajta is truly an amazing site and I would recommend checking out the impressive ruins if you are ever in the Cochabamba area. The remoteness and scenery of the surrounding countryside are worth the trip and you get to see a part of Bolivia you would miss out on if you only stayed in bustling Cochabamaba.

Luis with our Bolivia Team

By Luis Arguedas, Costa Rica Country Director

Bolivia is a very nice country. It has huge mountains, some of the tallest in the world. It also has part of the Amazon and 37 different aboriginal cultures with their own language and ways of life. Right away, you can imagine the diversity and also the amount of effort the country has to do to integrate its people and manage social problems. After the “sorocho” (altitude sickness because of lack of oxygen) the second impression on the country is its poverty. I am not saying this because I am a pessimist; I say it because right out from the airport zone in La Paz, we encounter the city of “El Alto” where poverty and lack of all urban planning is really apparent.

When I arrived to Cochabamba, where the office of Projects Abroad is in Bolivia, I felt better. It is only at 2600m. (by the way, El Alto is at only 4100m). The people at the office there are just great. I was really well treated and every staff member is just full of kindness.

The next day and for the whole week, I visited their projects and had the opportunity to talk with Daniela (Bolivia s country director) about ideas and ways of managing the program. It was really helpful and enriching since as a Country Director, sometimes it is not easy to compare projects and share experiences at a distance. This trip really helped me to see more what we have been doing well in Costa Rica and what we have to improve and, thanks to Daniela, I have very good tools to improve some aspects of the program right away.

Something else that really impressed me is the type of projects in Bolivia. Being one of the poorest countries in Latin America, there is a huge need for help in the areas in which Projects Abroad is involved (by the way, they are doing a terrific job) and the volunteers get involved 110% in their projects. I visited a medical placement where a volunteer helped vaccinating 50,000 people in its first week against Yellow Fever. I could go on for pages and pages, but Matthew would not like me much if I take up the whole space in this newsletter!

I want to thank Projects Abroad for this experience and the kind people of Bolivia, not just the staff, but everyone who I encounter. They are really welcoming and genuine people.

For anyone who wants to go to Bolivia, I recommend it sincerely, and maybe, in the near future I will be returning for some holidays there because I really want to have time to visit this wonderful country.

Faye and child in Cochabamba, Bolivia

By Faye Stickings, Programme Advisor and intrepid South American traveler

I have just returned from a trip to Bolivia and Argentina to meet our staff, view our projects and work on a new job role that is under development.

After three flights via Brazil and Paraguay, 16hrs in the air and numerous cups of coffee later I finally made my way out of Cochabamba airport (with my bag intact!) to meet our Director Dani. Cochabamba, where our office is based is renowned for it’s year round warm climate and I was not disappointed. The city has a very Spanish colonial feel to it, with large central squares that are perfect for sitting with an espresso and reading Los Tiempos (one of the national papers where Projects Abroad places out journalism volunteers) in your downtime. Our new office is right in the heart of Cochabamba and always full of volunteers taking a free Spanish lesson or catching up with our crazy staff team (I do believe on a few occasions I witnessed Carmen and Alejandra singing along in Spanish to Jon Bon Jovi…..that puts a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘whistle while you work!!’)

Central Square in Cochabamba

he majority of our projects are in and around the city. Along with Eric, our Medical Supervisor, I spent some time with the doctors and volunteers at The Burns Unit, which cares for severely injured children. Volunteers are assisting in surgeries, helping with the dressings as well as doing a great deal of one-to-one physiotherapy. I also managed to visit volunteers working in the Centro de Salud hospitals, orphanages (I managed to resist pulling the adoption papers out – just!!) and day-care centres in the province of Cochabamba. Maria Christina is an orphanage for mentally challenged children, which Projects Abroad took adopted from the government in 2005 to re-develop. The work our volunteers have done and continue to do is astonishing, and we have recently built a new block specifically for physio and intensive therapy.

Read more about our new community development program after the jump

Volunteer lodge in Puerto Villarroel

Our new community development project is based in a small pueblo on the banks of the river Ichilo in Puerto Villarroel. Dani and I took the 5hr bus drive over the mountains to stay in the village and see how the developments are coming along at our Yacami Farm Project and in our volunteer lodge. Bolivian’s (and especially long distance bus drivers) tend to chew on the Coca leaves when crossing the mountains as they are known for curing altitude sickness. I don’t think I can find the words to describe the taste, but they sure did work (apparently they make a good tea as well, but I didn’t run the risk of smuggling a few leaves back….I didn’t want to end up in the Heathrow ‘something to declare’ section!!). My time in Bolivia was extremely constructive and it was good to see so many of our volunteers making such a difference (and learning Spanish and Quechua incredibly quickly).

More to come about Argentina!