Sucre

We finally arrived in Sucre last night around seven in the evening. I like this city more than any other Bolivian city we've visited. The city blocks are enormous, and nearly every doorway leads into a huge interior courtyard, protected from the street. Our hotel has three courtyards, each one overflowing with potted plants, trees, and hanging baskets overflowing with flowers. Our room contains two large beds and a bathroom with a huge window that opens onto the courtyard. And although all these luxurious characteristics would lead you to believe that this is a pricey option, in fact this hotel is one of the cheapest places we've stayed in any city. Apparently, tasteful excess is just par for the course here.

The Bolivians call Sucre The White City, because a city ordinance mandates that all the classical architecture continually be whitewashed to preserve the historical ambience of the place. Enormous, ornate white buildings surround the ancient fig trees in the central plaza. The colossal structures used to house pieces of the bureaucracy of the Spanish empire, but now they are mostly home to hotels, trendy shops, and information offices. Sucre is the judicial capitol of the country, and I expect that the high court of Bolivia continues to operate within one of the giant old buildings, but other than that, only the churches seem to have maintained their function over the years.

Since I've only been here for a matter of hours (time spent sleeping excluded), I can't very well describe the local attitude, but all of our experiences so far with the Sureñas have been great. Even the policeman who told Wayne that he couldn't park on the street was extremely polite and helpful. I think that the slightly warmer climate and the abundance of college students here affects the way people interact with one another. This city is vastly more welcoming than La Paz, Oruro, or Potosí.

I have quite a story to tell about the last ten harrowing days of our expedition. I've got to save it for later because it will take some time to write, but for now I'll just say that my story contains almost all the elements of a classical adventure tale. We, the heroes, went on a quest. Along the way we were betrayed, attacked, stranded in the middle of nowhere for days, and finally abandoned by one of our own. But despite all these dramatic challenges, we returned from our quest alive and healthy, carrying with us the Eleocharis specimens that we sought (at least some of them). Read about all the rest of the details and find out who betrayed, attacked, and abandoned who when I post a full account of our story here in the next couple of days!