(our bus broke down on our way to Bolivia, so this was Tim and Ben's chance to pick flowers)We just returned from a few days in Bolivia, where we traveled briefly to have our passports/visas re-stamped for another 183 days in Peru (the maximum a tourist can stay). The trip went relatively smoothly until we arrived at the Bolivian border. The driver of the bus stopped at the military checkpoint and began speaking about "muchas problemas." We were so distracted by getting our boys through the passport/visa stations that we we didn't focus on why these "problemas" might be important to us. We soon found out. As it happened, local Bolivian elementary teachers had recently rioted about something. Part of their rioting included blocking the only road into Bolivia with large enough rocks and tree branches that all local transportation ground to a halt. Later on someone explained to us that this kind of rioting is the most common and effective form of getting the attention of local authorities. Why? It keeps the tourists and their valuable foreign currency from entering the country. It certainly got our attention, because we had to exit the bus, get all of our luggage, and start walking the last 8 kilometers to Copacabana. We were rescued by a passing van from one of the local hotels who took pity on us with young children. He was bribing his way through each rock point trying to pick up the hotel's customers.
Copacabana is a small fishing village on the southern tip of Lake Titicaca. They boys were bound and determined to do some swimming, although the locals thought they were crazy (the water temperature is somewhere in the 50s to low 60s and nobody in the area seems to do this sort of thing). The boys look especially comical next to the local women doing their laundry in the lake!
Bud LenzBud Lenz is the "father" of the 35+ orphans at La Arca orphanage where we visit and volunteer regularly and are getting to know the children. I (Rick) was supposed to travel with a pastor to the town of Porto Maldonado, in the Amazon, this week to visit Bud and help him as he is building a new facility to accommodate their growing family. Upon our return from Bolivia, we received word that the trip was canceled because Bud had a heart attack and had been flown back to Cusco! Obviously, this is a huge blow to this (extended) family and the community. Please pray for Bud (and his wife, Laura) and for their children. Here are some pictures from the orphanage:
Jen's Parents' Recent VisitWe had a great time in early February when Jen's parents visited us. They were our first visitors and it was special for us to share "our world" here in Cusco with them. Jen took them to Machu Picchu for two days in addition to our activities around here. Below are some pictures from their trip:
