Tiquipaya city hall

Here we are at city hall

View from the back step

The market

Motor bike parking 

Lunch

Going to have the local dish of pico - beef, sausage, fries, tomatoes, hot pepper, all covered in mayo, mustard and ketchup.  They made this hot sauce at the table and covered it all.   Interesting .....

This one is called charra - boiled eggs, potatoes, and corn and a mound of beef jerky.  Not like our jerky but really saltyand deep   fried,  I like to call it the heart stopper special.  Tasty but even I wouldn't want to eat this every day!!!  Oh I forgot the big mound of dry cottage cheese....  How could I forget that!!!

City park

This is the city square in front of city hall. 

This is a statue of Saint Michael patron saint of Tiquiapaya 

The shrubs are all sculpted like birds.  This picture does it no justice.

Because we are here on the tail end of rainy season every thing is vibrant and lush.  The last time I was here every thing was parched and brown.  It's beautiful here the pictures do it no justice.

Holy altitude

The altitude is kicking butt and taking no prisoners.  I have a altitude headache and my brain is a little muddled ( no comments please). Its work to climb a set of stairs.  I think 2500 meters is around the level one can get altitude sicknesses and we are at about 2600.  considering Fredericton sits at 8m i'm a long ways up.  I will be fine in a day or two once I acclimatize.  Don't feel bad for me,  I haven't shovelled snow in 5 days.  

Foothills of the Andes

  

A view from my window

Nice view of the Andes foothills from my hotel window.

 

So how does 2600 metres feel?

Cochabamba sits in a mountain valley in the Andes at an altitude of 2600m.  Coming in from sea level is a little strange.  My head is a little spiny and I have a altitude headache but once I acclimatize in about a day I will be fine.  A lot less freaky than the last time when we came in at La Paz at 3500m

 

A tour of the room

Not our usual digs.  The hotel Anteus is filled so I ended up in this two bedroom suite until a regular room becomes available. Check it out:

Pretty cool.   It's a little tired but clean and comfortable.  They have a new section with modern rooms that they will move me into later in the week.