Farewell

I am finally home safe and sound, my luggage having arrived a few days after I did. Why it was delayed in Bolivia is a mystery...oh well!

My hosts were wonderful. They included me in their Christmas celebrations the last day (December 13th) and even bought me a gift to remember my time with them. I certainly will. I will sign off now and wish all my readers a very blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Other things

Yesterday (December 10th) my colleagues (one of whom spoke English) and I, went to Patacamaya to visit an agency office of the BDP. These are offices of the bank which serve local clientele. We discussed their business and the climate risks faced by local farmers, most of who farm plots of land 3 - 5 ha. We also made an arrangement to visit a couple of local farmers as well. Jesús, one of my colleagues, had a portable automatic weather station designed and constructed as a prototype and he wanted to show it off to gauge reaction. This is important because the literacy rate among these people is low and they are slow to adopt new technology. However, like any farmer in Canada, this one was anxious to show us his land so we all piled into the vehicle and headed out. Jesús set up the weather station and "demonstrated" it and I asked a million other questions. On the way home my colleagues and I ruminated about the events of the day and how we could help these farmers lead a more productive business.

A farmer outstanding in his field!

Portable automated weather station

Today my host, Carman, thought I should see something more of La Paz than just the office and my hotel. So she took the afternoon off and we went to Moon Valley with her friend who knew the city well and also spoke English. Of course, we did not take the most direct route but went all over El Alto and La Paz on the cable car system, which was a pleasant change from the hustle and bustle of city traffic.

What is amazing about La Paz is that 1 million people are packed into a mountain "bowl" probably no bigger than a Canadian city of 50 to 100 K people. A few wealthier neighborhoods have green space for yards but in most cases the only space, if any, between buildings is for a narrow street and a sidewalk not much bigger that a curb. Houses are built on extremely steep terrain because there is nowhere else to build. The soil is unstable on these slopes so when there are landslides the results can be devastating.

We eventually got to Moon Valley, named by Neil Armstrong because it reminded him of some of the lunar craters, and what an interesting piece of landscape it was! The park was actually closing as we arrived but they let us in anyway and we had a short hike. Then Carmen drove me back the my hotel. What better way to spend a wonderful afternoon!

Rest and Relaxation?

The weekend...time for some R&R! The client arranged for a two-day guided trip to Lake Titicaca, about 3 hours north of La Paz. So Saturday morning bright and early we (3) boarded a bus for Copacabana, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, and then by boat to Sun Island. The drive itself was quite interesting. The area around the lake, both on the Peruvian side and the Bolivian side, is considered to be the hearth of Inca civilization so there is evidence of ancient terracing on the hillsides from Inca and pre-Inca times. The terrain is rugged but not mountainous, with some grasses growing in the dry rocky soil but very few trees.

Copacabana is quite the tourist town, with coffee shops, restaurants and food vendors selling all manner of eats, and trinket vendors (mostly local) to satisfy the need to lighten your wallet. There are also a number of hotels and hostels, depending on your taste. Even at that, there is support for local farmers selling their meat and produce and a indoor farmers market which would put to shame any market I've ever seen. There is also a huge church whose patron saint is the Virgin Mary. People bring their new cars (and other things) from all over the country to be blessed by the priest at this church. It has become an industry because you can buy flowers and trinkets in memory of the event.

Copacabana indoor market

We then boarded a small boat to Sun Island which is definitely an ecotourist destination! There are no roads on the island...transportation is entirely by foot, donkey or the odd llama. However, there is electricity and most tourist services have internet. Local residents have found that tourism can be much more lucrative than farming so there is very little food production. Most everything (including some building materials) comes in by boat and then is packed in to it's final destination. Our destination was a lodge on the other side of the island so, true to form, we had to hike up to it (there is no level ground). On the way we would stop to rest at a significant landmark, such as an Inca meditation site, or at a roadside vendor, most selling Alpaca products or Andean soapstone carvings. When we finally got to our lodge all the ambition we could muster was to flop down on our beds and rest until dinner. Even though we were close to the equator it was a cold night and I had to do everything in my power to stay warm!

Inca meditation site

Our destination, Sun Gate

...finally!

The next day was rather quiet as we made our way down to the dock, back to Copacabana, and then on to La Paz. Would I do it again? Probably. However, I would take my white hat (which I was warned against because it would make me look like a tourist)! I now look more like a latino!

Bolivia...here I am!

I came to this country (without Hilda this time) after an 22 hr. layover in Lima, Peru, and a near-miss on landing at La Paz. Thankfully nobody died...just a few white knuckles (mine)! The altitude here is about 4000 meters (13000 feet) so, needless to say, it will be an adjustment. The city is either uphill or down and I quickly realized that what goes down must also come back up. I spent Sunday (December 1st) at my hotel relaxing and getting acclimatized to the altitude. Thankfully I had a prescription from my Canadian physician to help me with that. They also tell you to drink lots of of coca tea which I have been doing.

My hotel, Camino Real Aparthotel, is very comfortable. The "rooms" are all suites with a full kitchen (not that I will take advantage of that) and a large living area. The beds are king-size as well. No TV in the bedroom though so I can't watch TV in bed (never mind...it's all Spanish anyway)!

The CESO Country Representative (CR), Carlos Ramallo, came to check up on me yesterday (December 1st) and I spent today at the client's office, only a few blocks from my hotel, getting acquainted and finishing off the paperwork. The client is the Banco de Desarrollo Productivo (BDP), a public entity primarily servicing small agricultural loans. They want to eventually develop a climate risk application so I am here to consult with them on various aspects of that - limitations, data and processing requirements, risk analysis, usage, etc.

So...we'll see what adventures tomorrow brings. The workplan calls for a field visit but other than that I probably won't get to see much more than the hotel and the office. Hopefully on the weekend either the client or the CR can show me some of the sights. La Paz itself has a nice overhead gondola system integrated with their transit system which I would like to experience.

Alberta Camping

After all that travelling in the RV you'd think we'd be tired of it.  But no.  We went on a few camping trips within Alberta in August and September, roaming to all corners of the province, or so it seemed.

GREGOIRE LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK

August 7-10

Shortly after our return from the East Coast Glamping Trip, we went up to Fort McMurray to spend some time with our family there.  We decided to try camping at Gregoire Lake which is about 30 km out of Ft. Mac.  It's a lovely campground which was relatively untouched by the big forest fire from a few years ago.  Our granddaughter, Nora, had a wonderful time at the beach, even though it wasn't super hot.  Dave enjoyed the fishing off the dock, even though he'd brought the wrong fishing gear - or so he thought.  He found that the ultra-light gear worked just fine and it was like fishing out of a barrel.
The added adventure was locking ourselves out of the trailer!  Yes, that can happen.  Thankfully Gregoire Lake is only 30 km from a town with a locksmith who could rescue us.  Lesson learned. 

PIERRE GREY'S LAKES PROVINCIAL PARK

August 18 - 24

A few weeks later we joined our fly-fishing friends, Dale and Nicole, at Pierre Grey's Provincial Park which is about 30 kms from Grande Cache.  They had been fishing in cool rainy weather, but when we arrived the weather improved!  This was Dave's first real fly-fishing experience and it was quite the learning curve.  Lesson 1:  Never try to walk forwards with fins (flippers) on your feet when trying to come ashore with the pontoon!  You will go for an unexpected dunk in the lake!
There are three adjacent lakes in the park so it was fun for him to try his luck fishing at each one.  Unfortunately, the only fish we saw all week was the one that Dale had caught the day we arrived and graciously offered to us for our first dinner!
While the three of them fished, I enjoyed hiking and biking around the campground and lakes, as well as trying my hand at some painting. Later in the week, Dave's sister joined us and the three of us went for a hike to the beautiful Muskeg Falls.
From there we went up to Grand Prairie for one night.  What a noisy road-side campground in contrast to Pierre Grey's where there quiet, dark and had virtually cell phone coverage. 

CYPRESS HILLS INTER-PROVINCIAL PARK

September 10 - 14

It was getting into September when we called our friends, Dennis and Irene, in southern Alberta and asked them if they'd want to go camping one last time for the summer.  Sure!  Why not?  We decided to go to Elkwater in the Cypress Hills south of Medicine Hat.
It was a long rainy drive to the park. This did not bode well.
What an abrupt change in landscape when you come upon the park.  To the right is bald prairie and to the left is hills and evergreen forest.  It's some of the highest elevations on the prairies east of the Rockies.
Wednesday was much nicer (no rain) and Dave enjoyed some fishing at Elkwater Lake.  He even brought one pike home for dinner!   The rest of us went on a lovely bike ride along the boardwalk following the lake's edge.  I miscalculated the width of a bridge crossing and my handle bars hit the rail and I went down in a heap.  The resulting bumps and bruises limited my activity for the rest of the trip.  But it's nice to sit and relax sometimes.
Thursday was even nicer as we went for a driving tour of the park and then stopped at Reesor Lake where both Dave and Dennis tried out their fly-fishing gear.  It was a beautiful sunny warm calm day but they had no luck with catching anything.
The following morning the weather turned into the usual southern Alberta weather: windy.  We left the park, stopped to visit a few people, and got as far as Lethbridge for the night.  We were tired of fighting the wind.  Saturday, on our way home, we stopped in Nanton for a bit to check out some of the interesting antique shops.  Dave came home with a classic fishing rod.

(Thanks Irene for the photo.)

FISH LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK

September 23 - 25

We thought the previous trip was the last one for the summer, but our friends, Dale and Nicole talked us into joining them one more time.  Because of other commitments we only went for two nights.  Fish Lake is west of Nordegg on the way to the national parks.  What an absolutely beautiful drive both to and from the park.  The autumn leaves were at their best and it was a photo-worthy scene around each bend in the road.
Our daughter's father-in-law, John, came out to the lake with his little boat and he and Dave had a wonderful afternoon of fishing.  Dale was in his pontoon.  "If you're dressed for the fall weather, it's not so bad", they said.  Besides, catching a few trout made it all worthwhile.  Meanwhile Nicole and I stayed warm by going for some walks along the lakeshore and visiting in the trailer.
We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves so it was very quiet at night.  And very dark.  The stars were amazing.  It'd been a while since I'd seen so many stars so clearly.
The next day we went to Crescent Falls for a little walk.  Dale told stories of fishing along these falls early in the summer when the water level was much higher.  They were beautiful even now in fall.