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!