FIRST STEPS IN BOLIVIA…
I made my first steps on Bolivian ground in La Paz, on the 15th of August 2006. From the beginning I found that the people were very nice, sweet and welcoming. In Cochabamba, I discovered the sweetness of life. There is poverty full of sun, of love and of values.
I left for Quillacollo with my cousin to discover the virgin of Urkupina. The wind lifted up the dust, the Andes were bursting with immensity. In the middle of the authentic landscapes, and of the rocks, a small boy tries to open my bag and stops as soon as I look at him. I now understand that here sweetness and misery are combined and that by multiplying the first, the second must be reduced.
I loved everything about this authentic Cochabamba. The encounters, the laughs around the fire, the commitment of the Bolivians who are ready to sacrifice everything for a better future.
In Tarata, an ancient colonial village situated about ten kilometers from Cochabamba; a few Bolivians are celebrating the feast of the Lord. I listen to them, sat near a rock in the sun; all the while they are playing music. A young woman turns to me and invites me. They don’t have anything but they give me food and something to drink.
They are very curious and ask me a lot of questions about France. We share the Chicha (fermented maize alcohol) and they make me dance. They are sad that I have to leave; Bolivian hearts are full of friendship…
