A Long Walk for Apples

Last night, the tía I was working my shift with informed me that the children would not have school today due to there being a halt on public transportation in our area of town. Every now and then, the people here decide to protest something and due so by setting up blockades that prevent traffic from getting through. Thus, anyone who needs to go anywhere has to walk...unless they're lucky enough to own a motorcycle or bicycle.

When she told me this news, my heart sank. I had plans today, being my day off, for going and doing various things around town. A halt on public transportation in our area was going to make that rather inconvenient. Sigh. Oh well. Such is life in Bolivia.

I cancelled my plans for the day, except for a trip to the grocery store. I had to go to the grocery if for no other reason than to buy apples. You see, I've been invited to a fall festival party tomorrow night and asked to bring something with a fall-ish flavor. So I decided to make a delicious, healthy apple crisp recipe that is a family favorite. Nothing else would do - blockade or no blockade - meaning it was absolutely essential that I get to the store...somehow!

Here's the tricky part. The store I needed to go to is located at kilometer 2 off the main highway that runs right by our neighborhood. Our house is down on kilometer 8 1/2. That is a loooong way to walk! But I was willing to set out and just see how far we could get before public transportation was made available again. Worse case scenario: I could buy apples at the fruit stand at the medical clinic at kilometer 5.

With 8-year-old Jhosie as my traveling companion for the day, we set off to see what the situation was. Sure enough, as we neared the end of our shady neighborhood lane, we could see that the usual traffic was non-existent....well, except for the bajillions of people who were walking the highway. No buses, no trufis, no taxis. Just lots and lots of people and a few motorcycles every now and then. Oh, and of course the stray dogs that are always out and about.

As we joined the crowds on the highway, I must admit it was really kind of adventurous! Despite the fact that we didn't go well prepared for a long walk in the hot sun (no water, no hats, no sunglasses), we enjoyed the stroll down Blanco Galindo hand in hand, Jhosie chattering away like a little magpie and me keeping my eyes peeled for fruit stands along the roadside...just in case.

We walked and walked. And Jhosie talked and talked. :) It was amusing to me to observe the people around us. So many different styles! A lot carried umbrellas as Bolivians have a dislike of the sun on their skin. Several wore hats or pieces of cloth on their heads to shade their faces. (Smart people.) A number of ladies dressed in traditional Bolivian attire carried huge burdens on their backs wrapped in the characteristic bright striped cloth so common to their culture. I got a kick out of how many vendors took advantage of the hot and weary travelers having no option but to walk. There were people selling popsicles, milk pops, ice cream, juice, fried food, empanadas, and more! They seemed to be getting plenty of business.

Finally, we reached kilometer 6 1/2 where we jumped onto a trufi willing to take us until the next blockade. Fine with me. Any distance on wheels was appreciated! The driver let us off a bit ahead of the clinic where I was expecting the fruit stand. So we walked some more. Finally, we made it to the fruit stand which just so happened to be selling apples as I had hoped! They seemed a bit pricy to me, though, so I decided it was worth it to still try to make it to the grocery store where I could buy the apples I needed as well as a few more items on my list. At the clinic location, public transportation was flowing freely again. So Jhosie and I hopped onto another trufi and rode the rest of the distance to the grocery store.

We quickly did our shopping (which included some much needed water bottles and bag of corn chips!) and then caught another trufi to another grocery store around the corner where I needed a few specialty items. At last, with my shoulder bag heavy with groceries and Jhosie bearing a small bag herself, it was time to make the return trip.

Once again, we rode part of the way and walked the rest (read 2 kilometers!). With the time being close to noon, the sun high and very hot, a couple of bags of heavy groceries, and tired feet, I can assure you that the return trip was quite a bit slower and less chatty than the way to the store had been! But my traveling partner was a trooper! She didn't complain once.

We arrived home in one piece and felt quite accomplished to have experienced the adventure and exercise of a Bolivia blockade! I got on the computer after putting groceries away to figure out exactly how many miles we had covered (since I don't compute kilometers very well in my American brain). According to what I found online, it would seem we walked a total of close to 3 miles all said and done. And that was AFTER having already gone jogging this morning with two of the boys! It's a good thing I like to exercise... :)

Amazing what some people will do for a handful of apples...