Tupiza Day 1

Ten thirty in the morning found me in bed, well rested. That was a hell of a good sleep. Sleeping but one hour in forty will put one in state of readiness for a deep sleep. The lights did not turn on. What the hell? I would not have suspected that a town this large has only evening power. I stepped outside and had no doubt what the problem was. There was no sky, the mountains were gone. Visibility?... maybe fifty yards. Gusts of wind which I later found out to be in excessive of seventy kilometers per hour created a huge sandstorm and snapped branches off of trees. Nothing like what was happening in West Lafayette, IN, where my son is attending Purdue, but real enough.

I wandered around town with my camera. Alexandro Adventure, my prospective tour company was shuttered as were almost all the other businesses in town. I got a little shopping done, procuring a large bar of laundry detergent for 1 b, a six pack of pocket sized toilet paper for 6 b and a pound of coca leaves with 8 grams of bicarbonate of soda for 22 bs. At the video store I picked up three movies. It is not possible to buy movies down here that are not flagrant ripoffs. Maybe sometime I will explain how to chew coca leaves, but not here.
Tiring of the sandblasting I was receiving, I ducked into a locals eatery down the street from my hotel with a book I was reading about Lebanese hostages, Terry Waite and Oliver North. The huge skylight probably300 square feet, made reading possible indoors. I lunched and served as door man, bolting and unbolting the door as other customers came and went. The latch was insufficient to resist the door slamming open in the wind.

A succession of backpackers came and went. It grew dark, I went back to the hotel and got my head lamp. I finished the book and gave it to some American kid who expressed interest in it. I have five books left in my backpack, so I should be good for a week or two depending on how much idle time I have.

The lights came on to great cheers on two ocassions, but failed again within a minute. At 11 the power was restored. Glancing around the room I saw that there was nothing to pursue at this locale and headed back to my room.