I just got back from a really sweet trip to Cochabamba and the Chapare.  Cochabamba is in the middle of Bolivia and became pretty famous in 2000 for its protests against the privatization of water.  It’s a really interesting history, and it was so so cool to be in a place that I had heard and read so much about.  Although the city “won” the Water War, the issue of distributing clean water to everyone has not been solved.  We met with lots of different sorts of people that are working really hard to create some sort of a solution.  Yet, in comes down to the simple fact that there isn’t enough water.  Sounds pretty familiar right?  Bolivia has added the policy of Vivir Bien to its new constitution, and while it doesn’t magically fix the problems, it offers an interesting ideology for a solution.  There are a lot of discussions and debates about what Vivir Bien means, but it seems to me that it represents that people live well, but do not live in excess.  The name does not signify living better, but just living well.  We need to have choice in our life, but we do not need to always be looking for greener grass.  One of the women that we spoke with explained this ideology really beautifully and it was really inspiring.  It’s not really something I thought of in the US because I often felt the need (pressure maybe?) to be aspiring for something grander.  Yet, this is not possible, especially when everyone has this mentality.  Also though, the woman acknowledged that this discourse of Vivir Bien is an ideal.  However, that that is not bad because we need an ideal to hope for.  I have no idea how these ideas will actually effect policy, but I was really impressed that the government had chosen to add this to their constitution. 

After a couple days in Cochabamba we drove to the Chapare.  It was about a 5 hour drive over the hill and into the jungle!  The ride was really supposed to be 3 hours but we got stuck in really bad fog.  Actually, it would be described better as TERRIFYING fog!! It was so bad that to see the road, the guide had the door open and was shinning a flashlight out to try and make out the edge of the cliff! But it was definitely worth it because the jungle was soooo cool!! Besides enjoying the awesome landscapes, we went there because that region is one of the main places where coca is grown in Bolivia.  They’ve had a very political history, and for a long time the area was militarized and heavily regulated by the US (directly and indirectly).  Only 5 years ago did most of the growing of coca there become legal.  While coca is a very useful plant and is an essential ingredient for many products outside of cocaine, it is very obvious that there is a lot more coca being cultivated then could possibly be used for these products.  There is definitely a gap there that is filled by the use of coca for drugs.  It’s a very tricky area and it was super interesting to learn about what’s being done and meet some of the local people and how they’re responding to the issue.  And we got to go swimming in a sweet river!