Things I love-hate-amamusedby in Bolivia*

--It amuses me that Bolivians seem to have super human hearinh Someone can merely whisper to catch a bus or taxi. And yet they play the radio and TV at a volume loud enough to wake the dead. Perhaps only maestros have the power of super-hearing.

--I hate that people pee outdoors especially when there is an indoor bathroom readily available.

--I thus far STONGLY DISLIKE gringo pricing and bargaining.

--I love that there are no less than three stalls in the Cancha (big huge market in Cochabamba) dedicated to buttons. You can sell anything ont he street here. It is however sad that people need to resort to selling limonada and globos because they are underemployed.

--I love that sitting in the plaza doing nothing is an acceptable, and even required, activity.

--I love that Bolivian children are so darn cute.

I hate that there are no comfortable chairs.

--I am amused that people cross the street to stay in the shade. This does nothing to aggravate the already existing traffic patterns, Although I find it charming that drivers adapt a pack mentality, disregarding both lane dividers and traffic signals in Coch and Tarija, I find it absolutely petrifying in Santa Cruz. I also like that horns are used to communicate, "Hey! Look! I´m crossing an intersection!"

--I love saying "¿no ve?" after every sentence and people who can only say "Good morning beautiful" in English and insist on saying it whatever time of day it is.

--I´m not sure of my feelings that everyone and their mother plays the trumpet here..and at all hours of the night but I love parades.

*This column, hereafter to be referred to as TILHAABIB is modeled after one that I wrote in my more sentimental days about a certain (now ex) boyfriend. There will be further, markedly less sentimental items about Bolivia in the future.