10 Things I love about Cochabamba

Scotty and I are leaving for Cochabamba today. Besides being my first home in Bolivia, where Scotty and I met and got engaged, and home to the world's perfect climate, there are several other things I love about Cochabamba that I always look forward to when we go (in no particular order):

10. Did I mention the climate? It is temperate all year round- never very hot, never very cold.

9. Casa Campestre. A small, wooded resort near my old apartment with a beautiful (if cold) pool and enormous, scrumptious lunch buffet- $5 for the day- all inclusive.

8. Mauge- Scotty and my old Spanish teacher. She encouraged our relationship, encouraged our souls, and taught us everything we ever needed to know about speaking Spanish. We always stay at her house when we go and really enjoy her and her family.

7. Cine Center. Coch has this beautiful, new, American-style theatre- complete with food court and cushy theatre chairs- but with Bolivian prices. Now, if they would just play something other than horror flicks...

6. Food! Cochabamba is known for big portions, yummy dishes, and seemingly continuous eating- I think that will mesh nicely with a pregnant woman's needs.

5. SIMers- we always run into or actually plan to hang out with other SIM missionaries that live in Coch that we aren't able to see frequently. There are some quality families in this town.

4. The Cancha- Cochabamba boasts a very large market with a very large used clothes section. Most of the clothes come in from the states and if you dig hard enough and walk around long enough, you will find some great stuff at ridiculously low prices. I'm very hopeful to increase my maternity wardrobe during this trip.

3. The drive over. Bolivia has an incredible, varied topography and the drive from the altiplano- a very high, flat region with huge fields of llamas and distant snowy peaks eventually begins winding through the rocky mountains and descending into the warmer valley of Cochabamba. Although it's about a 5 hour drive, it's a breathtaking ride.

2. Reminiscing with my husband. Coch holds many sweet memories for us and many localations where we pseudo-dated and got to know each other. It never fails that we spend half the time walking around saying "remember when...?"

1. Green! Although the city is still at a fairly high altitude, it boasts many green, grassy parks with flowers and trees dotted throughout. La Paz remains mostly brown throughout the year, and even though it has a few nicely landscaped areas, it doesn't compare to the lushness of Cochabamba.

So, we'll be attending a wedding on Saturday of some friends who will later move up to La Paz and be an adoptive part of our SIM team here and also pick up a rocking chair from a beloved missionary family who will be moving back to Australia after 20 years of service in Bolivia. Mixed in will be much relaxation and enjoying this city that we love so much.