Our Third Fun-filled Week in Bolivia!

So many fun things have been going on this week I don't know where to start!

Let's see...if I'm going to start anywhere I guess I better start by telling you how my first Catholic mass went!
The day before, my mom's cousin had phoned my mom, inviting her and the rest of the family to a special Catholic mass on Sunday in honor of my great uncle, who had passed away three months ago. Afterwards, there was to be a lunch at my cousins' house. We, of course, said yes with excitement!

The actual service consisted of many prayers, bible recitation, short but sweet songs, communion, and a sermon. It was interesting to see how a Catholic mass was like!
After it was over, we walked for a block before reaching  my cousin's house. For lunch we ate fricase, a spicy, soup-like dish containing meat, potatoes, and corn. Delicious! After that the adults caught up by talking all afternoon, and the kids played many games.
Then someone suggested we drive to the cementary to visit three very special people: my grandfather Claudio Cardona, great-uncle Walter and great-aunt Albina. We all had a special time honoring and remembering them.

Two days later, my family and I went to downtown Cochabamba. We visited Casona Santivanez, a colonial Spanish house that had been turned into a museum. Like most colonial Spanish homes, it had a huge courtyard with doors on every side that led to rooms filled with art and the history, memoirs, and photographs of famous Bolivian writers. At the end of the courtyard, there were stairs leading up to more rooms. One room contained many lovely pictures of all the different kinds of Bolivian landscapes. A few others were filled with beautiful wooden furniture from colonial times. But what I most liked about this museum was the sculptures they displayed everywhere. So many different figures and shapes! They were mostly humans carved or made out of wood, metal, marble, etc.

Okay, so now that I've been talking and talking about museum stuff, it's time to switch gears and talk about what we did afterwards.
We kids fed doves. You see, in Cochabamba's  central plaza there's a big bunch of doves that are always hanging around benches and fountains, and vendors that always sell bird food. For as long as I can  remember it has been our tradition to stop and feed them. We had a thoroughly enjoyable time.

The next day, we drove to Park Mariscal. The first part consisted of a cool aquarium, where we saw colorful catfish, turtles, and a few tucans, and a picnic area, where we devoured a delicious lunch. The other side was an enormous playground! It was full of slides, swings, climbing obstacles, and seesaws. There was also a pool, foosball court, and a bike track. The Locklin kids had a blast!

Now, speed forward two days to Thursday. That was when my mom, grandma, and I walked through the Cancha. The Cancha is made up of vendors' stalls. A ton of stalls. All bunched up closely together to form aisles and streets. It is so huge in fact, that you can get easily lost. Oh, and did I forget to mention it sells about everything? From food and furniture to toys and ribbons. It's a very different, but fun and eye-opening experience!

This week, the Locklin family has explored much about Bolivia's culture and have had much fun in the process!