Santa Cruz, BO - General Thoughts in Santa Cruz

So what can I say. I guess the first thing is that I am really impressed with our hotel, Los Tajibos. I did not have very high expectations. The last time that Vee and I were in Bolivia last year, we took an overnight trip to Chapari where we stayed in a high-end hotel, and it was then that I realized the disparity between what we consider high-end in the States versus what is high-end in Bolivia. The hotel in chapari was pretty much right in the middle of the jungle, and so obviously did not have access to the resources that a hotel in the city has access to. Even so, it was still nice, and clean, and comfortable and we had a fantastic time there. But, at least in my opinion, and Vee is not in total agreement with me, I think Los Tajibos truly is a high-end hotel, not on par with the best of the best in the States, but I am confident that it certainly is within Bolivia. The service, pretty much all around, is fantastic. In the morning, a newspaper is delivered to the room, and room service cleans everything, makes the beds, mops the floors, refreshes all towels and linens. They must also spray an air freshener in each room as everything always smells so very fresh and clean when they are finished. In the evening, they come by again to turn down the sheets of the beds and leave some chocolates behind. They check the inventory in the refrigerator probably every other day and replenish anything that we have consumed, which in our case has only been bottled water a Corona, and a granola bar. They also leave two glasses of purified water in sterilized sealed glasses in the bathroom so that if you are afraid to use water out of the tap for washing and brushing, you can use this water. We both have confidently been using tap water for everything but drinking, and have not had a single “episode”. The water pressure in the shower is very good, as well as the water pressure in the sinks. The floors in our rooms are a beautiful large faux-marble tile, with area carpets in the reading room and the sleeping area. The carpets are in good condition, and have unusually thick padding underneath them that I noticed right away since I almost tripped and fell over them since they were so thick with padding. Everything in our rooms is immaculately clean, and this attention to cleanliness is a constant throughout the grounds of the hotel. Each day, no matter what the weather, the groundskeepers are cleaning, whether it is sweeping leaves, hosing the pool deck, polishing the hallway floor tiles or hard woods, pruning trees and bushes, watering plants, they are always taking take of the place. Also, everyone is very friendly to us, everyone from the room service folks to the waiters to the security guards and the people at the front desk, although they aren’t as convincing. This hotel is obviously the place where the Bolivia’s most famous, powerful and wealthiest people stay, and also where all the biggest and most extravagant weddings are held. We’ve noticed that American Airlines must have an arrangement with the hotel as we have seen all of the people from the crew that flew us into Bolivia here at one time or another. I think that the majority of people here at the hotel are international, a lot of business people from Argentina and Chile, big fat Texas oilmen from the States (according to Andrew anyway…heheheee), and a good number of business people from Asia too. The food is excellent here too. Although the items on the breakfast buffet never change, the array of food is plentiful and it is all good. The presentation of the food is always very appealing too, as for each meal, they change the linens on all the tables, and on the buffet with coordinated color themes. The lunch buffet is very good too although yesterday was the only day that we’ve had it. And dinner has been excellent each time. The menu is in both Spanish and English so it is very easy for a gringo to pick out their meal. They have a wide variety of items on the dinner menu including steaks, chicken, pastas, seafood, with choices that are “local” and others that are more international traditional fare. I have eaten green salads, vegetables, eggs and omelets, steak, fish and have drank coffee, fresh lemonade and glasses of water, and I have not had even ONE single bad reaction. This in itself is a testament to the quality of the hotel and its commitment to the international traveler. Room service food has been good too, and the selection of foods is very adequate. Aesthetically the hotel is gorgeous, with very pretty, classy yet simple architectural design, whitewash walls, terracotta tiles, natural hard woods, an in-wall water fall, goldfish pond, peacocks, large clean pool with thatch roofed huts, comfortable whicker chairs and sofas in the hallways and cozy little nooks. The business center is outfitted with about 5 Internet-connected PCs each with MSOffice installed as well and it is all free to use. There are always hotel taxis waiting out front if you need to get around the city, although they the fare is more expensive. As I have said before, the grounds of the hotel are beautiful with lots of tropical trees, bushes and flowers, manicured lawns, and singing birds. I think that the one caveat in all of this is this: remember, this is Bolivia, not New York City and everything here is relative. You cannot come here expecting the Waldorf-Astoria. I would guess that the GDP of Manhattan alone is more than the entire country of Bolivia. But regardless, bottom line, this place is fantastic and I have loved our stay here. And, of course, you have to remember that the dollar goes A LOT further here. For example, a double room here, and Los Tajibos is a 5 star hotel, with a full breakfast is $85. In the states, you’d be lucky to find a rat-infested hole in the ground to sleep in for $85 in any major metropolitan area. So, enough about the hotel, how about Santa Cruz. Most of our time was spent either in the hotel, on the Ave. San Martin which is the street on which Los Tajibos resides, or on the Ave. Monsignor Rivera also known as El Christo. Outside of this extremely limited range, I cannot say much except that from the elevation of the apartment we looked at the other day, it seemed very pretty with lots of green mixed with Palms and terracotta roofs. It is a flat city so you cannot see much of what is around you. The vegetation is rather tropical, but I cannot say that there is lots of it. After all, it is a city, and it is the most populous one in Bolivia. The cars are a mix of mostly asian imports, with a few European cars in the mix and even fewer American cars, mostly older models in pretty bad condition. The sidewalks are mostly walkable but not in very good condition, and there is lots of broken glass. You hardly ever see policeman. You see a lot of private security guards though. Every decent residential area, and in a lot of cases, individual residences, and a lot of businesses, if not all of the larger ones, have their own security guards. I was happy to see that Santa Cruz has not been Americanized. Of course there is plenty of signage for Coca-Cola, there is a Burger King, there is a restaurant named “American Style” and on the menus in the places serving lunch, you can even find “Filly Sandwiches” which is their interpretation of a Philly Cheese Steak which I have had no desire to order. I would say that the majority of people I have seen are of mixed descent, and that I see many of the same kinds of native people that I remember seeing in La Paz and Cochabamba although I don’t think there are as many here proportionally. On the two main streets that we have visited, there are plenty of cafes and bars, but a lot of these places do not open during the day. Actually, it is difficult to know when and how often a lot of these places are ever open for business. The city streets are designed with few traffic lights and stop signs, all of which seem to be optional anyway. There are lots of traffic circles which make it very difficult for pedestrians to navigate since there is very rarely a break in traffic around these areas and the cars come from all directions. It often comes down to a game of chicken, in the hopes that the car you have decided to step out in front of is being driven by someone having at least half a conscience and will slow down enough for you to scurry to the other side of the street. The other day, I made the mistake of assuming that cars stopped for the “Pare” (stop) signs, and decided to cross a street where a car was still a good distance away, and had a stop sign. Well, he had no intention of slowing down, and certainly no inclination to stop, and the guy practically ran me over, only missing me by a few inches as he blew through the stop sign as if it was not even there. This is normal here. In general though, the first few days out and about in Santa Cruz gave me a feeling of sadness. But by Wednesday, when the weather began to get better, that feeling transformed into a wonderful feeling that I think I have only ever experienced in Cochabamba before, and it is hard to describe. It is a VERY good feeling. It is one of release; of freedom from the trappings of material and societal weight; a feeling of acceptance of something that you know is flawed yet beautiful in its own way; an appreciation for the rawness, the relative innocence; an embracing hopelessness that negates expectations and elevates your appreciation of the simple things. It is a light feeling that I can feel in my chest. It does not last long, but when it does happen, it is very real. It is something I have felt different varieties of before, though, but infrequently. It is similar to the feeling I’ve had standing in awe of the mountains in Denali State Park of Alaska, or in one of the cascades along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, or in the woods when mountain bike riding in Western PA, or hiking one of the peaks in the mountains of New Hampshire. It is a similar feeling, but not the same, arising from a different set of stimuli. Anyway, it is a good feeling.