Sept 26

Local carwash

We went grocery shopping today and saw a couple of interesting sites we though others might enjoy.

Just drive your car up on the ramp and you will get a hand-washed car.

Local laundromat

Not just the delicates are hand washed at this local laundry facility.
No need for artificial fresheners to give that sunny day smell to your laundry. And drying is free.










Sept 27

View of Cristo de la Concordia from the temple.

Elder and Sister Angle took us to see the Cristo de la Concordia today.  It is on a hill a little ways from the temple and Sister Jensen told us that his right hand points toward the temple. 
It is similar to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, but they built it to be slightly higher by an inch or so. 

We walked and took a bus and walked some more. This is one of the streets near the temple. It hasn't been paved over yet. We caught a bus from this corner.

We could have climbed these stairs to the Christus statue, but we decided not to get in the way of the soldiers doing their physical exercise training. 

Actually, it was the 2,000 steps climbing 839 feet above the city that dissuaded us from making the climb. The statue is 9,317 feet above see level. 

Instead, we took a tram to the top. 

While waiting for the gondolas we saw these cute pre-school kids whom had come on a field trip to see the statue.

Surprisingly, once you are at the top, it doesn't seem as big as what you see in the pictures of the Christus in Rio. Once again, a reminder of what you can do with photography. 

That is not to say it isn't big -- it is. The statue alone is 112.2 feet tall. The pedestal is 20.5 feet high. The head is 15.2 feet tall and the arm span is 107.8 feet. It is the second largest statue of Christ in the world. One in Poland is 2 meters taller.
You can go inside and climb to a viewing area in the arms, but only on Sunday. There are 1,399 stairs to the viewing area. Martin looked at the stairs and decided it wasn't worth breaking the sabbath to do it. The stairway is circular and very narrow. It could cause the onset of claustrophobia.

I just had to do one artistic shot. So here it is.


















There is a beautiful view of Cochabamba and the surrounding area.

There are over a million residents in the area.

A view of the area surrounding the Temple.

Cochabamba comes from the compound Quechua "q'ucha" meaning lake, and "panpa" meaning open plain. Here is a view of the lake from which the city gets its name. There is currently a drought so there isn't as much water in the lake.







We had a wonderful time, but even with a hat on Sylvia got sunburned. We ate at a little Tex-Mex restaurant owned by a member of the church. So far we have enjoyed the food here. You do have to be really careful what and where you eat, and you have to wash all fruits and vegetables you buy, and not drink the water outside of the temple grounds.

Oct 1

We all went to the Jensen's house to watch General Conference. We had a new perspective after listening to President Jensen tell us some more about how they prepare talks for Conference.  He knows and loves the Prophet and Apostles.

We love to read the scriptures which teach us so much about these modern days. Twice a year we get to hear a Prophet, Apostles, and other leaders talk about what is happening right now, and what we can and should be doing. We know they get inspiration from God, and that we can get inspiration both directly from God, and from the words they speak to us. It gives us peace to hear their words as they talk about how to survive and progress both temporally and spiritually in the last days. We know, through the Holy Ghost, what they say is true.

After the two sessions of Conference we had a potluck dinner at the Angles apartment. 












We got to sit by President and Sister Hansen of the Cochabamba mission and get to know them a little better. They have been here over two years. Sister Hansen doesn't speak much Spanish either. Luckily, the people here are kind about that. The first three days we were in the temple, they brought missionaries to the temple. We got to work extra hours because they had a special session for them. We loved it though, because that is one of our favorite things, to get to spend time in the temple with the young missionaries.

After dinner we got everyone together for a group shot with the temple in the background.














In the last 2 weeks, we have discovered the secret of Cochabamba. Every day has been similar. The weather is lovely-"another day in Paradise", as the missionaries love to say here. In fact, Cochabamba is know as "The City of Eternal Spring". We keep our windows open most of the time. The sun shines, and the birds sing. Some dark clouds will gather at the mountains, but will go away or pass quickly. The late spring and summer should be the rainy season, and they are all praying for rain because some areas of the country have little or no water right now. The country side is brown. They say in the summer, with rain, it turns green.  It did rain a little yesterday, and there was some thunder, but nothing like the downpours we experienced in Uruguay. We are blessed here on the temple site. There is an underground spring, so we can drink the water safely. The average high temperature only varies by about 5 degrees from winter to summer, and the average daily temperature varies by 10 degrees. There is no air conditioning and there is no heat in the apartments. We have a large fan, and a very small space heater. Sister Butler told me she did get cold at church a couple times during the winter, but that was about it. We are told the natives think it is cold in the winter and wear coats, gloves, and scarves, just like they did in Uruguay. It did get cooler in Uruguay, but not cold like we know in Idaho. We hope the light jackets we brought will be enough.

We have enjoyed our first 2 weeks here. Thanks to all of you back home for your support. We love you and miss you.