Mission accomplished

Well, I did manage to find one of what may be only two birdcages in the entire city of Sucre and it was a lot of fun. In Sucre, like in other places in Bolivia, everyone relies on word of mouth and personal communication to get things done. So, if you don´t know where to find something, you ask and so the chain of communication begins and you follow it point by point. There is always forward progress and eventually you will find what you want, you just have to stick with it. I spoke to several shop owners, market stall attendants, one vet, and several women selling sidewalk goodies and eventually found myself on a street in what one might consider the suburbs of Sucre. Asked a few more people, who, after a brief consultation amongst themselves, sent me a bit farther down the street´where I spoke to another senora who smiled and shouted for a Dona Judith, who promptly emerged from somewhere with a small birdcage. So, mission accomplished, the dove has its cage. (Apparently I made it all the way to the outermost of the markets, the mercado campesino, which for a gringa is quite an accomplishment.)

I took the picture you see while hiking the mountains above the Bramadero, where I found this grand old thing blooming. A very nice surprise in an otherwise relatively stark environment.

Didn´t get too much accomplished workwise today. After the morning´s adventure had lunch with the Don and Dona and then an ice cream with Dona Mabel at my favorite little ice cream shop, Heladeria Primavera, where the Senora makes the very best ice creams. I visit frequently and yesterday she promised to make banana especially for me today, which she did. We arrived just as the ice cream was finishing and it was truly delicious. Tonight there´s a violin concert sponsored by the AF, which, if moved, I may go to. Otherwise, I´ll just read and go tomorrow night.