Global Studies Program
Bolivia 2000
Global Studies Program
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Landing in La Paz (11/21-23)--After
traveling since 3pm the previous afternoon, our arrival at 7:40am in the
capital city of La Paz left us exhausted and a little grumpy. We spent
the first two days acclimating to the high altitude and the bustle of the
city, and the onslaught of Spanish (not to mention tooth-brushing with bottled
water, no fresh salads, electrifying showers...).
Student Reflections: Amy
McClintic; Claudia
Segovia-Salcedo; Inna Birchenko
Coroico: Montane Cloud Forest (11/24-29)--This
hair-raising bus drive east over the high Andes and down the infamous Coroico
Road left us speechless. The incredible hacienda hanging off the mountain
slope at Hostal Kory, with its spectacular daily vista, was a great first
"home base". This mid-elevation region was our first introduction to
some tropical plant families and the sheet-like marine red alga
Hildenbrandia (growing in freshwater streams!).
Student Reflections: Lorena
Brown
Day Trips to Unduavi/Chuspipata: "Paramo" Forest
and Puna (11/30-12/2)--Lodging in La Paz by night, we made daily bus trips
eastward, through the frigid high mountain pass of La Cumbre to reach different
paramo-like forest sites and puna sites, where we studied high-elevation
plants, sampled algae and violet populations, and made faces at the llamas.
Dr. Stephan Beck, Director of the National Herbarium, provided us a guest
"field lecture" during one of our day trips.
Student Reflections: David
May
Sorata: Moist Puna (12/4-8)--A several hour drive
led us to the village of Sorata, nestled deep in a valley of the northern
Bolivian Andes. Lodging at the Residencial Sorata, where our rooms opened
out onto a huge, diverse garden, we made daily truck trips up into the highlands
for algae and pincushion violets. One work day in the puna above a striking
"paramo"-puna transition was cut short by a flash hailstorm. We suffered
a cramped truck bed under a leaky tarp by sharing chocolate, cookies and
3 flavors of Pringles potato chips.
Student Reflections: Bryan
Rayo; Amanda Habel
Copacabana: Dry Puna (12/9-10)--Chaos reigned
supreme in getting our rooming situation settled at the Hotel Ambassador.
The highlights of our brief stay in this pretty lakeside village were
boat trips to the Isles of the Sun and Moon to see remnants of the Incan
culture, and the delicious lake trout. On our drive back to La Paz, we discovered
(and studied) a site where two pincushion violets were hybridizing. So
exciting!
Student Reflections: Aurea
Cortes; Jeremy McKinney;
Angelo Giallombardo
Wrap up in La Paz (12/11-12)--We finished our research collaborations with the National Herbarium folks who helped make the trip run smoothly, did our last flurry of shopping for those essential souvenirs (or gifts to ourselves), and prepared for our return home.