Sick from chicken, but still hungry for more

I have developed somewhat of an addiction to roasted chicken which is served in mass quantities across Cochabamba along with yucca (a potato like root), papas fritas and ricey vegetable stuff. I located a dealer on my bus route home. She is an older woman between 50-55 years old,(usually seen wearing an apron) who knows how to sweet talk foreigners into buying extra food for the ride home. She works with an apprentice, a younger, Latino male 27-30 years old, who is also very kind and hospitable. They sell a full chicken meal for about a dollar.

These dealers are frying and roasting chicken across the city at epidemic levels. Last night, I once again bowed into a store called "American Chicken", mesmerized by the site of 10 chickens rotating on a spit. The juices and an irresistible aroma seeped into my nostrils, holding me in sweet rapture just long enough for another purchase. This time, I think I ate one chicken leg too many!

I am home today trying to make the best of a weary, achy stomach. I recently moved into a beautiful home that I will be watching and sharing with a roommate for the next 3 months. Tired of resting, I took a walk around the neighborhood looking for a video rental place. I noticed that the streets in my new hood were unusually quite today, even during mid-day siesta. I have wandered to IC Norte, a slice of Americana, a mega sized shòpping mall complete with oreos, gourmet coffee and a couple of movie theaters. It too, was practically empty. My brief stroll through IC Norte had the effect of transported me back to the U.S., as if I were once again in the Lloyd Center in Portland, OR, ordering Chinese stir-fry from a 15-year-old.

As I walked out of IC Norte, I was immediately reminded of the reality that exists here in Cochabamba. Outside of the parking lot, I saw 10 buses blockading all roads into the shopping mall and several other major routes around a large rotunda. The buses here are usually American school buses, painted in bright colors - often red, white and blue. The only vehicles passing at the moment are motorcycles and bikes.

Perhaps, this is a good day to be sick at home, since it seems that many stores and businesses have had no choice but to close their doors. It feels so strange to walk the streets on days like these, and witness a city that is basically brought to a stand-still over a dispute between the bus union and the transport authorities. According to the women running this Internet cafe, the bus drivers have been demanding for some time that new bus lines be developed around the city. But, the reality is probably far more complicated, since bus strikes have been a constant problem for the leaders and residents of the city. Thankfully, they usually resolve themselves sooner than later.

I guess I will be taking a cab today.