Its tough but someone's gotta do it.

City life versus country life. We usually think of life in the country as laid back, simple. You know, idyllic. The last few days I got to see country living Bolivian style. Not exactly idyllic but definitely simple. The Altiplano region of Bolivia is at about 3 750 metres above sea level (that's very high). If you've heard of lake Titicaca, its in the Altiplano on the border between Bolivia and Peru. It's covered in short wheat, cattle, rolling hills surrounded by jagged mountains, sheep, some pigs but not very many, a kind of corn they call choclo and small towns. In between the small towns are houses without running water (the water pump is outside the house).

Just like the landscape looks different from the city, so the people are also distinct. While many urban women wear polleras, in the Altiplano region it is more common to see a woman wearing a pollera than pants. Aymara is a language spoken by many people and understood better than Castellano (Spanish) by the older population. Communication can be difficult sometimes if you don't have someone to translate for you. People are people however. Humour is a great way to communicate and humility is a necessity.

Life in this region is not easy. Its what we would picture as pioneer life. Rough, tough and connected to the earth. There has been a drought in the region combined with one of the coldest winters in living memory. This has caused many cattle and even some llama, an animal naturally adapted to cold weather, to die. Life here is directly connected to the land.

That doesn't mean that technology has not reached the area. Cell phones are a great way to communicate. Initiatives from the government are improving literacy amongst males and females. Its an interesting place to visit but this city girl just couldn't hack it here; I really need a manicure.