How Chloe has still not quite yet found her groove

Right now, enjoying a Sublime (by far my most favorite milk chocolate candy bar), while I wait for the chili to get done. It's impossible to cook beans in a timely manner at 13,000 ft. They've been boiling vigorously for almost 7 1/2 hours and they still have a slight crunch. Oh well, I've become accustomed to late dinners -- class gets done at 9PM and Phil usually gets back from guiding around 8:30/9PM.

I've been in Bolivia for 1 month and have accomplished very little. This is partly due to a week-long promotional tour of southern Bolivia and partly due to...I almost died. Not really, but it felt like it. First I got a parasite. No big deal, the farmacia hooked me up. Then I got a cold from my housemate who now has pneumonia. No big deal, colds don't bother me. Then my weakened immune system let my old parasite come back and give me a full fledged stomach infection. Constant nausea and zero appetite kept me from getting out of bed for 36 hours. Fortunately, Gravity has a doctor on speed dial that makes house calls. She came to my bedside, diagnosed me, wrote me a prescription, went and filled my prescription, and came back to deliver my meds...all for a mere $30. Not too shabby.

I am currently teaching 2 classes, with a few more to come in the next couple of weeks. I enjoy teaching, but 2-4 hours a day isn't enough to make me feel busy and too much to allow me to do much else. I am also training to guide trips on the World's Most Dangerous Road for Gravity, but that's slow-going as I only have 3 days off work, soon to be only 2. At least cost-of-living is mad cheap here. One night, Phil and I lamented at our poor control over our spending: I can't believe we spent 100 bs today!!! Oh yeh, that's only $15 between the two of us, and we bought breakfast, 2 litres of beer, dessert and coffee.

Have I ridden my bike yet? Only a bit on the world's most dangerous gravel road...not on any real trails. Have I climbed yet? Nope, but there are easily accessible sport routes 30 minutes from my house. I plan on going very very soon. What I have I been doing? Cooking, reading and playing on Rosetta Stone....oh and sometimes I teach. I'm all about vacation and relaxation but I have my limits and I am ready for my busier-than-Jesus-extreme-sports-Chloe groove to come back.

Off to eat some good ole' chili n' cornbread (no the altitude has not defeated me in baking).