Sucre

All buses going from Samaipata to Sucre are overnight buses (and it's not really possible to travel in small sections because there are no places to stay along the way to Sucre) so I boarded a bus cama (and it was the most comfortable bus I have been on so far - the seats were really flat like beds) at 8 pm yesterday and arrived in Sucre at 8 am. I slept well and from 6 am observed the world outside. It was mostly mountains, rather bare - only low shrubs here and there - and dried out rivers. It looked like a very hostile environment for people to live in and the houses I saw along the way were mostly abondoned. I read in the guidebook that there were severe draughts in the 1980s and people moved to cities, mostly to Sucre. The city it again on the top of the mountains, at the altitude of 2,790 m. It was founded in 1538 and is also called La Ciudad Blanca because all buildings in the center are painted white. In 1992 UNESCO declared the city "Patrimonio Historico y Cultural de la Huimanidad". I took a nap right after I came to make the body adjust to the hights again. And since 2 pm I was walking around the town. I visited the Cathedral and the museum. A guide explained all the nuances of the sacral art. But I didn't find the church very impressive. The only thing which I found interesting were two huge white angels in the museum hanging from the celeing and holding candelabras. They looked very much like angel Gabriel from the movie titled "Constantine" which I saw in Santa Cruz (the movie wasn't very good - the only thing I liked about it was the portrayal of demon Balthazar who was a businesman dressed in sophisticated suit and residing in a corporate office of a skyscraper). Much more interesting was the Iglesia de La Merced. I went to the top, where the bell is, and the view of the city was wonderful from there - white buildings, courtsquares inside them and red-tiled roofs. The church itself was modest and dark but had a nice "old" feel to it. I also came across a community of houses being built on one of the streets very close to the main square. They are almost finished - men only work on details such as kitchen cabinets, closets and tiles in bathrooms. I met Silvana who bought one of the houses ($45,000) and she showed me around her house and the adjecent houses. They are modern inside but the outside architecture resembles the old colonial houses surrounding them so they are two-storey, red-tiled roofs, patios in front and small courtyards inside. Usually the kitchen is connected to the living room and the big glass doors overlook the patio. The bathrooms are mind-blowing. Very beautiful. I think I would love to live in a house like this one day.

There are so many interesting places to see in this city. I think I will stay here until Monday. Buenas noches.