Malingering / Convalescing

Having been in Bolivia since the beginning of the month, the playing of folk instruments has been curiously absent. This morning, however, I was awoken by the loud playing of pan pipes and the beating of a drum at some time before 6am. Cochabamba is certainly not a quiet city, and there is the almost constant noise of traffic and the honking of horns outside our window at all hours of the day. Despite the rude awakening, it didn't change the fact that I felt remarkably better after yesterday's bout of illness. Nevertheless, K insisted that I spend the day recovering strength and so a regime of rest was enforced.

We started the day with fresh fruit and yoghurt, in order to take on some vitamins.

Two litres of yoghurt may be a bit much

Lunch was a similarly healthy affair of spicy tomato and quinoa soup, by which time I was itching to get out for some air.

Quinoa soup

To complement this morning's serenade, a brass band fired up every now and then throughout the day. I presume some manner of event was taking place during the silences, but convalescence did not allow for leaving the confines of the flat.

By the evening, I persuaded K that we should break with the healthy regime and indulged in a vegetarian version of the Cochabamba classic, pique macho. This typically involves bits of beef (here replaced with fake meat), on top of fried potatoes, with onions, bell pepper, spicy locoto pepper, and hardboiled eggs. It also comes in portions large enough that to finish one is considered 'macho'.

Decidedly un-macho vegetarian pique

Ours was considerably smaller and a glass of purely medicinal red wine went rather well with it.