170 CultureShock! Bolivia
the terrorists were seized after a riot that I witnessed,”
says Daniela, “the rest of the prison population came to
their defence.”
Daniela often attempted to convince the terrorists that
there is no justifi cation for violence against innocent human
beings. In the process of these discussions, she made a few
friends. “Because of these friendships,” she laments, “the
government began to be suspicious of me.”
Out of prison and past downtown Obrajes, the road runs
precariously close to Rio Choqueyapu. If the wind is blowing,
do not breathe through your mouth.Plaza Humboldt
Plaza Humboldt is the fi nal stopping place, the gateway to the
south suburbs. This is the scene of Sunday outdoor art exhibits
of attractive popular art with typical Bolivian scenes.
For parents with children, most of the best private schools,
including the German-Bolivian School, the Colegio Franco-
Boliviano, the Montessori School, the Saint Andrews School
and the most expensive of them all, the English language
Colegio Calvert, are all found in this warmer southern tier
of La Paz.
In 1999, a group of students, mainly from Calvert, at least
one the son of a United States Embassy offi cial, went on a
rampage, damaging parked cars and harassing Chola street
vendors. In a city whose abject poverty and lack of recreation
facilities should breed street gangs but rarely does, this youth
rampage involved the bored and affl uent, many of whom
belonged to exclusive private recreation clubs. Racism was
an ugly factor in the disturbance. The oasis of the Zona Sur
became yet another contradiction in the city’s superimposed
human geography.
La Paz is a rugged piece of earth where the city never
ceases to be an intruder, no matter how many streets are
paved or bridges built. Every day, one way or another,
people in La Paz must do battle with its incongruent,
deterministic geography. An upstairs climb into Alto
Sopocachi at 1.5 km (2.5 miles) above sea level is never
an unconscious act.