The Bolivian People 65also prepared to patch a leaky roof or clean the yard. If they
hear you talking about stained glass windows or mosaic
tiles, they will jump in and assure you: “I’ll take care of
that too!”
Their charge is low but there’s a catch—just when you’re
ready to step into a warm bath or write an urgent business
letter, the man will tell you he’s missing two metres of pipe
or six nails, and you’ll have to run to the hardware store.
Forty-fi ve minutes later, after you have rewarmed the bath
water, the man will tell you he needs six tiles to cover up the
spot where he broke through the fl oor. You will then have to
hail a taxi and search for a matching tile design.
You are required to see that these independent
entrepreneurs are well fed. It’s worth it for the low fee they
are charging, but don’t expect to get any work of your own
done while they are around. In the worst case scenario,
they will be lacking an important tool for your unique
repair problem.
Result: these amiable itinerant repairmen are more
than willing to do everything within their limited power to
solve your problem. But if you are not hit by an emergency
situation, it is best to fi nd the right technician, through word
of mouth, from the formal economy. Even then, don’t expect
everything to work out smoothly; most of these guys do not
own a truck, and somewhere during the day, they discover
that they must return to their workshop for a tool that they
did not anticipate needing.
These men, as well as other service-oriented personnel
such as bus and taxi drivers, are addressed as maestro, which
means master. Having got to know and appreciate several
maestros, I am further impressed by the luck factor in life.
A simple quirk of being born in El Alto, Bolivia instead of
Palo Alto, California, makes the difference between US$ 10 a
day and US$ 60 an hour, the difference between subsistence
and affl uence.
Bus Drivers and Unemployed Professionals
Many Bolivian micros are old 1950s school buses. For about
US$ 0.20, you can ride anywhere in the city, and also to