OUR TRAVEL TO COCHABAMBA, BOLIVIA
We were asked by President and Sister Dyer (Dan and Christy) to do a health presentation in two of their Zone Conferences. We flew first to La Paz which has the highest airport in the world at 13,392 feet (Mount Rainier is 14, 000 feet) and noticed when the airplane door opened to pick up more passengers, just how little oxygen is in the air in this city of one million plus. Mount Illimani, is a snow covered spire and along with other smaller peaks seem to overlook and protect this vast valley. After a half hour layover, we flew next to Santa Cruz and had a 3 hour layover. Santa Cruz is a tropical city and reminded us of Hawaii. Everything is very lush and green. Santa Cruz is at 1,438 feet with lots of oxygen, and has a population of 1,200,000 people and is the economic capital of Bolivia. Much of it is very new.
When we flew into Cochabamba, we saw lots of agriculture and a patchwork design to the landscape. This beautiful valley was surrounded by green mountains. We could see the Cochabamba Temple, set above and overlooking the city. The altitude there was 8,329 with a population of 700,000. This area reminded us of the climate in Seattle and it even rained one night. It never rains in Lima, so we enjoyed the fresh smell of rain!
It was turning dusk by the time we drove up to the temple and mission home and we were able to stop and get a few pictures.
This lovely building houses the temple missionaries, members from outside of the city who are visiting, a distribution center, and a cafeteria.
The next morning, we visited the clinic where most of the missionaries go. One of our tasks is to assess the quality of health care given and to establish a relationship between the clinics/hospitals and the mission presidents wife who oversees their healthcare. We were asked to return the next day.
This is the beginning of the zone conference. It was great to see some of our missionaries we had in the CCM and to see how well they are learning spanish.
After our health presentation, Christy's sister Liza and her husband Loren took us to see the huge Christus overlooking Cochobamba. We enter this park and then took a gondola to the top of a big hill.
We walked up the final few hundred feet. This was the view at the top!
This is the largest Christus in the world! You can take a winding staircase up to the arms and look through the small portholes. Up close, this statue is very geometric and stoic, but is a wonderful symbol for any city in the world.
Steve and Loren by the bible.
This shows just how big it is.
We really enjoyed seeing this beautiful valley.
You can barely see the temple in the picture below, with its white spire! The right hand of the Christus seems to point directly to the Cochabomba Temple. A lovely thought, anyway!
We returned to the chapel in time to watch the missionaries play a game. They were asked to write down something their companion should do, like pushups, twirling, act like a chicken, etc. So, they wrote it on a piece of paper and had to sign it. But, when they got ready to play, the zone leaders told everyone that they had to actually do the action, themselves. The lesson being, you shouldn't ask someone to do something, unless you are willing to do it yourself!!! Lots of laughing and fun.
The following day, we were given a great tour of this clinic and happy to see that they have a very modern facility to serve our missionaries.
This was the reception and check in area.
This is the pharmacy and below some doctors and nurses.
We have the elders with us to help translate for us and appreciate their talent to do so!
We were shown their xray machine and their lab.
They are very proud of their scan machine.
This will be their new ICU unit!
This was their area for primies and neonatal care.
We enjoyed meeting with the clinic administrator and appreciated the tour she gave us.
This is the lovely mission home located across the street in back of the Cochabamba Temple! Following are just a FEW pictures of the beautiful temple grounds!
The flower gardens at the temple have every variety of hibiscus flower.
These steps lead to the building that houses the temple missionaries, members outside of the area, and a distribution center, and cafeteria.
The white puffy clouds reminded us of Seattle and it had rained during the night!
This is a beautiful temple and about twice the size of the Lima Temple.
The gardenias were scattered all around!
This is a plumeria tree
What a lovely temple and flowers, too!.
I met these children from Cusco who stayed overnight at the temple housing.
Another gardenia bush and they smell very sweet.
Hermano and Hermana Perez from Venezuela are friends with President Pino!
The mission home is just across the street on the backside of the temple.
The inside yard is well landscaped and very private.
This is a beautiful ficus tree.
Every corner has a wide variety of flowers, shrubs, and trees.
This is their BBQ gazebo and dining patio.
Following are pictures of the inside of the mission home!
This is Sonia, their housekeeper and cook, who also served President and Sister Cheri Parker several years earlier. They were from Seattle and I served in the Seattle Temple with her. I'm holding a healthy African violet that once was Cheri's. Sonjia wanted to show Cheri how well it is growing! What a small world!
This bookshelf is loaded with their Bolivian travels.
An extra bedroom.
We stayed in this lovely room.
After lunch on Thursday, Liza took us and another couple from Santa Cruz to a lovely historical home and grounds of one of the riches men in the world. He was very family friendly and wanted the best for them. This home was never lived in, because of the demands of time and travel and thus, it is well preserved.
Liza is on the left and the missionary couple are from Santa Cruz.
This is the main house and is very elegant with hand painted murals on the ceilings and walls.
I got a few indoor pictures, before I realized I could not take them.
Bathhouse and pool area. Just outside the main house is an entrance to a lovely art gallery to show local artists. We enjoyed the opportunity to take some photos of a young Peruvian woman's talent. Her name is Chris Marker and we loved her geometric patterns and her vibrant, mono-colored pictures. Hope you enjoy her work, too.
We went back outside to see more of the gardens.
This was the entrance to the art gallery.
A trumpet tree and bird of paradise.
This was the horse stables.
You can barely see this beautiful mansion and the exotic landscape from the street and it's right in the middle of the city.
You can see the huge Christus on the hill pointing to the temple!
This is the native dress for Cochabamba.
You see street vendors everywhere!
Some streets look very modern, with splashes of Spanish colonial architecture.
Back with the missionaries and their games.
President and Hermana Dyer!
The beautiful Cochabamba Temple at night!
The temple doors.
This is a family that traveled by bus from Cusco
This is a family of four generations from Cusco who have come to do temple work for the week.
The Cochabamba mission office.
We left the mission office and visited our last clinic to check on adequate care. This will be a second clinic our missionaries can use.
Elder Purdue was our translator!
Santa Cruz airport.
A few lovely Flowers at the airport.
We said goodbye to Bob and Kris Bloomer at Pardos, just around the corner form our apartment!
