On a tour

You’re finding out, as am I, that maintaining a blog whilst on a tour is not as straightforward as it seemed at the ‘home’ planning stage for some of the following reasons:

- I prefer to write and post soon after the action and for this…
- you need the Internet, preferably in English,,,
- without experiencing frustrating technical difficulties
- you need some time each day for blogging…
- and for a few days there hasn’t been any time, due to arriving after dark, having a quick wash, eat, fall into bed
- where there’s no Internet it’s difficult to write, save and post later as the blog info will be out of time and ‘old news’
- nothing too out of the ordinary happens as a participant of a tour due to having everything done for you, making it difficult to: write about getting lost; getting stuck; Fawlty Towers-type hotels; starvation (doesn’t happen); sense of achievement at finding somewhere.
- not having to think has the affect of disabling major aspects of the brain, such as: deciding when to get up (and go to bed); what to look at; get confused about how to spend the allocated time at a museum/market/restaurant; converse coherently with travelling companion when in the company of others (17, tour leader, driver and guides) - and much more. Even the ‘super watch’ has gone quiet.

I got into a spot of bother today (tour group member behaviour) during photographing of Bolivian Flag Day, in the main Sucre square. The main action comprised of hundreds of young children (some very young) dressed up in various uniforms, preparing themselves and later marching with a band en masse. Each little band of youngsters was headed up by a little drummer and a tiny baton twirler (Deborah!). The really interesting stuff was watching mothers and other family members fussing over their ‘pride and joy’. Most of the children were unsmiling and supervised by matron-like figures in unflattering aprons (dragon-like) and there was very little spontaneous smiling amongst the kids.

Anyway, I got carried away taking photographs in the throng whilst the rest of the tour group were rounded up, ready to drive (in a bus) to take a look at the outside of the supreme court building. r caused the said bus to drive round the block whilst I was rounded up. My travelling companion’s face was enough of a reprimand to render me temporarily subservient (only for about five minutes!) and obedient to the requirements of being a member of a tour group.
Well, it’s off for a flight to La Paz (45mins) tomorrow and I will be good and ready - as per instructions. Apparently we are in the middle of our tour at the moment - so more training in store.