Christmas in Cochabamba

After the remoteness of the Torotoro area, we were looking forward to some civilization in the city of Cochabamba. The city is very beautiful and not touristy at all. We felt like we were the only foreigners. We visited the Cristo de la Concordia, the second largest statue of Christ in the world after the famous one in Rio de Janeiro. Since the cable car didn't open until later, we climbed the 1,300 steps on foot. It was very hot and we felt half dehydrated when we reached the top, but the spectacular view of the entire city and surroundings quickly made us forget the effort.

We had less luck with other sights. The Convento de Santa Theresa was being renovated and the Palacio Portales was closed for the holidays. So we visited a dinosaur park, which was more geared towards younger children, but we had fun. We filled our days with explorations of the city, shopping for gifts, and enjoying the atmosphere at the markets. We spent the evenings in the main square or on the Prado. Both were decorated with colorful and blinking Christmas lights. Everyone was wearing Santa Claus hats and taking photos with reindeer and snowmen. But we didn't really feel the Christmas spirit, it was too warm, too colorful, and too wild. One time we visited the large movie complex and watched a Christmas comedy in Spanish.

But the absolute highlight was Christmas itself. We were warmly welcomed from the beginning by Andrea and her family. We always had lunch with the family and were served typical dishes from Cochabamba, which we had the opportunity to try. They tasted excellent. On Christmas Eve, we attended a mass at the Santa Theresa Church and then eagerly awaited midnight with the family, which is a tradition here. Afterwards, we had dinner and exchanged gifts. We also joined the family for a meal on December 25th, as if we had always been part of it. With a laughing and a crying eye, we said goodbye in the evening to continue our journey.