January 9, 2008 Dear Friends, The new year started with the sound of explosions all over the city! No, it was not civil war, it was fireworks! All over Cochabomba there were beautiful displays. Unfortunately, even on New Years, we’d like to get some sleep, but some folks insisted on partying all night. There is a popular huge firecracker named the “mother-in-law-killer” that sound like a grenade going off! These went off all night, leaving...

Is Bolivia Safe? The simple answer is yes…today. The question of safety must address three specific concerns: 1) general safety from crime, 2) civilian conflicts such as political riots and 3) civil war. Crime exists in Cocahbamba. There is one area in town where even the US Embassy and the city government warn folks not to go at night. So we don’t go there! There are warnings against females being out and about alone, so we don’t do that...