As we left the outskirts of El Alto, walls stretched along the highway marked with sí or no in various sizes and colors supporting or rejecting an extended term of the current president Evo Morales. It was difficult to assess where the majority lie.

I gazed out my window and sat uncomfortably while litter was thrown out the bus with nonchalance.  Unfortunately, public posters condemning these actions have not yet made an impact. The cityscape transformed into fields of multicolored quinoa and llamas. The sky was a brilliant blue and the air was eased of the exhaust fumes from the city.

The hours passed uneventfully until we stopped in a town. The driver announced a fifteen minute break, stepped out and was soon hunched over a large plate with rice, chicken, and potatoes, squeezed between several diners outside. Ample women wearing long black braids, the typical large skirts, sweaters and aprons were sitting or standing before covered pots where the question, “Qué tiene?” revealed chicken soup, meat stew and other fare. I asked for a bowl of sopa de mani, which cost less than a dollar, and squeezed in too on a long. narrow, wooden bench. Although the tasty, large portion sated me, it was not unusual for a diner to ask for more of something at no extra charge.

The stray dogs, never far, and remarkably patient and placid, sat near the cooking area just beside our table. These dogs, in a multitude of colors and sizes, like the many others I have seen in both Chile and Bolivia, rarely fight and display remarkably civilized manners. They quietly consumed the scraps of food thrown their way.

The part of the town I saw was similar to El Alto. Dusty dirt roads ran between brick low buildings in various stages of completion and occupancy. Residents and travelers visited the small markets set up near the roadside offering a limited assortment of dry goods and produce. Women carried their babies and possessions in the ubiquitous, colorful, bulging parcels, expertly tied and arranged to rest on their backs. It was not a scenic spot, but I enjoyed my meal while taking in the ambiance.

After our break, we boarded the bus with a few new passengers and continued on to the Chilean border.