¡Buen Dia!
Well we did it! We climbed Tunari, or so we think. Our morning started out at 6:30 am when Peter took us to Quillacollo. From there we caught a micro bus to Chaquiri. When the taxi driver told us we were there, we didn´t believe him because there were no houses or people to been seen! It was very cloudy so we asked him to point us in the direction of Tunari, he did, we barely trusted him but started walking. After about 10 minutes we ran into this small town, and some locals who helped us figure out where to go. This ¨town¨ consisted of maybe 5 houses made of stone and mud, and many many llama´s. No running water, no electricity, very very basic. After a 3 hour climb, some of the most beautiful land we have ever seen, and many ¨no I think that peak looks taller, lets go this way¨ we made it to the saddle of Tunari. We took lunch there; fresh bread, and some PB & J. We froze our butts off while eating, hats, mittens, coats, pants were all needed to stay a bit warm. We then made a 50 vertical meter climb to the peak, where the view was absolutely amazing. Well, not really because we were in the middle of a cloud. Looking over the edge was one of the scariest things we´ve done, it was a pure straight drop, and it took a rock 5 seconds to hit anything. Amazing as it was we continued to head down and make it back home by 5 oclock. Quite a day Wednesday was.
Thursday consisted of finishing our gazebo, putting up the frame for the roof and laying the tiles. The clay tiles ended up being A LOT heavier than we though, and when all temporary supports were out, the roof sagged a lot more than we liked. So we went out and bought two more posts and a support, used car jacks to jack up the roof, and the put the posts underneath. Truly Calvin engineering at its best.
Friday we made a gutter for the gazebo and layed some more cement in needed places, it was a rather relaxing day. Today (Saturday), we fixed a roof leak and some other things, and then went out to try some chica. It’s a local drink made out of corn. Not to bad, and quite cheap. Only 10 bs ($1.50ish) for about 4 liters!
As some of you might know, and some may not, our time at BCM is coming to an end very fast. We have decided to leave BCM on Monday, and travel to la paz to do some traveling of our own. Here is a rough itinerary:
Monday take a 7 hour bus ride to la paz, then take a 3 hour taxi to Copacaban, a town on a lake. Then Tuesday take a boat to isle del sol (a very beautiful island) and hike across that, which takes about 5-6 hours. We will spend tuedsay night on the other side of the island.
Wednesday we will take a slow travel back to la paz, maybe spending some time in Copacabana, exploring that city, and then eventually spending the night in la paz at a hostel. Thursday we a taking a guided bike ride down the world´s most dangerous road. Don´t worry, we have a guide, nice equipment, and a ride back, on a different road. Friday we hope to maybe ski down the world´s highest ski resort. It costs about $15 dollars for a ride there and rental. Lift tiket? No, don’t need one because there is no working lift. You have to hike up to the top. Then we plan to catch our plane at 10 oclock at night out of el alto (city close to la paz) and head home!
All the kids are finally filtering in from their summer vacations (yes summer vacation), and BCM is filling up. We´ve had to add 2 tables in order to make room for all of the kids to eat now! So much fun to learn the new kids names and to see new smiles!

Friday night, we got to take all the kids to downtown Cochabamba. Peter has a large bus which can pack us all in! We went to an ice cream place called globos. It´s 3 stories high and has a very large playplace inside of it (mcdonalds type). We all got icecream there and playe with the kids all night. It was an extremely fun time, even the bus ride to and from were fun. The kids sing the whole way, even songs that made us dance. These kids do know how to entertain and have fun!
Here are some pictures of our recent adventures:
edit: sorry the picture´s aren´t loading right now, we´ll try again tomorrow!

As always, thanks for your overwhelling support and prayers. They are still needed, as the election for the new constitution is this Sunday, and our travels start on Monday. The kids still make up smile and laugh every day, it´s great being here!
Love you all,
Zach, John, Cam, Alex