I am volunteering at Andoriña hostel in Samaipata. Samaipata is a little village in the Andes in the Santa Cruz region of Bolivia, its in a valley surrounded by mountains, there are no cash machines or supermarkets and the only internet available is in one of two internet cafes where the connection is incredibly slow. Its a very quiet, peaceful and picturesque place.
The hostel is located 2 blocks away from the main square, it has a maximum capacity of 20 and is run by a couple called Andres (Holland) and Dora (Samaipata). They're a pretty odd couple. Eccentric vegetarian eco hippies, neither of them are very chatty or have any discernable social skills. When I arrived, after almost 24 hours travelling, I introduced myself as the new volunteer and expected to be welcomed with some kind of induction, a tour of the hostel, perhaps maybe even a cup of tea. But no. All I got was a frosty hand shake and I was left sat at a table for hours. No one even showed me where my room was.
The hostel is nice, it has lots of plants and hammocks and verandas where its nice to sit and chill. My room is downstairs in the communal living room, but no one uses it so I have a pretty large space to myself, and my own bathroom.
I get to stay here for free, free breakfast, and free reign on the hostel in exchange for working here 5 afternoons a week. Although its not exactly clear what I have to do, as nobody bothered to explain it to me. Basically I have to be around from 1pm, incase anybody arrives, sometimes there are beds to be made, or washing up to be done, but most of the time I just sit around in one of the hammocks and drink coffee. The lame thing is that I have to stay here all the time, even though theres nothing to do. I have to lock up at night and be around incase anyone forgets their key or incase we have late arrivals. I dont see myself staying here the 6 weeks theyre expecting me to stay.
No comments:
Post a Comment