I love Sucre

So after a few days in La Paz and then a grueling 10 hour bus journey from Cochabamba I arrived at the lovely Sucre. Whitewashed buildings, lovely plazas and a great climate - perfecto. On the first day here I bumped into a German girl that I had met previously so we then spent all day walking around and exploring Sucre and have spent pretty much all our time together.

The next day we went to an artesania shop where I bought a magazine for children who work in the street - think Big Issue for kids. We were in the Plaza having a juice and a read of the magazine when I read that they needed volunteers. I asked one (of the many) kids selling the magazine to take me to the person in charge so I could find out a bit more about the magazine etc.
So off I went to talk with Cesar, a volunteer that brings the magazine to the children. The way it works is that half the money goes to the kid who sells the magazine and half goes towards making more magazines. After a quick chat he asked if I would like to help...so I did. I basically had to go round with a kid and talk the tourists into buying a magazine. I mean it costs nothing but obviously most people sitting in the plaza had been plagued by the many kids selling the magazine so some were really not happy. Soon enough we sold what we needed to though.
After selling the magazines the kids were going to a comedor - a soup kitchen for poor children aged 2 - 14. Cesar invited me to go and help out there as well so again, off I trotted... and I´m so glad I did.
Most of the people helping out were Bolivian university students who go 5 times a week and help out there. Around 150 kids go during the week but this increases on a Saturday. There´s a doctor on hand and if they want they can get a shower there. After we finished and all the kids had gone I had lunch with the rest of the volunteers and they were all so friendly. In fact afterwards they were having a baby shower for one of the women so they invited me to go to their house and party. In the bus ride we were chatting with this random guy who made artesania who gave Cesar and I free rings, so all in all it was a lucky day.

On Sunday I had planned to go and visit a market but said I would help sell the magazine again. I turned up (after 3 hours sleep after getting in at 6 from a club!) to find that no magazine had been published and they wern´t going to be selling that day. The kids, however, had turned up so I spent an hour or so with them just chatting. I let them take pictures on my camera and they absolutely loved it, running around the plaza snapping away.

My plan was to leave on Monday but after meeting such lovely people at the soup kitchen (and other travellers) I said I would go again and help out on Monday. The plan is to do the last day tomorrow - Wednesday, but who knows if I will stay longer....Sucre is one of those places you could stay for a very long time.