I saunter into my favourite cafe in La Paz, Bolivia: La Terraza - where I know I can get a salad fit for a giant that is delicious, clean and cheap. I’m relieved that no one is smoking and I take a seat in the corner, yet quickly move to a window seat, “Much better for people watching!” I joke with the couple at the neighbouring table.
We begin to chat. “We’ve been coming here for 14 years,” the couple explains, as they tell stories of their lovely family and their experiences throughout a decade of changes in La Paz. “Wow, that’s incredible,” I gush in awe. “What a place to be.” They offer travel advice of beautiful Incan ruins and luscious gardens, and then, “Have you been to Chacaltaya?” they ask me. “Yes - actually! I’ve written about that glacier. You must have seen major changes in the last 14 years of coming here…” as my tone drops and I subconsciously shake my head a little. “Chacaltaya?” the woman asks, as if we might not be talking about the same glacier. “The glacier just nearby - it’s beautiful.”
“When was the last time you were there?” I ask. “Must have been 12 years ago now,” the woman mumbles. “Its ice and snow have melted over 80 percent in the last 20 years - there’s almost nothing left of it…” I sound like a broken climate change record. “But it’s the highest ski hill in the world - a stunning place where the birds fly beneath you,” the woman reminisces. I continue, “…They say it will be entirely gone in the next year or two. You should go see it while you’re here.” The tone in my voice and the looks on their faces made me feel like I was telling them they had to go visit a dying friend before she passed away, and this was the first they ‘d heard she was ill. Continue reading ‘Saying Goodbye to a New Friend’