I go to the bus terminal to enquire about buses to Oruro for the famous Carnaval parade the following day, and the answer is ¨Mañana, mañana.¨ It's not possible to purchase a ticket in advance of your proposed journey, only for buses leaving today.
Outside the terminal, which is not situated in one of the better parts of town, there are plenty of shady-looking characters in the shade (and some are so drunk they are sleeping it off in the shade).
A guy eyeballs me and in passing says, ¨Hey Gringo!¨ and by the way he says it I do not understand this to be a friendly greeting to a foreigner visiting his country, or a preamble to going for a drink together to discuss commonalities.
So, are we talking stereotypes? It´s certainly true that (at least here in Bolivia), the word mañana does crop up quite a lot, but (I like to think that) most people are far too caught up in the moment to possibly want to do anything other than what they are currently doing (although that may appear to be very little), and tomorrow will obviously be the best time in which to deal with whatever you might want doing now, despite any urgency expressed to the contrary.
As for ¨Hey Gringo!¨ in my six months in South America I have so far experienced very little in the way of aggression (not counting drivers, who seem to have the same problem the world over), overt aggression, or the background variety that has become the norm in the UK.
I´m not saying it doesn´t exist, and if you were to read the papers, or even the Foreign Office advice to travellers, you would most probably not even be here in the first place.
In general I have found people to be polite and courteous, and are not usually in so much of a hurry that they can´t stop and chat for a while. Even the security guard outside the bank, in his green military-style uniform, complete with bullet-proof vest, handgun in holster, menacing wrap-around mirror shades, and clutching a pump-action shot gun across his chest, greets me with a friendly ¨Buenos dias señor.¨
Outside the terminal, which is not situated in one of the better parts of town, there are plenty of shady-looking characters in the shade (and some are so drunk they are sleeping it off in the shade).
A guy eyeballs me and in passing says, ¨Hey Gringo!¨ and by the way he says it I do not understand this to be a friendly greeting to a foreigner visiting his country, or a preamble to going for a drink together to discuss commonalities.
So, are we talking stereotypes? It´s certainly true that (at least here in Bolivia), the word mañana does crop up quite a lot, but (I like to think that) most people are far too caught up in the moment to possibly want to do anything other than what they are currently doing (although that may appear to be very little), and tomorrow will obviously be the best time in which to deal with whatever you might want doing now, despite any urgency expressed to the contrary.
As for ¨Hey Gringo!¨ in my six months in South America I have so far experienced very little in the way of aggression (not counting drivers, who seem to have the same problem the world over), overt aggression, or the background variety that has become the norm in the UK.
I´m not saying it doesn´t exist, and if you were to read the papers, or even the Foreign Office advice to travellers, you would most probably not even be here in the first place.
In general I have found people to be polite and courteous, and are not usually in so much of a hurry that they can´t stop and chat for a while. Even the security guard outside the bank, in his green military-style uniform, complete with bullet-proof vest, handgun in holster, menacing wrap-around mirror shades, and clutching a pump-action shot gun across his chest, greets me with a friendly ¨Buenos dias señor.¨
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