beezzzzz in Bolivia

Today I had a sweet experience. I tasted the honey of Bolivian bees. Cathryn and I are in Moro Moro, a rural town of 500 people where MCC works with water projects and bee hives.

The rainy season has just finished and everything is green and blooming. The mountains are tall and strong, the sky a clear brilliant blue and I am reminded of Ecuador. The dirt roads wind around mountains that are scattered with potatoes, wheat, oats, and random peach and apple orchards. The air is crisp and the bees are buzzing.

We are going to visit the honey bee hives of a man named Bonifacio. We hike about 45 minutes back a narrow rocky trail until we reach a clearing overlooking a gorgeous valley below. Next we prepare to meet the bees. Fully covered in coveralls, elbow-length gloves, and a bee screen covering my head and face, we hike down to the hive. Nathan (MCC worker) and Bonifacio have smoke that comes out of things that look like watering cans to calm the bees. I am very nervous because I have never been stung before and Cathryn, the writer, is allergic to bee stings. It all works out fine since I feel protected, even though I can hardly see through the screen mask to take photos. We leave without any stings and I am glad!

On another day we visit a small community that MCC supported to build a water system that would bring the water right to their homes. Before they had to walk 4 km for water. We enjoyed a delicious lunch of potato vegetable soup and fresh chicken and rice (see plucked rooster photo).