Loteria

In the plaza in downtown La Paz is a courtyard called the zocalo. They play a bingo style game called Loteria in the afternoon. The object is to fill up the whole card when they call things like "Dama" or "Mano" or "Pajaro". You could say it was a cheap Spanish lesson. It cost cinco pesos every game, which is about 40 cents. Some people got three or four cards but they were faster than I was. I could barely keep up with one card. This picture was posed, like I'd won something, but I never won. I was walking down memory lane today and saw all these pictures from Mexico and I decided I had the right idea but you've got to be a warrior to sustain it without flipping out. Gypsy wandering is an art form, like meditation. There is no way to prevent getting older or to avoid the troubles that will befall you on the road, but there is a way to maximize contentment, to roll with the punches, to experience the highs and the lows.
I didn't plan my trip well enough to stay the whole year (It's been about a year since this picture was taken) but I can see in reflection what changes to make so the time doesn't run out. This was not a vacation. There is only one reason why I would not be wearing a ring on my right hand in this photo. A reason that continues to haunt me...