What in the World did I do this day? Most of it was blurry. I had an amazing lunch at this place called 100% Natural. All it was ½ an avocado with diced, boiled chicken on top with beets and carrots as a salad.
I wanted to get to the black market to buy a digital camera, but was exhausted by the afternoon. I ended up going to the Coca museum instead. The amount of euphoria obtained by chewing coca leaves versus doing cocaine is absolutely incomparable. Basically, you can not get high chewing coca leaves. The leaves do help with pain and altitude sickness but you have to continuously chew, and add to the side of your cheek, the leaves for at least 4 hours before there is any effect. Your saliva and the juices from the leaves mix and takes time for the chemicals to turn. Needless to say, I tried a couple leaves (tastes like lawn grass – yes I know what lawn grass tastes like – I was a weird child.) but I’m way too lazy to chew a wad of leaves for 4 hours.
The museum showed how the ancient societies used coca leaves as medicine, vitamin supplements and for ceremonial purposes. The Catholic Church, at first, banned the use of coca leaves but, then approved it when their native slaves were able to work 48 hours non-stop in the mine while only chewing coca.
The recently elected President of Bolivia supports the growth and usage of coca for Bolivians despite international pressures to illegalize the industry of this plant. In response to eradication pressures from the USA, he said, First, we get rid of Coca-Cola, then we can get rid of coca. *
At night, my altitude sickness relapsed. I went to bed about 7 pm and ended up skipping dinner.
*The main buyers of illegally grown coca are from the USA.
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