Small in Hollywood

What a day yesterday - it all started Wednesday when we had a call
from Laura Dern,  the lovely beautiful actress asking if she and
Cecilia Peck could borrow some jewellery for a special event
commemorating the life of Gregory Peck - because the postal service
had made a a special stamp with an image of Gregory Peck.

Cecilia Peck came in - a beautiful gentle lovely lady and we fussed
and tried different necklaces on her and found the perfect collection
of pieces for she and Laura to wear. Then Cecilia kindly invited
Marcia and I to the event!

I was so excited - I have loved Gregory Peck for a long lone time - he
seems to somehow embody the perfect man - the Atticus Finch of to Kill
a Mocking Bird - so honourable and righteous - so handsome and decent,
standing up for what is right - A wonderful father and husband - a
dignified, politically active, left leaning humanitarian - in watching
his films - the black and white movies of the 1940's and technicolour
of the 1950's it seems a time of quality - of proper manners and
sophistication.


Marcia and I were invited to the friends and family entrance at the
academy building and all the paparazzi went mad with Sharon Stone who
was introducing the event - and the Peck family.
Marcia and I sat through the films clips, the wonderful talks by
Morgan Freeman, laura Dern, his sons and daughter, we cried at the
scene in to kill a mockingbird when all the black people in the
courtroom balcony stand up as Atticus leaves the court room out of
respect for him..


Sydney Poitier was there, Tina Sinatra, David Niven's son, the actress
who played Scout in the film, there was messages from Harper Lee -
It was wonderful -

Later that day slightly recomposed - we had our Turquoise Mountain
Show for the Afghan collection - a lovely evening - the shop full of
exotic colourful birds of women - a great success ..

Later that evening as we went to dinner to celebrate who was at the
next table but the beautiful Sophia Loren!
Ah Hollywood ...xx

More Bolivia

what a glorious day it was ...I went to the cooperative association
house and we all jumped in to an old truck and headed off to the mine.
La Paz rather delightfully just ends - hustle bustle buses trucks
markets stalls houses then stop...nothing but vast heart breaking
beautiful mountains, glorious deep valleys full of llama herds the odd
tiny farmstead but no one ..nothing but beautiful mountains.
As we drove the head of the coop explained that they believed there is
a demon that lives in the mine - he is called affectionately the Uncle
- he has forbidden woman to enter the min. Phew.

They explained more about the benefits of the certification - they are
saving to by an oven to refine the gold themselves as they believe
that the local refinery cheats them. They also explained about the
Mercury recycling and now they have a method of reactivating the
Mercury so it never runs out.

As we rose up the mountains with snow capped peaks around up we
reached El Cumbre - the summit where the truck skidded to a halt and
everyone jumped out - to give their respects to Panchamama - the earth
mother - a bottle of alcohol was produced and sprinkled on the ground
everyone took a swig and spat it on to the ground. She loves alcohol
apparently and the more they can be on her good side the more gold,
but also more seriously she protects them in the mine.

After a couple of hours we left the road and bumped down a dirt road
and stopped on the edge of a precipice. I looked down and down through
mists and beautiful giant curling ferns and wild orchids to the
invisible bottom of the mountain. it looked a long way.
We set off - down a narrow rocky steep path twisting and turning
snaking down over little streams past water falls and flowering lichen
the path was wide enough for one and slippery, everything the miners
need has to be carried in on their backs - there is no other way down.
We passed a few tin shacks where miners and their families lives, the
miners we passed smiled big gold toothed smiles and shook hands
respectfully and then we would edge passed each other and continue. My
legs felt like rubber and my lungs were struggling with the altitude,
it was so beautiful the darting yellow birds big butterflies,
apparently also panthers and deer live here. We passed a few small
shrines with fresh flowers Donna Juana elegantly drew her finger cross
her throat in explanation for the shrines. Miners who had died in the
mine of fallen off the path in the rains. Everyone crossed them selves
and muttered prayers as we passed them. 2 miners where killed a few
months ago from falling rocks.

We finally  reached the bottom after about 45 minutes. It was chilly
and damp with streams and waterfalls converging, I was shown around
the mine, a small gathering of tin roofed buildings housing the
tumblers, grinders and Mercury pool, all very simple and muddy. I was
shown the entrance to the mine with cold dank air and dark frightening
tunnel - the mine runs about a kilometre up the mountain side. Truly a
dangerous and difficult job.


We sat in the little common room and the miners coming off duty sat
and picked coca leaves out of a plastic bag making a big wad in their
mouths - its bitter so Donna Juana poured boiling water over the
leaves to make a tea to help me up the mountain.
By 4 pm we had to start as it gets dark at 6 and it was a long way
up.. I cold not even see the summit. I started up but very soon my
lungs were bursting and my heart pounding - it was a huge effort
climbing the rocks and pulling myself up with roots etc on the step
parts. For a few minutes I really panicked and thought I am not going
to make it up. I shall have to sleep here or spend the rest of my life
down here. I could get used to it... But slowly slowly we made it up,
stopping every once in a while to catch my breath and rest. On an
opposite peak a small train of miners were going to work for the night
shift (the machinery can not be turned off so the miners are on 8 hour
shifts all day all night. they wold whistled and called across one
mountain peak to another teasing poor Eduardo who was taking me up,
much laughter ...and giving me a chance to catch my breath. Finally
made it to the top after an hour or so . Exhausted and shaky legs.
But good to have seen the mine, met miners and understand the process
and see the land where its coming from .
xx

Bolivia

Hello  - just an update on my trip here. 
I arrived at dawn on Monday
after a long trip and was so excited to be back, it really is the most
dramatic and extraordinary city. I look at it and wonder why would
anyone build a city nestled precariously among lunar jagged mountains,
it is so dry and the sun so fierce, it is so high that you struggle to
breath easily. It was settled by the Aymara for gold of course, the
river that runs through it, now a stenching toxic death river was full
of gold.


I am very proud as president Evo Morales is now at the for front on
the fight against climate change, he has stood up at the UN for more
extreme action, more then any other country. It is because Bolivia is
suffering hugely as a result of climate change. Glaciers have melted
away, crops fail from over heating, there is drought then flooding..
for one of the poorest countries in the world this is a catastrophe.
The city has an old colonial part, all cobbled narrow streets ornate
baroque churches and colonnaded houses. there is also El Alto the poor
part at the top of the mountain where the poor farmers are migrating
hoping to find work. It is a busy dirty city with buses pumping thick
black smoke and a lot of crime. Every taxi you get in is a tense ride
not knowing if you will be kidnapped and robbed - taxi's don't have a
good reputation here. 


Everyone at the cooperative asked me to please
remove all my bracelet's etc as they tell me (with much graphic sign
language) that my arm will be cut off or my throat cut.. umm..
The streets are full of the Chola's - Indian ladies who wear large
petticoeated skirts, a bowler hat perched on the top of their head, a
lovely fringed shawl of alpaca and their hair in two long plaits that
tie at their waist with coloured pompoms, they sit on the street
selling chilits, tissues or fruit which they then roll onto a shawls
and pack  on to their backs with the baby and other goods.
They are so beautiful!



Bolivia has the worlds shortest people I recently found out and it is
true that a lot of people come up to my waist - but this always causes
many smiles, especially when I squeeze into the public mini bus to
whizz around town.

Today I went with Daniel, he works at cumbrseyallama, a group looking
at the mines, advising and supporting the fair trade process - he is
also  working with ARM (association of responsible miners)  we went to
the office of the cooperative of Cotopata  - up and down mountains we
drove and finally to a small alley and into a little house which was
decorated with streamers and balloons and football trophies, and naked
girly calenders..it was lovely to see Juana (the woman who came to the
Fair trade launch in Hatten Garden and cried with such emotion when
she spoke of how this certification was effecting their lives) and the
whole team - we swapped by piles of cash for a beautiful lump of gold
- which I walked out forgetting and Juana had to run after me - I
shoved that in my pocket and we headed to see Javier - the goldsmith -
we spent a hilarious few hours discussing a new collection, the
aesthetics, size, feel etc all without a language in common - a
perfect understanding..



Tomorrow I go to the mine about 2 hours away and thank goodness it is
considered inauspicious for women to enter the mine as I suffer
claustrophobia - but will be great to see. It is down in a more
tropical zone and a mile walk through the forest to the mine .. I will
let you know all tomorrow xx