A Not So Cool Trip to the Pool

Today I decided to go for a swim at the pool, to do something different. The pool is the size of a small hotel pool. I knew this place had open swimming from noon to 3 pm, so I arrived at 1:30 only to be told that I could not swim for more than half an hour because there was an event at 2pm. But, there was another pool nearby which I could go to. "Do you know the schedule?" I asked. "No," the pool ladies responded. "Is there a phone number you can call to find out?" I asked. "No," they responded. "Have you ever been to this pool?" I asked. "No," they responded. Great! So I ran over to the other pool to find out if I could go for a quick swim before work. Well, no one was there to greet me, just a lot of people swimming in this pool that was about two times bigger than the other, but still not very large. I almost just snuck in, but then I saw the cleaning girl so I asked her if I could go in the pool. She said I needed a swim cap, which I didn't have but was willing to buy, and told me something like I had to be out by 2 pm. I paid her, and she couldn't give me my change because the owner was not there. So I couldn't buy a swim cap either. I was losing my patience so I told her I was just going to go in the pool and when the owner came he could fix me up with a swim cap.

I was the only one with a bikini and no swim cap. I tried to swim casually in a lane with another girl. Unfortunately the lanes are only wide enough for two midgets to share the lane. I got splashed repeatedly. The water was kind of murky and there were chips of colored nail polish floating around me. I got whacked in the head with the girl's arm as I watched a man belly flop into the pool in an attempt to dive. At 2 pm, they tried to kick me out of the pool but I tried to convince them to let me stay a bit longer because it was my first time and I didn't know how it worked. They finally kicked me out, even though by 2 o'clock there were only two other people swimming in the pool. I went to the shower, amazed at how complicated the swimming pool can be here, and on my way out I slipped and fell right on my tailbone!! Well, that's what happens when you're in a bad mood - bad stuff.

I met another traveller from Brazil while in La Paz who had shared with me his opinion that in Bolivia, "eles não sabem receber turistas," meaning "they do not know how to receive tourists." I am starting to believe that.

Here is a tentative review for the pool: "Hey! Your pool sucks!" End of review.

Just kidding. It wouldn't have been that bad if I had known how it worked and wasn't so pressed for time. They only allow you to swim for one hour and you have to enter ON the hour. You can't come in at half-past, like I did. But how is a foreigner supposed to know that when there is no website for the place, or even a way to look up the phone number? I went to the reception area where there are trays of doughnuts for sale (?) and expressed my feelings to the staff. Well, I'm not sure I will be back, but she gave me the "card" for the place which is the number written in pen on a little piece of paper. Meanwhile, I am waiting for my tailbone to get better...