There are many official languages in Bolivia, and in the state and city of Santa Cruz one can encounter many different languages. The main language here is Spanish, but the biggest indigenous languages are Guaraní and Chiquitano.
Bolivianos are used in this area, just like in the west state, where I am usually.
Santa Cruz de la Sierra is a much more expensive city than Cochabamba. While you can buy a water bottle the places I've visited in the west for about 7 bolivianos, Santa Cruz would more likely charge ten or 12 bolivianos for the same bottle of water.
The best meal this week is a typical plate from the Amazonian region of Bolivia called majao. First, we fried onions and bell peppers. Then we cooked some beef and pounded it with a really big mortar and pestle and fried it again, this time with rice and spices. Then we placed it in a plate with fried bananas and a fried egg on top. So good!
