When I lived in Korea if I saw a white guy in the street, I could be almost certain that he was a teacher, that he spoke English but very little Korean, and that he was only living in the country for a few years at most.
Things are not so easy in Bolivia though. A white or blonde or blue-eyed or tall person stands out on the streets of Bolivia, but that does not mean that the person is a gringo. As a blanket term to cover those people who are not gringos, I’ve – very unfairly – labelled them the Ruling Class.
The Ruling Class can be distinguished from resident gringos (i.e. volunteers) by their perfect Bolivian accents, by their more severe, very latin fashion, by their implants and immaculate make-up, and by their studied expressions of disdain for those beneath them.
Unfair as the term may seem, it is none the less true that the whiter people in Bolivia tend to be the wealthier ones. Historically the also tend to dominate Bolivian politics, often to advance their own interests (i.e. staying white, rich and beautiful).
For anyone who is curious, here are some places in Cochabamba at which you can be sure to find the Ruling Class.
At outdoor recreation facilities. Like all white people, the ruling class like to have an impressively even tan. They can be found perfecting their tans at the swimming pools and beach volleyball courts. Being taller and better looking than most people, the ruling class are particularly suited to volleyball. Note that soccer fields cannot be considered as recreation facilities, because they are ubiquitous and because soccer is a poor man’s sport.
At Burger King. Burger King is the only major western franchise in Cochabamba, and as such isn’t viewed as proletarian and common, but as prestigious. Although French fries are available at every eatery in Bolivia, Burger King fries are more expensive and thus considered superior by the ruling class. Burger King is thus a place for looking your best and splashing out with your ample cash.
At any other international eatery. Chicken, potatoes and rice are the staples of the Bolivian diet. Any other foods are considered exotic and thus elite by the ruling class. This is why they are so often found in Brazilian restaurants, or more rarely in Asian restaurants. Brazilian food is considered safer by many because it is not so distant in its exoticism.
North of the river. The river running through Cochabamba separates north from south, and attractive from common. North of the river the city begins to look more blandly suburban, and there is more space for recreational facilities and car parks. This is the ideal neighbourhood of the ruling class.
Behind very high walls topped by barbed wire or broken glass. In many places opulent houses are built to display to the neighbours, provoking jealousy. In Bolivia the nicer your house, the more you conceal it behind gates, walls, guards, broken glass and barbed wire to keep jealous people as far away from it as possible.
In an SUV. A cumbersome, fuel-guzzling vehicle may seem unsuited to the narrow, congested streets of Cochabamba, but these petty inconveniences are far outweighed by the prestige attached to owning such a vehicle, and by the opportunities these present, if you are a male, to ride around with your buddies throwing water balloons at girls. Such vehicles are also useful for keeping expensive hair, shoes, and faces out of the mud and rain when the wet season arrives.
At the Mormon temple. The Mormon temple in Cochabamba – the 82nd in the world – is located far north of the river, in the quietest, poshest area. It and its sprawling complex of buildings are surrounded by a high fence, and its white façade is visible from a great distance. Mormonism, like Burger King, is a western import, and while in much of the world this would not be so, the church in Cochabamba keeps to itself and to its splendid, north-side, ruling class neighbourhood.
