The Search for Glasses

For me, today was a search for glasses.  Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard at all.  After meeting with our translator for a couple hours going over our teaching notes, we went downtown by the plaza, because that is where most of the tourist/foreigner stores are located and figured that would be where the eyeglass places are as well.  After walking around a little while, we found what we thought was an eyeglass store.  It was all marble and glass, and had a security guard with a shotgun.  Almost every atm and bank as well as high end store has an armed security guard here.  They never talk or do anything other than open the door, but they are there none the less.

Turns out that the store we went into is only for high end sunglasses, so we had to move along.  Ken explained that the tourists and the kids of the super rich Bolivians always like to buy the high end sun glasses and this store caters only to that market.  We walked a little further along and found an eyeglass dispensary.  The store was small, but very well kept and my prescription was in the same format that they used at that store, so we were good to go.  We picked out a nice pair of Tommy Hilfiger frames and she upsold us on the anti-glare lenses etc and the total was $190.  The same thing in Canada would run me $500 or $600 for sure.  Makes you wonder what the markup is in Canada if they can import the frames from the US, make the lenses, mark them up for profit and still charge only $190.

Long story short, they will be ready tomorrow afternoon and I will be able to see again.  Definitely the most expensive water balloon fight I have ever been a part of.