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Next to 'Es posible dos cervezas por favor?' the most frequently asked question in the bar is probably: 'So how did you guys end up here?' Well, it's a long story, or maybe not. Anyway, Gert was working for the UN in Bolivia, got bored, started up the motorbike business, put up the bar and meanwhile started calling his Dutch friends if they'd like to come over and help him out. That's in short what happened. By now Joy Ride is well on its way to become an established name in Gringolandia.
After some years Gert decided to migrate to a different direction.
There came somebody, definetly crazy, who decided to try for a change in his life.
For many years he was dedicated to a little antique shop in a corner street of his native Italy ( yeah, he’s European too), then came the day that he considered to take a tour in Sucre (in the least appropriated moment). At the end of the tour he had made his decision. He gathered his suit case and his two loves, Tina (the wife) and Filippo (the little son) and took a new direction, be the owner of Joy Ride Cafe.
LORENZO
The mind behind Joy. His head is so well set on his neck that he lost all his hair. For 25 years he has been a stamp collection rat... tired of routine he decided to give a new meaning to his life. Literally. Now he’s Joy’s rat. Stuborn and determined , after running the four corners of Italy in marathons, Lorenzo “The Runner”, haven’t yet accomplished a
10 kilometer run here in Sucre. Like all Latins and most important, like all Romans he is a dreamer (in fact his second mother is the Moon)... but he’s very obstinated when he has an objective and nobody can ever change his mind... not even Tina, the only persone, whom above others, over the years has succeded in following his crazinesses.
His motto? “ You can’t do something because you talk about it, you can do it because you talk about it ? Do it.
TINA
Called “
La Fighetta di Milano”... “Before I met Lorenzo I always travelled carring a hard suit case and a beauty case to have all my things in hand. When we met in Venezuela 8 years ago I’d never have thought I’d be a daughter of the world! Most of all I never thought I’d be a backpack traveller. But that’s what I became and we started traveling with our backpacks and sleeping bags.
Our wanderings stopped, at least for a while, when our son Filippo was born. In fact we’ve been living a easygoing life for some time now.
One day however, tired of the easygoing life, I told Lorenzo “ I’d love to leave Italy and live in a South Americac country” You’d never think he’d taken it to the word ... So, after taking the steps, 4 years later and after having travelled everywhere we ended up in Sucre”.
FILIPPO
“The Terrible”. In the literal context. When Filippo was born he was the most peaceful baby boy. .. he would just eat and sleep and almost never cry. Such a lazy boy. From walking to talking (his mother was a little concerd for a while). Around a year after that something changed (we don’t know exactly what). Suddenly he became “The Terrible”! When we decided to move to Sucre Fillipo was happy. However, one morning after a week in Bolivia he said to his mother “Mom, you must be pacient with me. I’m happy to live in Bolivia. I have to get used to it ... everything is so different but I will get used to it as fast as I can” and in fact he has!!! Today after 7 months of life in Sucre he has a lot of friends and most of all a lot of “girlfriends”. He says “ Mom, you know I have a big heart. Therefore I can love many girls”
.... and they lived happily ever after!
Joycito. That’s the name of a spirituous drink of very pleasant flavor, It is supremily combined with a touch of “cachaça” (a Brazilian licor made of sugar cane), ice and “dulce de leche”. We have as result the best drink.
If hunger takes over your stomach and twists you guts for something tasty, our week’s surprises are the best. A Bolivian suprise (every week we will surprise you with the best of national cuisine) and also a Italian. Traditional pastas made by the own hands of “cappo di Cappi’s” wife.
Joy is also culture. Every month it has a different exposition of paintings and photographs in our patio walls. Every artist is free to expose the best of his or hes production.
Joy is sport too. The most important football club in town (soccer if you prefer), Sucre’s “U” has as sponsor probably the best pub in town... yeah, that’s us.
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