Tarija

Down south, Tarija is the gas-rich wine-producing area of Bolivia. Just spent a weekend down there with my brother and mother, and it was prime rest and relaxation time. We saw old friends of my mother’s, spent time with a great-aunt and her new husband (they seem so happy together!), and I even got to go riding and try a Peruvian Paso horse! Of course I got quite burnt, for the first time in my life, thanks to unexpectedly strong sun and more specifically an SPF 8 sunblock which was actually “anti-wrinkle and rapid tanning”… Oops. Live and learn! Reading is a talent worth using… Ahem. And we had to stay an extra day because our flight was oversold, and the thunderstorms at night knocked out the electricity… but staying that last day in the amazing hotel there, Los Parrales (picture on the right is the view we had from our room!), catching the 24 marathon, and flying back in business class – it made it all ok. In terms of lessons learned (aside from the whole check-what-kind-of-sunblock-you-are-using thing) – if you are looking for good wine, get Campos de Solana Reserva 2001 (another good alternative is Concepcion but those vineyards aren't pseudo-family's!), and if you want tasty Singani, stick with Casa Real.

Me on Nina, enjoying a stunning view of Tarija and its surroundings.

Lucho and Aide (the newlyweds!) and my mother, standing on the dam by the artificial lake.

The view you had if you leaned over the edge of the dam a little bit... definitely worth it!