´´¿Si no tome vino, por que ha vino?´´

First of all in an update of status, neither the earthquake in Peru nor the riots in the Bolivian representatives office has affected me. My stories are a little less picante!

Ive fallen in love with Bolivia. After a whirlwind of touring from Buenos Aires to Lima, I decided I needed to hang out in one place for a while. Sucre, in the heart of Bolivia, a colonial town full of Bougainvillea, salteñas, spanish lessons and warmth (finally) was the place. For the first week, my hostal was 2 kilometers from the center so each day I had to walk past the street mercado where dump trucks would unload their enormous piles of oranges onto the streets. After my 5th day walking past the fruit that was on the same dirt that trucks and dogs traversed did I finally succumb and buy half a kilo.

Of course, this is the heart of Bolivia so there couldn't be a few days without protest and demonstration. The judiciary capital is in Sucre while the de facto capital is in La Paz. Sucre didn't want the capital to move to their city and fill it more than it was already so they closed shop. The next day, they had a demonstration that looked more like a carnival with protesters tying themselves to trees. The only ways I and my new South American travel buddy, Natasha, were affected is that we couldn't buy chocolate and we had to go look at dinosaur tracks instead of trekking!

Onto Potosi and the silver mine tours where we adorned ourselves in outfits more suited for a ghostbusters film than a mine. I don´t know how many meters we descended (over 25 I'm sure) but I'm so glad I had a friend to hold my hand. It was freaking scary down there! After walking for 10 seconds we were in complete darkness and the only thing I could think of was how stupid we were for climbing into a mountain weeks after a 7.9 earthquake! We ate coca leaves, payed homage to the owner of the mountain, Tio, who looked like a replica of the devil, drank 96% alcohol with the miners (yeah yikes) and overcame extreme dizziness due to the lack of oxygen. I sincerely don't know how the mines do it but I do not envy their lifestyles and lack of sunlight.

I'm now writing from Tarija which has stolen my heart! Because I am the only gringa here, people began to recognize me as I wondered around. Never have I met friendlier people. Every time I sat down, someone would join me on the bench or at my table to ask me what the heck I'm doing alone. I was befriended by 3 Chapacos who took turns taking me out with their friends and to meals. Ive spend the majority of my time here with Val and Oscar who've taken me rowing on a lake, to eat all the street food I would have been to timid to try otherwise, and on buses full of indigenous people to tiny pueblos. I was even invited to Sunday dinner at Oscar´s house with his entire family as the first foreign visitor. As soon as I told his sister that the food was better than in a restaurant, they were taking photos of the gringa at their table. It was a truly amazing experience! My spanish is finally taking shape...

I find it ironic that Ive befriended maybe the only 3 people on the continent that don't drink. The only reason this is funny is because Tarija is like the Napa of Bolivia and the reason I came. The leader of my wine tour (where I was the only person) was Mormon so she didn't have a drop. Not even after she made me take part in the Tradicion del Valle d Vino: La Ceremonia del destape de la dama Juana. After I had to make a wish for myself, my friends and the country and taking a sip of wine after every wish, I had to drink wine out of a 2 meter long tube. Think beer bong but twice as long and full of wine, at 10 in the morning! I was offered a job serving wine at the upcoming wine festival in Tarija but alas, I will be in Mendoza then, trying their wine.

Yes Bolivia and especially Tarija, I will miss you dearly!!