Blogs from Tarija, Tarija Department, Bolivia, South America - page 2

The organization I am going to be working with is called “EDUCACIÓN Y FUTURO” (Roughly translated to Educate for the Future). They were founded in 1994. Their objective is to help disadvantaged families who live on the outskirts of Tarija. They have two main programs: La Linelula (Dragon-fly) Center is an alternative education center for children who are victims of serious abuse, school exclusion, and extreme violence. Most of the children come from migrant families where education is not always a priority. They have services that include school support programs, mentorship, and legal aid. The center also has a shelter for the victims of serious violence. The Amanecer (Sunrise) Center focuses on supporting the entire family. Many families have migrated from the countryside looking for work. However, opportunities are limited if they do not have adequate ... read more

Distance driven today: 339 miles / 546 km Cumulative distance driven: 12,611 miles / 20,295 km Today’s trip: Uyuni to Tarija, Bolivia Enjoyed riding on paved roads all day: immensely Our plan for today was really simple: avoid any unpaved roads at any cost. Our experience from yesterday’s extremely difficult sand and dirt road had certainly dampened our spirits a bit, the least to say. It was therefore a very welcome surprise when an older Bolivian man approached our table during breakfast at the hotel and started asking us questions about our motorcycle and our trip. When he heard about our PanAmerican itinerary he immediately got excited. Turns out he had a similar motorcycle and he had ridden it all over South America, and perhaps more interestingly, he had shipped it to Europe and driven on ... read more

We managed to see Adela in hospital. She had something like 60 gall stones in a jar that the surgeon had removed and was proudly showing us. We spent some time with Walter and some in the hospital with Adela. The boys wandered around Tarija with 16 year old Brisa. In a small city they were the star attraction. The lady in the hotel told us that the girls in Tarija were going crazy for them. Joe said he’s enjoyed that kind of attention on this continent but is ready to be more “normal” now! Ben did more Ollies. Nady enjoyed being reunited with Cielo. We know Walter and Adela from the days when they were the pastors of the Anglican church in Cochababma. Nady and Cielo were best friends. After one more night in the ... read more

Begin oktober zijn we aangekomen in Bolivia. Na Copacabana en La Paz hebben we Judith opgezocht in Tarija. Hier hebben we ruim een maand ons eigen paleis gehad en spaanse les gevolgd. Tarija was onze ideale uitvalsbasis voor onze trips naar Potosi, Sucre, Camargo en Salar de Uyuni. In Tarija hebben we een fantastische tijd gehad! Judith had voor ons een appartement geregeld bij haar op de patio. Echt een super plek om een maand te "wonen" als Tarijeense locals. Onze aankomst was meteen onvergetelijk! De kennismaking met Beto, Aldo en Vladimir (Vladi) zal ons altijd bijblijven en we zijn meteen opgenomen in Judith's vriendenkring. Hierdoor hebben we helemaal kunnen genieten van het locale leven in Tarija en voelden we ons meer "vrienden van" dan toeristen. In Tarija hadden we ook een beetje een normaal ritme: ... read more

We arrived in Tupiza at around 4am, with no map to hand we set off to find our hotel. Being told that it was a small town we were surprised by how big it actually seemed. After getting directions from another place owned by the hotel we finally got into our rooms and got a bit more sleep! After breakfast we spent most of the day by the pool, and in the evening went to a local parillia place for a big plate of meat! Next morning it was time for our horse riding adventure to begin. After sauntering to the stables we saddled up (or more believably were plonked on our horses) and set off to the canyons. After a trip down a steep hill, in which Charlene's horse would not do as it was ... read more