Now that Chris Abraham has taught me how to post pictures in my blog (clearly my new favorite tool if you saw my “Welcome” post) I’d like to invite you on a quick photographic tour of Tarija city.
The town of San Lorenzo is best approached by air. To the right are the mountains seen from the tarmac of the La Paz Airport. La Paz is the highest capital in the world, resting at about 12,000 feet above sea level.
AeroSur, the more credible of the two domes tic airlines flies from La Paz, Sucre, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, and Tarija. Unfortunately, there are only a few flights a week into Tarija, but at least we have an airport !! 
Karaoke is a major past time here in Bolivia, and we as proper Peace Corps Volunteers consider it part of our duty to partake in this important cultural tradition !
Sarah Anderson, Susan Grundstrom, and I were appropriately initiated into this hallowed tradition our first night in Tarija. Never fear, we are sure to bring you when you come down south !
Please remember to put your trash away, as Tarija is one of the cleaner ‘cities’ in Bolivia, and quite proud of it : 
Stores in the city are lined with plenty of goods, you just have to know where to look for what you want : 
The market (mercado) in the city is always well stocked with fruit : 
and although domestic cuisine doesn’t tend to call for a large quantity or variation of vegetables they are readily abundant : 
although, I must warn you
forgetting to disinfect one’s fruits & veggies can be one of the more uncomfortable choices one might make in a country with poor water sanitation.
and plenty of meat : 
(ok, so I’m kinda cheating that second picture of beef, it was taken in Argentina – HOWEVER, when visiting any market please be prepared to be confronted with lots of un refrigerated and quite pungent food experiences).
Luckily for this carbo-holic, the bakers in Tarija are quite good !! But if for some reason one is still hungry, 
one can always opt to head for McRonalds 
. . . as long as one doesn’t mind a healthy dose of antibiotics for breakfast 
.
There are no real’ McDonald’s in Bolivia. Indeed, to my knowledge there are only 3 or 4 Burger Kings in the country. Amazingly, Burger King is so expensive – the same price as it would be in the United States – only the rich and famous can frequent them. I’ve been told that it’s somewhat of a status symbol to be able to afford your child’s birthday party at a Burger King.
Go figure.
Thankfully, I have yet to hear of any Bolivian’s suffering from starvation, malnutrition, of course, but not outright starvation. Please note, (before my fellow volunteers kill me) the abundance of food in these pictures is only available in main cities – quite far from most everyone’s work sites.
Thanks for taking this first photographic tour !! Come back soon for the next one !!
Besos,
Sarah
Now playing: Billy Joel - Only the Good Die Young
Wow, you are a master! That looks great! Did I teach you that? You have surpassed the teacher! A++
Left by Chris Abraham on February 15th, 2007