...of coffee trips and other border crossings (Tupiza-Villa Abecia-Tarija-Salta)

After what felt like ages of waiting in Tupiza (unfortunately there was only one night bus heading towards Tarija, so I spent the whole day improving my poor Spanish skills by watching the series 'La Casa del Papel'), I took a relatively comfortable bus to Villa Abecia. The only reason I made a stop there was because of the urgent recommendation from Joelle (thanks a lot!!). Villa Abecia (population around 10) is not particularly noteworthy in and of itself - just a quiet and unexciting little town in the middle of nowhere (about the same size and cosmopolitan as Bigenthal....:)). The real good/beautiful/remarkable thing was not V.A. (the dwarf counterpart to L.A....:)), but the wonderful and increasingly well-known fertile landscape for wine cultivation (in contrast to the barren Altiplano) with probably the coziest and most beautiful accommodation (Hotel Parador Viña Pereira, see pictures!!) and the probably friendliest hostess in all of Bolivia (thanks a lot Gabriela, it's admirable how you manage the whole place more or less alone!!). Under such circumstances, I naturally slowed down a bit and stayed there for a total of four days. After my traveler's battery was fully recharged, I continued to Tarija (my very last destination in Bolivia).

Tarija (11-14.11.22)

If you ever had the pleasure of enjoying good wine in Bolivia, you can almost certainly assume that it comes from Tarija (population 200,500). As a self-proclaimed wine lover, I didn't want to miss out on this and went to visit a few wineries on the first day, together with Joelle and a friendly couple. Even though Bolivian wine is (still) completely unknown here, we were very satisfied with the visit (....and also very tipsy in the end)). Since traveling can be tiring and exhausting at times, I enjoyed continuing with the pace I had already set in V.A. Besides visiting the wineries (and another visit to a small production with not very tasty, completely oversweetened wines), as well as a trip to a dried up 'waterfall' (it hasn't rained in this region for about a year), we kept our range of motion rather small in Tarija :).

Border crossing (to Argentina, starting from 14.11.22)

After more than six weeks in Bolivia (it was really beautiful, I hope you noticed and maybe some of the enthusiasm has rubbed off on you too!!!), I have been in Salta (north of Argentina, population 520,000) for two days now. Fortunately, the border crossing went smoothly without any major difficulties or delays, even though in my imagination I had already envisioned some absurd scenarios (e.g. hours-long searches, inexplicable clarifications). In addition to excellent wine (Malbec, for example, from Mendoza), probably the best steaks in the world, and the ubiquitous football madness, Argentina is unfortunately also known for its recurring inflation. By stocking up on dollars in Bolivia, I tried to counteract this. While on the black market (blue dollars) you can get about 290 Argentine pesos for one dollar, the official exchange rate is currently around 162 AP. Well, that's the current currency situation....

My initial impression of Argentina: Salta impresses with grand colonial buildings (especially the colorful churches), charming cafes, great restaurants, and many cultural offerings. It (my not very meaningful impression of Salta) looks (in contrast to many parts of Bolivia) more tidy, cleaner, and somehow more Western (?). The people here seem to be very friendly and open-minded (I have always felt very welcome as a 'gringo', and I also had the impression that my stumbling attempts at speaking Spanish were appreciated). Well...not much else has happened in Argentina so far... Maybe last but not least, a little anecdote from yesterday: Impressed by the (Tripadvisor) pictures of the wonderfully colorful rock formations north of Salta (Quebrada de Humahuaca), I booked a tour. Unfortunately, the whole thing turned out to be a tourist trap. In other words: Little to no nature (in an area with incredibly impressive mountains, etc.), but numerous stops at incredibly annoying tourist shops (see pictures...)....WTF!!!

By the way, tomorrow I'm flying to Buenos Aires (...yes, I've sinned again and probably won't be the last time considering the vast distances in Argentina), where I will be staying for about a week, and then I will head back north to the legendary Iguazu Falls.