Tupiza, Bolivia – August 7th – 10th, 2017

Sweet sweet showers! Tupiza was amazing, don’t get me wrong, but one of the highlights of Tupiza was the shower at Hostal Butch Cassidy. In addition to the awesome name, the hot water was flowing and the staff was on top of things. Within a few hours of our arrival they took our laundry to be washed, set us up with horseback riding tours for the next day, and in secret (at my request) ordered Andy a massive tres leches cake from a local bakery for his birthday the following day – all while we were enjoying scrubbing off the filth from the previous 5-day jeep tour.  

On Andy’s big day he was spoiled with a birthday card signed by our whole soccer team back in Seattle courtesy of Lisa and an external battery pack from Brandon! We have the BEST friends! From the hotel, he got a bottle of wine to celebrate, and from his wife (yours truly) he got my presence for his whole life and a cake… in all seriousness, I got him nothing. In my defense, living out of a backpack does not lend itself well to material possessions so I went with the gift of epic experiences.

After breakfast, the crew took off for horse trekking in the desert-scape surrounding Tupiza. The variety of landscapes in Bolivia is astounding – over the past week, we experienced jungle, salt-flats, high altitude wasteland, geothermal and volcanic activity, river-lands, and finally wild wild west desert. After arriving at the stables, the guide instructed us to deck ourselves out in western wear – chaps, cowboy hats, and bandannas (which turned out to be clutch against the dust). Now cowboys and cowgirls, we mounted our steeds and rode off into the sunset (well not that last part – it was mid-morning and some of us had never ridden a horse before). The ride was spectacular!... although we quickly learned that riding a horse for multiple hours is less than comfortable. We visited Canon del Duende, Los Machos, Canon del Inco, and Puerta del Diablo. Even in the desert, the scenery was diverse! Back at the hotel and a handful of birthday calls later, we made our way to an Italian place in town for dinner. Cake, cards, and craft Bolivian beers before bed rounded out the day.

Horse trekking around Tupiza.

Desert landscape.

More pictures of horse trekking and desert... you get the idea. 

The next morning, we said goodbye to our friends. Our time with Brandon and Lisa was truly one of the most memorable parts of the entire trip. It was sad to see them go. After a good cry, we got to work planning, logging, blogging, backing up photos, and binge watching Game of Thrones. After a jam packed Peru and Bolivia, it felt good to sit around and do nothing for a day. In the evening, we dragged ourselves away from the computer to buy bus tickets. Perhaps it was the less than subliminal messaging from the bus ticket ladies who continuously screamed “Potosi, Potosi, Potosi, Potosiiiiiiiiiiii,” but we decided to go to Potosi.

After a long delay standing on the street corner wondering if we had missed the bus or were in the wrong place, our chariot arrived and we were on our way. In good news, the long wait gave us time to scope out a worthy recipient for the mini soccer ball we had purchased as a sand flats prop. The young boy we gave it to had been shyly working on the streets selling cool-aid-esque drinks. When we gave him the ball, he stared at it for several minutes before a massive grin developed on his face. For the hour after, he did not play with the ball, but instead neglected his selling duties, to hold and stare happily at it. It felt good to do something nice, but his reaction was also a bit gut wrenching. Moments like that make you truly remember how lucky you are. We could all do a better job of appreciating and cherishing what we have.

Birthday, goodbye, and spreading the joy of "football"