SECOND TIME'S A CHARM

Some spots we’ve visited in and around Bolivia have definitely merited a return visit.  That includes Tarija – Bolivia’s wine country to the south, especially because our first trip there last December got interrupted by road blockades that had formed in protest to the government lifting the subsidies on fuel that had kept gas prices at about $0.30 per liter for the past 20 years.  Those blockades kept us from visiting some of the wineries we’d planned to check out.  What are you gonna do?  Why, go back a second time, of course.  So we took advantage of a long holiday weekend in June to head back to Tarija and visit the wineries we’d missed on our first pass through… and go back to some favorites.

Enjoying a sunny day at Magnus - one of our favorites that we also visited in December.

The barrel room at Kuhlman - one of the larger producers.

While the barrel room is traditional, the exterior of Kuhlman is super modern.

The vines were still green and loaded with fruit during our December visit.  By June, the harvest was complete and winter was in full swing.

The World Cup was going on during our visit, so we found a corner pub to hole up and watch the U.S.-Australia match... and try some more wine, of course.  The bar had us say what team we were routing for and they comped us a beer when our team won.  I picked the U.S. and Andrew picked Oz... but I let him have one of my beers.  :)

Another day, another winery.  This time at Campos de Solana.  As evidenced by Andrew's hoodie, it was a bit chilly outdoors...  Wine tasting here is not like Oregon.  Reservations are required, usually through a tour company, and tastings come with a full spread of meats and cheeses.  Tasty!

Looking out across the vineyard at the Casa Real singani distillery.  Bolivia's singani is dilstilled from muscat grapes.  It's like pisco - but since pisco can be made from a range of grape varieties - don't tell that to a Bolivian.

Looking out at a lovely view from Canon Escondido winery, which we had not visited before but makes one of our favorites wines here, a cab franc, so we had to go check it out.

In August, friends from Australia traveled to South America for an epic adventure.  We tagged on to a portion of their trip to revisit Cusco – a city we absolutely loved when we were there during Carnaval in February – and to venture to Machu Picchu.  Cusco was exactly as we remembered it – charming town squares, excellent restaurants, and amazing Incan ruins within a short hike from the city center. 

Our friends from Oz stayed in La Paz a couple days during the South American tour, so we took them to the Witches Market - a super cute 2-block long street lined with souvenir shops.  This was definitely more than our second time there, but it's a must-see I don't get tired of visiting.

A cold, rainy snap had just happened in La Paz that left some fresh snow on the Andes, which put on a beautiful show on our flight to Cusco.

While our friends went to some of the Incan ruins outside Cusco that we visited in  February, we checked out some other sites in Cusco... like the Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary, home to this spectacled (or Andean) bear.

The sanctuary also had several resident condors.  These birds are absolutely HUGE.

Andrew made friends with some of the more domesticated residents of the sanctuary.

Extreme llama close-up.

There are also a TON of Incan ruins in walking distance of Cusco's city center.  We headed out on foot from our hotel to see what we could find, and stumbled upon (and along) this Incan road.

More ruins along the way during our day hike.  

Next up... Machu Picchu.  Many tourists find there way to Machu Picchu during a 2+ day hike from Ollantaytambo, where the Inca trail starts.  We opted for a much shorter and less labor intensive journey via a 90-minute train ride to Aguas Calientes, and then a 30-minute bus ride to Machu Picchu.

All aboard!  The train company gave us these snazzy hats as a souvenir.  The train ride was beautiful, and while I'm sure the hike is lovely and gives you a much more spiritual experience, it was POURING rain during our visit, so I was quite content with our choice.

Some lovely views as we choo-chooed our way to Aguas Calientes, the town at the entrance to Machu Picchu.

Behold!  Machu Picchu!  (And some colorful ponchos due to the aforementioned pouring rain.)

There are at three circuits through Machu Picchu.  We did two of them over two days.  It's incredible how different circuits, clouds, and mist all combine to give different perspectives on this magical place.

The fact that these structures are still standing - and were ever built at all in this incredibly steep and remote canyon - it mind-boggling.

Our August visit was supposedly during dry season.  The misty appearance of the mountain in the background is from the rain.  Ironically, our February visit earlier this year was supposedly during wet season, and they actually close the Inca trail for the maintenance during the month of February because of the rain.  Alas, we got absolutely drenched during our dry season visit, and had amazing sunny weather in February (but didn't make it to Machu Picchu on that trip).

The Temple of the Condor

Back on the train for our return trip to Cusco after 2 days visiting Machu Picchu - and lots of fresh snow on the peaks.

As you can see from the photos and updates from June and August, I’m very behind in keeping this blog up to date.  I’m keeping this one short so I can hopefully get caught up before year’s end.  We’ve experienced lots of firsts – and seconds – this year, so stay tuned…