Generally speaking, the city is a bit messy and with street dogs everywhere, but the pace is slow and the climate and wine make it enjoyable. We already found an apartment here, including a swimming pool so I think we’ll have a good two years in Tarija!

Upon arrival, we stayed in an Airbnb right by the main square Luis de Fuentes (Casona Gloria). The Barrenechea brothers also own a sandwich and icecream place next door called Heladería Gloria.

In terms of sightseeing, there are a few things worth visiting in Tarija although we were not very impressed:

• squares (Luis de Fuentes – the main one; Sucre; Uriondo)
• churches: Cathedral, San Roque
• wineries outside the city: we went to Campos de Solana last Saturday (they also own Casa Real for singani, the national alcoholic beverage of Bolivia ; a few other famous wineries include Kohlberg and Aranjuez.

Transportation-wise, as in La Paz, moving around is pretty chaotic. The best option in Tarija is to walk. Otherwise, you can always take a taxi (usually 10Bs, around 1.4$) or a ‘trufi/micro’. Those are the ‘equivalent’ toa mini bus, although you can hop on and off at any point, which means you might end up stopping 25 times to go from point A to point B!

Finally, since Tarija is 200 km away from Argentina, there is a strong Argentinian influence speaking of the local cuisine. Tarijeños (or ‘chapacos’ as they are also referred to) love their meat and eat quite a lot of ‘churrascos’ (barbecues). Here’s a list of local restaurants and bars we have tried so far:

• Heladería Gloria: icecreams and sandwiches by the main square
• El fogón del gringo: great place to enjoy ‘churrasco’ (we tried chorizo, bife de chorizo and picaña)
• Tío Lucho: fish restaurant by the river (we ate surubí and pacú)
• De fruta madre: excellent place for smoothies and healthy snacks
• La fábrica de la empanada: try their delicious empanadas (Arabic, meat, chicken or corn) for 3-3,5 Bs
• Macondo Pizza Pazza: located at the Club Social Tarija, this is a local institution for pizza. They also have a little rooftop overlooking the main square Luis de Fuentes.
• Chingo’s: small bar with a terrace next to Plaza Sucre

Stay tuned as I plan to come back in April!