Back from my death bed...

(Hint: click on pics if you want to see them bigger) Back from my death bed...It all started Monday evening when we went out for dinner. Our waiter told us about this hotel that has a pool and cheap lunch in Tomatitas, a cheap taxi ride away from Tarija. It´s been getting pretty hot here so a day at the pool sounded like a great idea. When we got to the pool, however, I chickened out a bit...there were young boys running around everywhere and although I´ve gotten used to being starred because I am a blonde gringo, I wasn´t really fond of exposing my ghostly white middrift as well. ¨Ok, ok, we´ll eat first and come back.¨ We decided to stroll around Tomatitas for a bit and stopped at a restaurant with a chalkboard menu outside (which I couldn´t comprehend.) I must add that it is typical in Tarija for little restaurants along the street to have their daily menu on a chalkboard outside their place. Many of them just serve one meal for lunch, usually pork or chicken with maize and maybe a salad. So these women sitting by the menu started trying to sell us their place...naming off different items they had. When I heard them say ¨pescado.¨ I thought, ¨Oh, fish, at least I´ll know what I´m eating. So we sat down and ordered, I got the fish and Mike got Saice (sigh-ee-say), a typical tarijenian dish that is a mix between sloppy joe and chili over rice. It´s pretty good. Ground beef, potatoes, a few peas, on top of rice. After I ordered, I immediately knew it was a bad idea. First I thought...¨hmmm, we´re not very close to water¨ then, ¨this place seems sorta sketchy¨ I said to Mike, ¨Whatever, I´ve allready ordered it¨ So Mike got his Saice and I waited for my fish. Meanwhile, these drunk guys next to us decided to come over and try to get Mike to drink with them. I couldn´t really hear over the obnouxiously loud music and when my fish came, I dug right in. It was a big ol´fried fish, head and all of course. It tasted alot like catfish and with some lemon was actually pretty good. There were definitely a few moments when I questioned eating it but I was hungry... and I grew up on catfish!!! So the drunk guys came back to harass a little more, from what Mike could understand they were telling him to leave me and come drink with them. We finally got out of that place and I decided to brave the pool situation! This was actually only because Mike said while laughing, ¨This is funny, I didn´t really think you were scared of anything...and you´re scared of a bunch of little boys!¨ Of course, that did it for me. It was kinda like a public pool. The hotel seemed to be undergoing renovations and it was less than a dollar to use the pool. I made friends with Marco, the son of the owner and his little cousin, whose name sounded something like Ballerina. She was super excited that we were from the U.S. She said, ¨Estados Unidos!!!! Estados Unidos!!!!! They have Disney there¨ (in Spanish) We played monkey in the middle in the pool for a while and talked a bit. The next day, ugghh, Kella´s tummy didn´t feel so good. But by the next morning I thought it had passed and we had a bike trip to the vineyards planned...wah wah wah. After the first 15 minutes on the bike, and for most of the rest of the day, I felt like I was either going to throw-up or crap my pants!!! It was an absolutely gorgeous ride though! Up and down hills, past vineyards, mountains and canyons! We stopped at Casa Vieja, a vineyard and bodega, where they produce the wine. No wine for me :( Mike sampled some and we walked along the grapevines and fruit trees. Eddie, our bike guide was great! He spoke slowly and clearly so that I could actually understand him. (Holding my belly here...That´s Eddie next to me)We got back on the bikes, my stomach still in knots and churning, churning. Next thing I know, we´re at a hospital and they are asking for my name. ¨No es necesario, no es necesario!¨ I said! I must have looked bad cuz Eddie thought I should see a Doctor. I convinced him I was okay and we went to the Farmacia instead. I got a little pill that cost less than a dollar and within about 20 minutes I was feeling much better. (SIDE NOTE: this little boy playing ¨grand theft auto¨on the computer next to me just spilled his yogurt on the desk and the floor. He looked up at the women behind the counter, who wasn´t looking, and then licked up the yogurt on the desk, proceeded to lie down on the floor to clean up the yogurt there with his shirt and now is doing the pee pee dance that kids do when they don´t want to stop what they are doing long enough to go to the bathroom!! So funny!!!) Ok, so the vineyards! Starting to feel a bit better by now and our next stop was a beautiful vineyard and bodega that had a small little room with crazy little artifacts, fossils, maps, puma skins, old wine bottles and gadgets and gismos of plenty. They had a homemade outdoor oven where they cook all their bread, an awesome wine cellar, and this cool little game from way back in the day where you throw coins in. We hung out for a bit and then finished the ride to our pick up spot. The area reminded me a bit of Arizona with it´s blooming cacti, rocky ground and the river dividing the two giant slabs of rock. Mike and I climbed to the top and in the distance the vineyards shown as an brilliant emerald green. (Derek would say ¨It´s almost too green¨ -family joke) So we returned to our home, Hostal Carmen, were I proceeded to get more and more sick. I spent all that evening and all day Wednesday either in bed or in the bathroom!!!! But I´m back...I´ve been nursed back to health by good ol´ MV. We had a nice little Thanksgiving dinner at Bobby and Rocio´s house, which his mom Jenny made! I made a heart-shaped apple pie (Not as cleaver as George´s U.S. shaped pie but still pretty cool.) I almost burnt it forgeting that the oven was in ºC. (Granny-your apple pie recipe continues to travel the world.) This may have been the first Thanksgiving that I didn´t eat too much! (I was afraid I´d be back in the bathroom.) Mike made me make a deal with him that from now on, I won´t eat any fish if I haven´t seen the water it came from! I quickly agreed!!! Tomorrow, after Mike´s futzal game, we leave for Salar de Uyuni. We´ll be gone from Tarija for 6 days. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am so grateful for all of you that are so dear to me! Kisses! - Kel
UPDATE: Just when I seem to be feeling better...bam! It´s back! Realizing that I must have Giardia and by doing a little research, I am now inclined to think that the swimming pool was a bad idea!!! Ugghh...