We woke up early on Friday and all the foreign exchange students loaded the bus and headed off to San Javier. Four hours later we stopped for lunch at a little restaurant and then got back onto the bus and went to the church of San Javier a few mins away. It was really pretty and it had 80% original paint. It only took 4 years to build and was finished in 1752. One cool fact about this church is that the bells in the bell tour are only rung when people form the town die. Good thing that we are all really smart exchange students and didn't attempt to ring them...... We also went to the music school there and some of the students there preformed for us. We hung out there for a while and walked around the plaza then headed off to Las Piedras del Paquio. It was absolutely beautiful and there were buffalos so of course I bought buffalo cheese. We were able to swim in the lagoon and eat some ice-cream before heading off to our final destination. We finally arrived in Concepcion just in time for dinner. We ate and chilled in the plaza for a little bit then headed out to a karaoke bar. All and all fun day.
Saturday we got a to sleep in a little bit, by a little bit I mean 8, then we headed out to a small town called Candelaria. Once we got there we went on an “Orchid Walk.” There were not very many orchids because the land there was so dry but there were a few and I can now say that I have seen orchids growing in the wild! The hike was a lot of fun, there were twists and turns and tunnels and tons of great views. After the walk we went back to the town for lunch. We then went to another small town, I think it was called Limoncito, for the orchid festival. There was music and some of the little kids preformed dances. There was also a competition like thing with a large oiled pole and people tried to climb it and if they got to the top they got a prize!! Its kind of a Mulan moment for me. We were really lucky because we got there early enough to see the guys struggle to set up the pole (I thought it was quite comical). After eating again we festival hopped and went back to Concepcion to see the music performances there. And of course shop in the market. We went to an orchid store and dinner then hit the hay.
Last day. We got up early and had breakfast and then went to a woodcarving shop. What do you know...we got to carve wood. Yet again my artistic talents failed me, but it was still very fun and I got out of it with minimal injuries!! We boarded the bus and made our way back to Santa Cruz stopping briefly in San Javier again for lunch! It was a fantastic trip. I enjoyed getting out of the city and seeing the cows and the smaller town life, eating traditional foods and meeting all the exchangers. Can’t wait for the trip around Bolivia!!!!
Performers at the San Javier School of Music
San Javier Church
Las piedras del paquio
Orchid Walk
Local Children
The Mulan Pole
Dancers
