Wwoofing, for those who don´t know is Willing Workers on Organic Farms. You basically buy a list of names for a country that you wish to Wwoof in, and apply to the farms on the list to work on in return for accomodation and meals. It´s popular, and I thought I would give it a go. I tried in Chile, but didn´t get a response from the only one in Northern Chile.
The first one that got back to me in Bolivia basically offered that I could work in their winery from 6am to 12noon each day, mostly bottling wine, in return for accomodation and lunch. I thought it sounded uninteresting, and like I´d be undercutting the local labour force. So I declined the offer. I really only want to wwoof so it if I think I can learn, or the location is special, otherwise, I can earn money for my work elsewhere.
The one I accepted, was more about making condiments and preserves, and I thought that from this I could learn and so I agreed to go. But I found it disappointing. It was in town (handy), and the ´farm´ was a backyard garden. My biggest disappointment was that I was grossed out by the lack of cleanliness. Add to this that I got extemely sick, and it wasn´t a nice experience. It did improve as the week continued, and I met some friends of the owners. And one took me out to the countryside a couple of times, which made me a lot happier. I should say that the owner is a really nice guy, and he is... But, could he please not lick the spoon and put it back in the jam jar, when I am supposed to be eating that jam too? (which I didn´t after that).
Like I said, I was really sick on the Monday and Tuesday nights. I thought at first it was probably something I ate, but then a French guy who I met on the Wednesday got sick, and my teacher in Sucre had been sick on the Friday, so possibly it was a virus. Anyway, I guess I won´t know.
Tarija is actually a really nice city. It´s off the tourist trail, which I think is always a plus. And it has a nice climate and friendly poeple. Even better, I went dancing on Saturday night, to a club with Salsa and the like and there was talent. (The owner of the wwoof project tipped me off that there would be Cubans there.... the men, not the cigars). It was the first time I had danced in 2 months! It was lovely, even if the Cuban kept telling me he wanted me to have his baby in Australia, to add to his collection throughout the world. Ha! what a pick up line!
Tarija is a wine growing region, know for high altitude wines. So on the Saturday I went out to the wine growing area with the French couple who wanted to Wwoof, for a look around. We visited 3 wineries, each different and interesting. The only really touristy one of them all had wine tasting, but it was done so quickly, it was like speed tasting!
And then on the Final Sunday, we (the wwoof boss, his nice friends, and the French couple) went out to a place of relaxation in the country... with a kitchen and BBQ´s and swimming pool and tennis courts etc. and we ate a Bolivians BBQ, of which there was nothing but meat.... about 1kg each. (it is so hard to do vegetarian here, and I just had to believe them when they told me the meat was free range farmed).
Washing of clothes in the river is prohibited.... I guess no-one told the locals, and they never learnt to read either.
Casa Vieja (Old house), was the most touristy of the 3 wineries we visited. It was pretty, and they lined us up for the quickest wine tasting ever, it was "take a sip and pass the glass on". It all happened so quickly with no time to appreciate the wine, and at the end I didn´t know which I liked the best.
For my final day in Tarija, we headed out of town to La Victoria and had BBQ meats.. bolivian style, about 1kg of meat per person had been purchased and the was nothing else aside from super hot sauce. Pictured are my Tarija friends and host, and the French couple.
Notes:
Bus to Valle de Conception 75c each way. Wine tastings Free.
Other buses into the countryside simiarly cheap.
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