Our third stop was Conception and our beautiful hotel. We unpacked enjoyed a scrumptious dinner and fell fast asleep after a few hours of talking. Bright and early the following morning we headed off to El Encanto another small town near Conception. There we battled the mutant mosquitoes, camouflaged frogs, giant centipedes and rough mountain terrain on a half an hour long hike... That was totally worth the mutant mosquitoes, camouflaged frogs, giant centipedes and the sore legs after the hike. Got some pretty sweet flag photos (Rotary Tradition)... while trying not to fall off the edge of a cliff and avoiding very prickly Aloe Vera plants. After our hike to a piece of heaven we had the experience of a life time and where very blessed to join in a traditional Bolivian Dance celebrating the festival with some of the locals. The last photo is of some of the young girls I got to dance with. It was the most amazing thing being able to know the knew no English and talk to them in Spanish and have them understand.A wonderful day all in all.

Our second stop was actually not planned... But my two friends Amria and Madi yelled please stop the bus when they saw this huge rock on one side of the road and a stunning lake/valley on the opposite side. We luckily had time... So we did and these are some of the many photos that were taken during our 20min excursion.

1. Me, with the cool rock behind me, doing a peace sign :) 
2. Me and one of my beautiful french friends, Anna.
3. Me and my darling french Clementine <3
4. Me and my fellow Canadians: Alec (Manitoba), Hanna (Alberta) and Ross (BC).
5. My crazy french friends: Matthew, Julien and Thibult... Ft Ross's side profile :P
6. My favorite Belgian, the lovely Marilou <3
7. A very nice hardworking horse, who just wasn't in the mood for photos.

First Stop: San Javier for lunch at a local family owned restaurant, a tour of the San Javier Museum, and we also had the privileged to go into the main auditorium of the San Fransico Arce Inglesia. It was one of the first catholic churches built in Santa Cruz Bolivia... The indigenous people agreed to attend church and let the church be built because they compromised... Fresh flowers are kept in the church to remind the people of nature... The walls and wood work are carved with vines and flowers as well.  There are many sky lights and windows to create a natural look... It is simply stunning.
The courtyard is also very beautiful with a large bell tower and two twins palm trees.. I do not believe they have any specific significance but they added to the beauty of San Javier. The window shot is of Me, Olivia, Marion and Emma... We shared a room in the hotel and became even closer friends... So thankful for them.

On October 7, I arrived at the travel agency and had the privilege of meeting my fellow exchange students here in Bolivia. Everyone was so excited and I knew it was going to be an unforgettable first group adventure. It truly was, a trip filled with lots of good memories, amazing sights, and new lifelong friendships.

Pic 1: Our amazing group of exchnage students here in Bolivia... We come from all over the world, France, United States, Bahamas, Slovakia, Netherlands, Canada... But we all are in this together. :)
Pic 2: Me, Marion (Slovakia), and Kristina (US).
Pic 3: Me, Madi (US), Marion (Slovakia), Olivia (US), Emma (Bahamas). 
Pic 4-7: Photos of the landscape on our 6 hour long drive :) In a micro bus, that saved our butts in the 34 degree weather by having the best air conditioning.

My view of Tarija from the airplane, on my travels to Santa Cruz for my one night stay before I headed off to Conception, Bolivia for Festival de Orchideas. My host dads sister and family kindly opened their home to me for my one night stay. It was wonderful to met some of my cousins, Matteo and Rafeala and take a rest before meeting all the other exchange students and taking the 6 hour bus ride.

Three of my favorite buildings in Tarija... Pic 1: Mi Familias Inglesia (My Family's Church). Pic 2: The Mega Center, which holds the biggest movie theater and food court in Tarija. Pic 3: Castillo Azul (A very fancy home for a head of government in Tarija... Only the most high government officials may go inside... But staring at it is satisfying enough). Its my dream house... My castle...

If you were to walk through the streets of Tarija Bolivia, these are some of the views you would see. Pic 1: An orange tree :) With fresh Oranges. Pic 2: A family sitting in the tailgate of a pickup truck. Pic 3:  Beautiful art murals and graffiti on walls and fences. Pic 4: Street Signs with the names of other cities in Bolivia.

I consider myself to be one of the luckiest teenagers in the world... The pictures below are of some of the simply stunning views of Tarija... The top two are of the river. It acts a source of water for cows (bacas) and dogs (perrios) in the streets, as well as a nice place to go think, take photos, and it is a know place for wedding and prom proposals. The third photo is a sunset... Breathtaking :) So THANKFUL to be here!!!

Some of the beautiful flowers and trees I get to walk past on a daily basis.

Festival de Danza (Festival of Dance) La Salle (My School) en el Mundo (In the World). What an incredible experience I was able to partake in. Three exhilarating and terrifying nights of dancing a traditional Columbia Caribbean Dance (Cumbia) with my fellow classmates and friends in front of 3000 people. It is so amazing to have witnessed all the classes in my school, (kindergarten to Gr 12) dancing different traditional dances from all around the world for family, friends and the citizens of Tarija. I am so blessed to have shared this experience and I am so thankful for my many friends who helped me learn the dance and remind me when practices where.

Photos Top to Bottom,

1. My beautiful sister Ari and I on our second night of Festival.
2. My beautiful friend Maria Reneè and I on the last night of Festival.
3. The ravishing German Exchange Student Yudith and I on the First Night of Festival.
4. Two of my best guy friends in Tarija Rodrigo and Willy and I, being our goofy selves for the camera. (We are reenacting a photo my mom took on her exchange year, with her two best friends).
5-9. Photos of the dance taken by one of the other Rotary Youth Exchange Students in Tarija and a dear friend of mine Brandon. Many thanks to him for taking these awesome close ups.
10. The poster for the Festival.