Pampas Tour and the "Road of Death"

---

Last Friday, 23/10 I arrived in La Paz from Copacabana. I spent pretty much the entire day trying to obtain my Paraguayan Visa--which I recently found out was actually a planning mistake and now Im traveling to Paraguay because I feel that I HAVE to, given the expense. I took the 6:15 flight from La Paz to the jungle town of Rurrenabaque, which borders Parque Nacional Madidi. Even making the flight was very lucky, as there had been rain for several days prior, and flights cannot land in Rurre after rain because it is made of dirt. The flight in itself was very scenic flying several km by snow-capped peaks (we were below the summit) in a 12 person jet. I opted to take the Pampas tour instead of the jungle, because no matter how tough I try to act, heat + mosquitos doesnt usually equal fun. The pampas is essentially savannah, although there were spots of selva (jungle). The tour played more to tranquilo tourists--two of the girls in my group were deathly afraid of insects, and we barely walked anywhere. The first day consisted of a 3 hour jeep ride and 3 hour boat ride, although we did see a variety of wildlife along the river: capybaras (60kg rodents), spectled caimans (alligators), herons, cormorants, storks and capuchin monkeys. The second day we hiked through the pampas in search of wildlife; we found an anacona (along with 4 or 5 dead ones), osterich, many black eagles and caiman, and a lot of mosquitos. After a short futbol match with the local boys, we took the boat to go piranna fishing (apparently illegal in the park, which I didnt find out until after I had caught and tasted one). One of the highlights of the trip was watching a thunderstorm from across the pampas as the sun set. The third day we arose early to watch the sunrise, which was actually pretty ordinary. On the way back we spotted pink river dolphins, which are less cute and playful than their oceanic counterparts. But when they are present the caimans are completely docile, so we were able to swim with them in the river. When we arrived in Rurre I was contemplating taking the flight back to La Paz, but a thunderstorm eased my decision. The next morning I prepared for the 20 hour bus ride back to La Paz (also a great time to get sick...) It was hot, uncomfortable and pungent. I was told during the rain (it was pouring) there are multiple accidents involving the buses every year. Also, during the 8 hours I fell asleep, we were stopped for 6 because a landslide had blocked the road. During the morning we ascended into La Paz on the infamous "Road of Death" -- the popular bike route that I opted not to do because I had already seen it by bus. I spent the afternoon in La Paz recovering, both from my illness and from the ride. I visited the overrated Witch´s Market, the Black Market and a neat Mirador outside the city. I then boarded a bus to Uyuni (another 12 hours).

---