Flight of the Condors

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I spent the weekend exploring a new area of Bolivia, specifically where the Andean Condors live. These are massive birds, some of the largest birds in the world that are able to fly. The males can weight 35 lbs and have a 12 ft wing span. Because of their size, they prefer to live in windy areas to assist their flying.

Before heading out, I spent a bit of time downtown. I went to the indoor market because I heard about the amazing food made on the second floor. In the very back of the stalls I found a woman making only fish, which I was very excited to see. I have been surprised at the quantity of meat here. As I have always said, I could give up meat well before I could give up cheese! I had Pacu fish which is in the piranha family. The full fish was seasoned and fried to perfection. I asked for a Cerveza as I was unsure about any of the locally made drinks that might have unfiltered water. I thought I understood the purveyor, but apparently the 5-10 words of Spanish I've learned failed me. I ended up with a can of contraband beer (that I had to hide under the table). It was very sweet of her to try to fulfill my request when I didn't understand it wasn't allowed. This was the best meal I have had here! It gives Sky Man (my fish guy in Uganda) a run for his money. I am already thinking about when I can go to lunch there again. My meal was 'expensive' at $7 USD for the amazing fish and my illegal beer.

We had about an hour drive to the farm that we would stay at for the condor adventure. The family that owns it is actually the family that started the organization that I am working at: EDYFU. The property is 4 hectares (10 acres) and beyond lovely. The adult children are working to fix it up to have a combination of tourism as well as agriculture for local families. They already have several co-ops for honey, milk, and cheese.

It has not rained since March, but the rainy season normally starts by the end of October. It has still not rained so water is getting scarce. The farm we stayed at only had water for a few hours while we were there. Also, the sky was smoky from brush fires happening in the area. Their last large fires a few year ago were put out by American forest fire fighters who were brought down to assist.

Our first night they pointed to the top of the mountain and told us we would go up there to see the condors. It was only 15 mins before we left that we learned we would be hiking to get there! We were following a cow path so it was very challenging up and very steep down. This topped my top 3 hardest hikes and it came without any notice. But we had two guides and Fransisco stayed with me pulling me up the steep parts and helping me down. It turned out to be well worth the strenuous hike as the views were amazing and we saw the condors all along the way.

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