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Published: February 12th 2024
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La Paz
The views from riding the Teleferico cable cars are a bonus to getting across the city Rainforest nourished by the Amazon, vast Savannah-like flatlands known as the Pampas, precipitous rugged Andes Mountains, and diversity of wildlife in world class proportions; Bolivia is a country with many riches for learning and wonder. But not only that, Bolivia is truly FOR THE BIRDS!!! Over 1400 species have been counted and it's crazy to see how different they all appear. If you make it through this blog to the photos, you'll see just a few of my favorite bird characters, along with a few monkeys and human characters as well......
We traveled to Bolivia with the express purpose of experiencing the Amazon basin and learning about the wildlife it supports. What we discovered was a country with warm friendly people, tourism that was struggling to recover post pandemic, and the Amazon basin experiencing a disturbing dryness which likely is at least partially attributed to global warming. Sadly, this dry condition coupled with El Nino winds and the intentional burning of nearby farmlands created a trifecta of fire potential in the areas surrounding the most biodiverse protected park on the planet, Madidi National Park. Sparks, fires, and stifling smoke invaded this sanctuary for wildlife. Indigenous villagers fought to keep the
If you gotta....
Although I would prefer to fly the long route from La Paz to Rurrenabaque, the views while going over a pass in the Andes were almost worth the trip....almost, but not quite! fires at bay and flights were canceled into the region due to poor visibility. Smoke carried as far away as La Paz where schools were canceled and people wore masks just to breathe when walking outdoors. Many questioned why the burning was allowed during such dry conditions when the winds were so strong. Corruption was often the answer put forth. Nonetheless, we had a magical adventure full of discoveries. We saw and learned about birds and wildlife which we never before knew existed. In fact, on one day we encountered more than 30 bird species which were new to us. We tolerated heat that left us sweating within minutes after a cold shower and we trekked through high elevations that left us breathless, but exhilarated with Andes mountain air. The mosquitos were few, travelers diarrhea recoverable, and the "Death Road" kind to us. The best kind of adventure!
We explored La Paz for a day before venturing into the Amazon basin. What a fascinating city! The alititude is no joke with the airport located at over 13,000' and the city center in the valley below at 12,000'. The entire valley and hillsides are covered with housing so densely packed
Dangerous?
Some call it the Snake Bug and some the Peanut Bug and some say it would be dangerous to touch. In any case, this is one strange looking creature! and stacked that it's hard to imagine how residents navigate through it all. One of the most impressive developments in La Paz however, is their modern cable car transportation system. 10 lines traverse the skyways connecting top of mountain to bottom, and all along the 30 mile long valley. It's an ever changing mix of wealthy/poor, indigenous/non, modern/traditional, and weather that changes rapidly from cool to warm, and sunshine to rain. If you don't like where you are, walk around a corner and it will be different!
Our next stop, Chalalan, is a very special place within Madidi National Park. This renowned park was the compass for planning our trip. After traveling more than 20 hours from Michigan to La Paz, we endured 10 hours in a beat-up "taxi", driving over hot, bumpy and dare I say, chokingly dusty roads. No AC, windows open, careening around twisting roads over a 15,000' high pass in the Andes to finally arrive, covered in dust, in time to grab dinner and a nights rest in the outpost of Rurrenabaque. The next morning we traveled for 6 hours upstream along the Beni and Tuichi rivers in a long wooden canoe powered by a
glorified kitchen mixer of a motor. Finally, we arrived at the dense forested rivers edge where we trekked for an additional 30 minutes to Chalalan Lodge. While this journey may sound arduous, it really served to amplify what a privilege it was to experience this place.
Situated deep inside Madidi National Park, Chalalan is founded and completely run by the Uchupiamonas indigenous community of San Jose. Along with numerous rainforest trails, it boasts a peaceful lake and a newly constructed viewing platform overseeing a vista view of the Amazon rainforest. Our deeply knowledgeable guide, Ovi, master of bird calls and monkey songs alike, spent 4 days illuminating us to the likes of Screamers, Macaws, Howlers, and Herons. We trekked the trails in the mornings, cooled off in a hammock in the afternoons, and spent evenings canoeing on the tranquil Chalalan Lake. The Amazon is not a place to explore if you don't know what you are doing - and we don't know what we are doing - so, having the expert guidance from someone who literally grew up in the forest was vital. In fact, when I experienced intestinal distress, Ovi foraged the rainforest for leaves and bark to
concoct a healing natural tea. What a privilege! Check out my photos for some of the sightings but when you do, try to imagine the echoing sounds of birds and monkeys reverberating through the forest. Matt couldn't sleep with all the noise, but I found it a lullaby.
After the rainforest stay, we stopped for a night in the Pampas. This area is best explored by boating on the Yacuma River. Again, the drought affected our ability to traverse the river, often times requiring Matt and our guide to step into the water and push the boat over shallow areas - never mind that there's piranhas and caiman lurking below. Again, despite the drought, nature found a way to survive and show up. The river was full of life such as monkeys, caiman, many diverse birds, capybaras, and even pink dolphins!
Our final Bolivian exploration was high up in the Andes at a newly opened lodge in a privately owned valley. I knew we were in for a treat when our bird enthusiast guide, Alex, showed us a photo of himself as a birder at the young age of 9 and then proceeded to excitedly point out the
Andes gull "in breeding plumage!". Alex has birding in his DNA and I have NEVER met anyone so knowledgable and passionate about it. His infectious enthusiasm led us through several hikes high up in this private land of elfin forest and Llama grazing grounds. Situated beside the beautiful rushing Acero Marka River, Jukumari Lodge smells of woodsmoke and feels like a place Teddy Roosevelt would have frequented. I have fond memories of trekking in the cool mountain air, encountering a group of 4 shaggy llamas, and excitedly scoping out hummingsbirds, tanagers and even hearing cute little antpittas.
We left La Paz the morning after celebrating Halloween with tens of thousands of people in the downtown area. So many people, shoulder to shoulder, and we felt completely safe. We have such deep gratitude for the privilege of visiting this wild place and for the guides that enhanced our observations and understanding. Personally, I am proud to say that I conquered my fear of trekking through this environment and I not only survived, but truly enjoyed the sum of all the experiences. Learning is like a balm for my soul. It is one of the most important things that makes me
want to bound out of bed in the morning and take on the day. I sang the Pocohantas song to our guide in the rainforest and found myself humming it as we explored along....."when you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew you never knew."
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Ake Och Emma
Ake Dahllof and Emma Holmbro
I am not a bird person
I am not into watching birds. But Llamas I love of course. How could you not love them? /Ake