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Published: October 23rd 2007
An adventure we went seeking before we started this trip and it is what we got!
On Monday 15 Oct, we left Sucre - Bolivia to take a 12 hr sleeper bus to La Paz, which is theory was going to be fine as we would arrive at 7.30am the following day. After they showed a van dam movie in Spanish and we took a sleeping tablet, we awoke at around 7am to find the bus had come to a halt. We had befriended a fellow Canadian traveler, who spoke a bit of Spanish, he managed to explain to us there was a blockade and we would only be able to get through around 12pm. We waited a bit longer on the bus and then were told the blockade would last until 6pm. So we took our back packs and started walking. We got through the blockade which was just some people who had put stones and were sitting in the middle of the road and tried to hail a taxi. There were quiet a few of them, but none of them were interested in 3 white backpackers. After walking about an hr with our packs, in between me having stomach cramps from another bout of food poisoning, we managed to get a mini cab to take us to a near by village on the back roads as he could not be seen breaking the blockade as there was not just one, they were literally on every corner. At the next village our packs went back on and we started walking. We found more and more road blocks and no way out. The road blocks were not violent but just annoying. We managed to find some police who told us if we walked two blocks off the main road, we would be able to get a mini bus to at least el alto, the next main town.
We were lucky to find one quite soon and with some persuasion took us all the way to our hostel in La Paz, there was a moment or two that we did not think we were going to make it!
At our hostel, we met a lovely English couple and went for lunch with them, where we found out that they were also going to the jungle the same time as us, but a day earlier. We arranged that they would do the research for the tour and we would join them in the morning as our flight was 1st thing. In the afternoon we were lazy and watched a dvd and ate popcorn, a well deserved rest was needed. We made it out in the evening by seeing the guy we had met on the bus fiasco.
We were lucky the next day to fly to Rurrenbaque, as due to the weather we were the only flight of the day. Due to the fact they only have a grass runway in Rurrenbaque and the slightest bit of rain makes it impossible to land. Our tour began at 9am and there were 8 in total. The 4 of us, 2 very unfriendly Americans who remained weird and unfriendly for the 3 days and their friend who was quite nice. We had a four hour jeep trip in the torrential rain. We then had to take a small boat trip to our lodge, by which time our bags were full of mud.
The lodge was lovely, we had a private room, with an individual mosquito net and shared facilities. After a lovely lunch and the rain stopped we went on a 3 hr river cruise to see the natural wildlife. We saw loads of Caymans - small crocodiles and different types of birds. After a lovely dinner we went out in the boat looking not for Cayman eggs as we thought but Cayman eyes which reflect in the torch light, even the baby ones. One croc tried to attack the boat and steve almost jumped out of his skin .
However Steve got me back as just as we were heading for bed and opening our bedroom door, I screamed as there was a huge toad just outside the door. Steve had found one in the toilet bowl earlier and the next morning when I went to shower, I had a little green friend join me, i was not happy.
The following day, we went back on the river, this time looking for Squirrel Monkeys. We had taken some bananas with us to tempt them. We were not allowed to feed them, but they decided that they wanted to get the bananas themselves, so after teasing them for a while, they decided enough was enough and jumped on the boat themselves and took the bananas... was a little scary as they can be viscous. Our next mission for the day was pink dolphins. We eventually did find a few and watched them , but were not allowed to swim with them as the water was too low and the risk of being bitten by a Cayman or Piranha was rather great! Although we did meet other people a few days later who had swam with them, so maybe out tour guide was being too cautious.
After lunch, we went piranha fishing, for Steve and i it was a rather unsuccessful mission as they kept on eating the bait but we caught none. The other couple were more fortunate and caught 5 between them, which they ate for dinner, clearly we don’t have any fishing talents and plus I would have put them back in the sea.
On our last morning we went to look for anacondas. It was really hot and we did mange to see 3, but none of us really enjoyed the 2 hr walk as it was in the open with no shade, but at least we can say we saw a few snakes.
After lunch we headed back in the jeep to Rurrenbaque. After 3.5 hrs in the grueling heat we got back and started investigating our Jungle tour....
Watch this space with regard to bug stories....
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Simon
non-member comment
Snakes and Toads
Steve, all this talk about snakes and toads should remind you of a typical day at Strettons :) Also, if you werent succeding in catching a piranha, change the bait...Steve stcik you toe in. Though that may frighten them off (and pollue the whole river)