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Published: April 4th 2007
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Ok, so i know that these are heading on two months late, but like the saying goes....... 'All good things come to those that wait'.
Right so the Bolivian Rainforrest. Upon arriving back in La Paz from our death road adventures, we decided to have a look and see when we could do a tour down the Rio Amazonas (US$60 for 3 days all in....god i love....and miss Bolivia).
So how do we get there, well there are 2 choices:
1. A 22 hour bus journey along gravel roads that looked strangely similar to the Death Road
Or
2. Stump up and pay $100 Dollars return and fly down with the Military airlines.
Tough Choice i know, and after what seemed like hours of deliberation, we went with the flight, shock horror.
Anyway, flying in a prop plane over the jungle is fairly cool, amazing views of the meandering rivers than go on until the horizon and the sun just beginging to set behind some snow capped mountains behind us....pretty frickin cool man. Well, it was until we are told that we are coming into land, i start to get nervous when neither
myself or Fergus can spot a runway......on either side of the plane, yet we are still getting lower and lower. Then we see .......... a field....had we forgotten we were in Bolivia?????
Anyway, the landing was pretty cool, though the change in temperature (15* in La Paz, 45 * in Rurrenabaque) was mental.
The next morning we are all up bright and early and make our way down to the tour office where we meet John and Aimee our fellow touristas for the next few days and our slightly crazy guide Luis. Piled into the back of a landcruiser we head off for the 3 hr tooth shattering drive to the 'port'.
Now when i hear the word port, i think of jetty's and large fishing boats. But, again this IS Bolivia ......... a small wooden canoe and a 15 Hp out-board motor is our transportation for the 3 hr journey up river for the 7 of us.
The trip starts off pretty cool, just standing on the river bank (getting baked by the sun) we spot 3 pink fresh water dolphins floating around the edge of the river, amazing to look at.
10 mins
up river our guide invites us to hop in for a swim. In the normal circumstances i would be straight in.....but, i have just spent the last 3 hours listening to how the rivers have alligators, caymans, piranha's, Anaconda's and some other not so human friendly stuff. Couple this with the fact that the water is thick brown (Kind of like Oxtail soup) and you have some very nervous tourista's.
After much deliberation, we decide that if we all go in then at least some of us will make it back!!
As soon as we are in the Dolphins show up, sweet!! They are not like bottle nose or common Dolphins in that they have very small dorsal fins and really long noses that make them look like something out of Jurassic Park.
This was just a taster of th next three days, 20 mins later Luis pulls the canoe over to the side of the river close to some bushes and starts making weird noises, just when we think we have hooked ourselves a schizo for a guide about 10 yellow and Grey Squirrel monkeys appear and start chasing the Banana Luis has around the boat.
That night we set off just after dark in the canoe (Covered from head to toe in Mozzy repellent, the BASTARDS ARE EVERYWHERE), and move slowly up river scanning the banks with our torches looking for the reflections of Alligators eyes. Eventually we find one but he is too quick and disappears before we get close.
Day 2 was the one i had been dreading, let me just set this out before i go any further........I DO NOT LIKE SNAKES. So, I ask myself 'Why would i want to spend 4 hours trekking through the bush in search of a bloody ANACONDA????'
We move along the bush and are told that we have to look in the trees and on the ground for 4 different snakes : Cobra, Rattlesnake, Anaconda, and Black Mamba. Luis then sets my Nerves at ease by telling me that if i did get bitten i would have at lease half an hour to get some antidote .......ARE YOU F*CKING SHITTING ME!!!!!!!!
Luckily after two hours we have found no Snakes, until on the way back one of the Israelis spots a small Rattler coolly making his way across the track.
Terrified i get close enough for one or two pics and that is my lot, back in the canoe trying to beat off the renewed attack from the Mozzies, i swear the f*ckers are coordinating their attacks!
DAY 3 is pretty cool, we spend most of the afternoon down the back of the camp fishing for Piranah, tricky little gits i tell ya. They have this nasty talent for removing all the bait from your hook quicker than you can react. Eventually Lusi turns up and catches about 10 or so, the only person to have any luck was John, though he only managed to catch a Turtle.
That night my sleeping covers are invaded by my good old friends the Mozzies and i wake up to be greeted by 54 bites on my body.....ITCHY AS FOOOKK.
Anyway, i best be off now, there are more photos and blogs to come, soon i swear.
Until next time,
You stay classy San Diego.
AL
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gman
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Wow to the views...
...even Liam Lalor couldn't re-zone them!