Jurassic Park

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We aide Nick´s requested escape and 6 of us head to the jungle and away from the big, v. bad city.

Rurrenabaque is only realisticaly achieveable by flight tho some skinflint travellers get the bus, which goes along the real death road, only to be in bits on arrival and fly back. Im not that stupid and opt to fly, the road must have been bad as flying is no way normally an option!

The Pampas, a network of waterways through wetland, was amazing. Swimming with pink dolphins, caymans, alligators (which we hunted at night in the darkness when the mosquitos were like a fog- pitch black & not funny), piranha fishing (in the same water we swam), crazy birds, eagles, turtles, sloths and monkeys that get in the boat, then some huge beast arrived unannounced, caught my guide off guard and started a fight! Brilliant!

The highlight however, apart from bailing water out the boat continuously, was the searching for anacondas. The scenery looked like where the Veloceraptors lived in Jurassic Park and I am petrified (which I didnt think I would be) rooting around in grass twice as tall as you, knee deep, in swamp. Yes swamp, without wellies as I quote Luis the guide, "it ruins the experience." No, the only thing it ruined was my shoes that went straight in the bin!

It is on the jeep travelling here that I befriend Amy, who I was convinced I recognised tho we were in the middle of nowhere. Ah yes, thats right, you work in my local in Mcr and the reminiscing begins............

It gets sour tho. 4 of the 6 people think that the whole experience would be better with coke and would rather be in Vivians (are you mad?). So they fly home and straight from the airport get a cab to their favourite place and the 60 year old hag (Vivian). I however head to the jungle.

Its all very Pocahontas really. And in the 2 days 2 treks follow. Although the tarantulas, swamps and various medicinal, hallucinagenic, poisonous, sexual aide plants were v. interesting it was along a path and felt contrived.

The guide must have know this as the next day, "lets go for a swim in the river," turned into getting out the other side and having a 4 hour jungle trek barefoot in swimwear!! Pulling the spikes out of my feet at the end was not fun but the vista at the top of the walk that looked over a sky filled with the red, blue and yellows of flocks of squarking mackaws was worth it, tho they make a load of noise. It was here that it turned from Pocahontas to Planet Earth and truely rook your breath away.

3 hours later we are back, planet earth music still playing, until it is halted at dinner by 6, out of tune Isralis singing, "Dont Look Back In Anger." They put Oasis on for my benefit and I appreciate the gesture. Night fishing and star gazing for hours on the banks of the river....... followed, beautiful.

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