Me Tarzan You Jane

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As we landed at the world´s highest airport, at 4200m, we both almost fainted from the altitude, that was right after surviving one of the world´s scariest plane journeys where our pilot decided to ´fly by´ the airline sponsored football stadium minutes after take off! But as our taxi driver drove us into the canyon and the bright lights of Bolivia´s capital city La Paz, we got our groove back ;-)

La Paz is a spectacular city, nestled in a canyon surrounded by snowy moutain peaks and is pretty much one big street market selling all sorts of crazy things (from llama foetuses in the Witches Market to the latest series of Lost downtown). Many of the local women wear traditional clothing every day which consists of colorful multilayered petticoats, fringed shawls, lace aprons, and oddest of all... bowler hats, which look like they came straight from a prewar London haberdashery!

We spent a couple of days wandering along the cobbled streets acclimatising and checking out the main sights including the infamous San Pedro Prison, where life is better on the inside than it is on the outside for most and families live alongside inmates in luxury flats. We heard rumours you could go in and take a look but after one friend told us how she was chased from the entrance by a gun wielding soldier for just wanting to take a photo, we got what we thought a same distance, took a quick snap and legged it!





Then we headed north west out of the city on a propeller plane to the Bolivian Amazon after observing another rather strange Bolivian tradition - getting married at the airport - as we waited for our mini plane to arrive we must have seen at least ten sombre looking couples in full regalia parading in and around the airport, even stopping for official photos in front on check in desks?!!




We landed on a grass runway 45 minutes later
and arrived in Rurrenabaque, where we stayed overnight before setting off on a three day Pampas (savannah) tour. By day, we were trekking waist high in swamp, hunting anaconda snakes and by night, crouching in canoes practically level with the river water, looking for the red eyes of a black caiman (south america´s answer to a croc or aligator). Probably amongst the craziest things we've both ever done.



Less death defying we also got to see muchos tucans, parrots, eagles, monkeys, pink river dolphins and the condor of the pampas, the southen screamer. Was amazing to see so much in such a short space of time and for once the guides told no lies, this part of the Amazon is truly one of the most biodiverse in the world.

After the Pampas came another three days at the mercy of mosquitos, in the heart of the Amazonian jungle five hours north of Rurrenabaque in the Madidi National Park. We stayed in Chalalan Eco Lodge which was set up in 1995 and is owned by the local community. It was really interesting to learn how such a venture can really benefit a small community whilst preserving the thousands of hectares of pristine rainforest that belong to them and were inherited from their ancestors. This park is home to more than 1,000 species of birds and 6,000 species of plant. The world needs more places like this.


Amongst the night and day jungle trekking, Tim found time to take part in a five a side football competition with 29 Bolivians from this community. The pitch was carefully marked out in a clearing in the middle of the jungle and the games were all taken with the utmost seriousness.


Fetching the ball after it had been slammed deep into the jungle was not a pleasant experience, especially after the size of the tarrantulas we had seen earlier and the millions of mosquitos just waiting for some nice juicy gringo blood. After a disastrous start, his team came back to win the tournament, I think it helped that he amazingly, is officially the tallest person in Bolivia.




So not only did he win the footie tournament but he also won the award for most mosquito bites whilst I am just left with the jungle equivalent of Delhi belly...

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