South America Day 25

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6th February

I've not yet had a bad experience with street vendor food here or in Thailand, but lets just say I wasn't feeling that pleasest this morning!

We were picked up after breakfast from our hotel to be taken to the airport. The ride to the airport was phenomenol, driving all the way to the top of the canyon as the airport was on the flat alltiplano above. We drove up streets with switch backs as steep as those on hard knott pass where people had built houses & were going about their everyday lives. Needless to say the view from the top was amazing, looking down and accross the vast canyon with houses & building clinging to the sides.

We arrived at the airport on time after alot of beeping & pushing between taxis (the roads are so full hardly any vehicle can move) & checked into our flight. The flight was delayed by 1 1/2 hours and neither of us were feeling well which made it worse.

After passing through the boarding gate we were to meet our plaine for the 45 minute trip to Rurrenabaque (Rurre). It was a 16 seat light aircraft. On getting inside I couldn't stand up it was so small, we were sat 1 to a row with 8 rows in total. The captain & co-pilot seemed to be even more crammed in than we were. So off we went holding onto our hats, the take off was ok the only diffrence being that every move that the plane made was exadurated by the size of the aircraft.

The ride over the mountains was bumpy with some large turbulence and the landing was pretty shakey too but we made it in one peace to land on the dirt airstrip of Rurre. The airport was small to say the least - 1 grass landing strip turned dust and a small wood built terminal building, more like a bus station than an airport but functional all the same.

We got our transfer to our tour agency in Rurre & then onwards to our hotel - Hotel Oriental. There isn't much Oriental about the palce but it is pretty good. Private ensuite room and a shaddy courtyard with hammocks & fruit trees.

The climate is so diffrent here, we have gone from La Paz, super dry, cool & oxygen depleted at nearly 4000m to Rurre in the Amazon basin at 150m, hot, sticky with really humid air. All within a 45 minute plane journey.

For the next wek we will be touring the Pampas & rainforest around Rurre - basic schedule as below;


Saturday 7th,

Rurre to the Pampas - 3.5 hour jeep ride to the Caracoles Lodge in the Yacuma river. Afternoon in dugout canoes looking for pink dolphins, monkeys, turtles & birdlife. Stay in lodge.


Sunday 8th,

Boat ride up the Yacuma river and savannahs looking for anaconda, dolphins & more birdlife. Afternoon trek to see anteaters & monkeys. Stay in lodge.


Monday 9th,

Wildlife watching in the morning then return by Jeep to Rurre for the night.


Tuesday 10th,

Rurre - Chalalan & Madidi national park - 5 hour boat ride up the Tuichi river to Chalalan lodge. Afternoon trails around the Chalalan lake & night trip to look for nocturnal frogs & birds. Stay at Chalalan Eco Lodge.


Wednesday 11th,

Into the rainforest with local guides to see wildlife & share local knowlage. Stay at Chalalan Eco Lodge


Thursday 12th,

Trek through primary forest to a mawkaw saltlick then an afternoon making local handicrafts. Stay at Chalalan Eco Lodge


Friday 13th,

3 hour boat ride back to Rurre then fly back to La Paz in the afternoon.

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