Travel, Photography, Life.
Rurrenabaque Jungle/Pampa Tours
1 day in the jungle and 3 days through the pampas.
Pampa Tour Day 3
Jun 21st
June 15, 2006
Day 260
It was another slow start today as everyone took until after 9:00 to get ready. The only thing on the agenda before going home was swimming with the dolphins. After breakfast, we went up the river for awhile and all jumped in. We didn’t see any dolphins, but at least no alligators ate us either.
We went back to camp, had lunch, then got ready to leave. While I was waiting for everyone else to shower (with the same water they were just swimming in), I had another fish. We all piled into the boat again and went back downstream toward where we started the tour. On the way, we saw a group of dolphins and were asked if anyone wanted to swim. Everyone else had just taken a shower, so I was the only one to go (once again, shower water=river water). This time the dolphins were closer, but they didn’t approach and play with me like you see in the movies. Of course, movie dolphins are of the cute, sea-faring variety, while these were an ugly freshwater species, so that might have made the difference.
When we exited the river, we got back in the Land Cruiser and were driven down the bumpy road back to Rurrenabaque. The trip was great for wildlife viewing, but it was too bad everything moved so slowly. The activities we did (go down a river, look at animals at night, look for anacondas, fish, swim with dolphins) could have easily been done in two days if it weren’t for all the dilly-dallying. Most of the other tourists don’t mind that the tour is three days because they fly to and from La Paz specifically to do this tour, so it’s their only chance to see the jungle. Never mind the fact that most of their jungle viewing is done from a hammock or a muddy river water shower.
When I got back to Rurrenabaque, I got a bus ticket to go to Trinidad tomorrow. The only problem was that the bus was leaving from Guayara, and I was told that it could get to Rurrenabaque anywhere from 3-7 AM, depending on road conditions. I moved into a hotel right next to the bus station and told them to wake me up when the bus got there. Of course, I couldn’t just go to bed early on my last night in town, so I hung out at the famous Mosquito Bar with my comrades from my tour most of the night.
Pampa Tour Day 2
Jun 20th
June 14, 2006
Day 259
We got up today at 7:30 and had breakfast, which consisted of an assortment of fruits that were beautifully prepared for us. We then proceeded to wait for everyone in the group to get ready for the day. They all had to take showers for some reason, despite the fact that we would be walking through the swamp all day. I didn’t have the heart to show them the pipe that pumped the water directly from the muddy river to the holding tank above the bathroom area. We didn’t get going until 9:30, which was in stark contrast to the canoe trip, where we were usually on the water by 5:30.
The main activity of the day was to look for anacondas. We took the boat further up the river to an area where cows were grazing. Then we started walking until we got to a wetter area. Everyone was given rubber boots, and at first they somehow thought they were immune to getting wet. We kept crossing deeper and deeper streams, though, and the water got dangerously closer and closer to the tops of peoples’ boots.
When we got to the main stream to look for anacondas, several of us started walking through the water, which was almost waste-high, while everyone else walked along the shore. We were told that if we found an anaconda, it would feel like stepping on someone’s arm. That was a pleasant thought. As we kept walking, the shore line became smaller and smaller. Eventually, our guides led us to an area where everyone had to walk through the deep water. One by one, people screamed and jeered as their boots filled with water. We didn’t find any anacondas, but seeing everyone who had just showered with the river water get muddy made it worthwhile.
When we got back to camp, I wanted to eat the meal that had already been cooked for us, but everyone else had to take another shower first. It was frustrating how different our priorities were. I didn’t care if I smelled bad, which probably pissed off the others as much as them not caring if we ate pissed me off.
Later in the day, our group went fishing. We started out using raw beef as bait, and I got a few piranhas, catfish, and dogfish. I switched to using a small fish for bait and caught some bigger catfish. All of the others caught several piranha, too. The fishing outing was a great success, as would be expected considering that they bite constantly here. Tonight’s dinner was complimented with a large plate of fried fish, another delicious feast.
Pampa Tour Day 1
Jun 20th
June 13, 2006
Day 258
This morning, Craig took a bus to La Paz. He is going to meet some of his friends who are flying in from Europe. We will all meet up in Trinidad in a week or so for our next canoe adventure. That gave me some spare time to do another tour, this time of the animal-laden pampa.
I was joined on the tour by Mano and Luz, whom I had met yesterday, Chris and Max, from England, Anna and Katie, from Denmark, and our guide Joaquin. We started the tour by driving about three hours down a bumpy road in a Toyota Land Cruiser. On the way, Joaquin spotted a three-toed sloth, one of the slowest animals in the world, hanging from a tree. I was surprised he was able to spot it from the moving vehicle because it blended in with its environment so well.
When we got to the river, we threw all of our gear into a large, sturdy dugout with a 15 HP motor and took off upstream. As soon as we left, we started seeing alligators on the shore. They seemed to be very vicious the way they sat with their mouths cocked open, but when we neared them with the boat, they proved to be quite docile. We were warned, though: They would attack if we invaded their territory. I think we were safe in the boat, though. I think.
For the rest of the ride to our camp, we almost constantly saw animals. Turtles were everywhere, usually in groups of two or more. There were also several species of birds, including the biggest bird of flight in the Amazon. Many of the birds beautifully spread their wings as we passed them. We also saw a few capybaras, the largest rodent in the world, and some pink river dolphins. Toward the end of our journey, we saw a group of golden monkeys swinging in the trees. A group of Israelis pulled up next to us with bananas and started feeding them. I’m not sure which group was of the higher-ordered primates. I think I saw more wildlife in that two-hour ride than I had seen in the entire last month in the jungle.
When we got to our camp, we unpacked our stuff and checked out the end of a soccer game (I know, it’s not really roughing it if they have a TV). Later, we had a large dinner. A cook came along with us, so there was no work involved on our part. It’s a lot easier than going without a guide. I felt like royalty, but everyone else acted like it was just part of their normal lifestyle.
After it got dark, we got in the boat again and looked for alligators. Their freaky amber-colored eyes were watching us from all over. The loud sounds of the frogs and birds were incredible. We may not have been able to see much, but the pampa was still very much alive at night.
The photo album for this entry is here.
A Quick Jungle Walk
Jun 19th
June 12, 2006
Day 257
I wanted to go on a tour of the pampa today, but it wasn’t possible. All of the flights into town were canceled due to poor weather conditions, and so many tourists opt to fly rather than take the 18-hour bus ride from La Paz that every tour company in town was forced to delay their tours until tomorrow. However, I was able to get into a tour of the jungle for today. I went more for something to do than anything else.
I was joined on my tour by Mano and Luz from Holland and Julio, our guide. We were driven to the nearby jungle, but not in the national park. Julio mainly taught us about plants that were useful in the jungle. There are plants that supposedly can cure everything from snakebites to impotence. Probably the most interesting example was eating termites to cure indigestion. Julio tapped a termite nest to get them riled up, and when they started running around, he licked them. My turn was next. They tasted very minty for some reason.
For the next several hours, Julio led us through the jungle, cutting his own path with his machete the entire way. He constantly joked about being lost, and at times I wasn’t sure how much he was actually joking. There didn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason to the direction he took us in other than to keep us occupied for awhile.
At one point, Julio saw some vines and started cutting around them. I wasn’t sure what he was up to when he asked us how much we weighed. Then I saw that he was clearing the area around a vine we could swing on. I guess it was kind of cool to act like Tarzan for a few seconds, but it took half an hour and countless wasted vegetation just to create a glorified swing. It seemed like a big waste, but the girls enjoyed it at least.
Later, we walked out of the jungle to the main road where we met our ride back into town. I didn’t see many animals, but the tour was still interesting to learn about living in the jungle. Tomorrow’s pampa trip guarantees lots of great wildlife viewing.
The photo album for this entry is here.