Amazon dreams

Trip Start Feb 10, 2006
1
34
76
Trip End Feb 01, 2007


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of Bolivia  ,
Sunday, August 6, 2006

At last the jungle! The one place I´ve really been dreaming about coming to and finally we made it. And what a journey - eight hours from Torotoro to Cochambamba on a dusty winding road then a quick lunch before catching the overnight bus to La Paz where we jumped straight on the bus to Rurrenbaque, this part was nineteen hours and this time on ¨the most dangerous road in the world¨. Didn´t take the claim too seriously, which was lucky or I might have avoided getting on the bus altogether...The road starts off all beautiful tarmac but quickly turns into a narrow and very dusty track that twists and turns down the mountains whilst clinging precariously to the side of the steepest cliffs ever. Most tourists opt for a guided cycle ride down - for the adrenalin rush and the T-shirt I guess and maybe it´s safer than the bus? We passed one truck that had slid backwards over a short drop the day before, it´s load of precious wood still scattered in the valley. Two days after we arrived a bus went over a much steeper drop killing all twenty four passengers. A lonely Bolivian stands at the corner where his family disappeared many years ago and waves a green or red flag to let traffic know if it´s safe to proceed - the driver throws him money or food in gratitude. And then I meet a guy we´d watched the football with back in Sucre, when I asked where his girlfriend was he told me she´d flown back to NZ after being forced over the edge of the road by a truck - the bike disappeared into the never never but she was lucky and landed on a ledge with only a broken ankle and nose. Death road - the photo I couldn´t get from the bus
Death road - the photo I couldn´t get from the bus
 Guess the road really does deserve it´s nickname.

We made it there and back no problem though and had an amazing time. The village has been completely taken over by tour agencies, cafes and hotels - a real tourist hot spot. Most tours take you either up river to the pampas or through the jungle at about fifteen US dollars a day. It´s really just luck as to whether you get a good group and a decent guide. Many guides will do whatever you ask just for a tip - picking up Anacondas and waving them about, feeding monkeys etc - it´s amazing how few tourists realise what pain it can cause a snake when you touch them, the sunscreen and insect spray burns their skin and I´ve seen first hand the results of feeding monkeys whilst in Cambodia, India and Africa - guess it won´t be long till they start biting people. One girl even told me she´d been off shooting monkeys!!!! Unreal and gross. I started to get really worried that the trip would be an ecological disaster so dragged Allan round till I found the wonderful Madidi Travel who charge a bit more but are completely sound and have the most amazing guide. We tiptoed through the jungle both day and night and caught sight of some beautiful animals. There are a few lakes out there so we were able to canoe silently through the water watching caymans below and macaws above - total heaven. Even the mosies weren´t too bad!
Slideshow Print this entry La Paz hotels