Amazon dreams

Trip Start Feb 10, 2006
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Trip End Feb 01, 2007


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Flag of Bolivia  ,
Sunday, August 6, 2006

At last the jungle! The one place Iīve 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 Ļthe most dangerous road in the worldĻ. Didnīt 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 itīs safer than the bus? We passed one truck that had slid backwards over a short drop the day before, itīs 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 Death road - the photo I couldn´t get from the bus
Death road - the photo I couldn´t get from the bus
 . 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 itīs safe to proceed - the driver throws him money or food in gratitude. And then I meet a guy weīd watched the football with back in Sucre, when I asked where his girlfriend was he told me sheīd 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. Guess the road really does deserve itīs 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. Itīs 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 - itīs 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 Iīve seen first hand the results of feeding monkeys whilst in Cambodia, India and Africa - guess it wonīt be long till they start biting people. One girl even told me sheīd 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 werenīt too bad!
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