Almost Didn't Make That One!
Trip Start
Jan 20, 2004
1
97
165
Trip End
Ongoing
Mariscal Estigarribia,
Paraguay
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Climbing through the final passes of the Cordillera Oriental and then dropping precipitously down the 10,000 ft or so of the eastern side of the Andes through thick cloud - with visibility down to 20 to 30 ft at times - is not for the faint-hearted driver. The road was slick with the mist/rain and we could just see enough to realize that the barren landscape of the altiplano was quickly changing to the lush tropical vegetation of the Bolivian Amazonian Basin. Once we reached Villa Tunari at about 650 ft altitude and emerged below the cloud cover we could see that we were in a totally different world. The dense forest seemed to stretch for ever to the east except where small areas had been carved out for subsistence plots of cassava, and brightly coloured birds and butterflies were everywhere
01 The last of the colourful markets
. The air was hot (about 35C....yes, that's on the plus side, folks!) and humid, and just bursting with oxygen. Gradually more of the forest was cleared to make way for large expanses of soybeans, maize, rice, cotton, sugarcane and pasture for Zebu cattle, and the good tarmac road was straight and flat for hundreds of kilometres. In some places it seemed that the tropical forest had been almost completely cleared to make way for agriculture. The only 'fly in the ointment' for us was the continual harassment of the interminable peajes (toll booths) every 100 km or so combined with corruption-ridden Police Posts in the guise of the narcotics control system. Arriving in Santa Cruz confirmed our impression that we were in an almost totally different country from the rest of highland Bolivia, and we could see why there might be an active campaign for separation. Our impression was of a boom town in the wild west or the gold rush, combined with a very sophisticated modern city - which as you may imagine makes for a rather strange juxtaposition. Santa Cruz is now the largest city in Bolivia and has a red-hot economy based on oil, gas and drugs (not the prescription kind!) and is developing in a headlong rush. We only stayed overnight and were glad to continue our journey south early the next morning, only to find ourselves in yet another world. This is an almost totally neglected corner of Bolivia and has only a good road heading to the border with Argentina and not much else - even the Policia Nacional didn't think it worth their while to bother anybody down here
02 Dropping down into the jungle
. The recent rains had brought out an incredible flush of white butterflies, and for the next two days it seems as if we were driving through a fluttering lepidoptera storm.Ever since arriving in Bolivia we had been trying to get accurate information about the status of the road south from Santa Cruz, and the possibility of then heading east directly into Paraguay. We were generally met with blank stares whenever we asked at tourist offices or travel agencies, and even at the National Roads Service in La Paz they could only tell us that they thought the road south was mostly paved by now, but that the road into Paraguay was dirt and generally impassable during the rainy season. It wasn't until we arrived in the tiny village of Boyuibe that we managed to find out that the road marked on all our maps didn't really exist any more, but that they were in the process of building a new one from Villamontes. Our inquiries here revealed that, yes, there was a road, but that it might be somewhat difficult in parts depending on the rain. Finally, we heard that the occasional bus did get through, and that a couple of 'flotes' (long-distance station wagon taxis) had recently made it since it hadn't rained for a few days. Armed with this somewhat tenuous information, we decided in typical Channer fashion that we would give it a shot, rather than endure the alternative of two more days driving through Bolivia and Argentina and missing out on the whole Gran Chaco region of Paraguay
03 Waiting for the uphill traffic
. On the Bolivian side the "highway" heading to the border was not much more than a muddy track. Our main problem was keeping on the right road and not getting diverted onto various wandering ranch trails. At times we could see the new road under construction, but it will likely be at least a year until it is of use to anybody (just in case you're thinking of making this crossing in the near future). We made it the 70 km to the tiny outpost of Ibibobo and convinced the army post that we were bona fide travellers, completed our Bolivian Immigration exit formalities, and headed on to the actual border at Fortín Infante Rivarola 70 km hence. By this time the sun was blazing overhead, and the temperature was heading into the high 30s. The integrated frontier customs facilities - one Bolivian officer and one Paraguayan, living side-by-side in air-conditioned trailers - were the remotest we have seen on the trip so far, but probably the friendliest, as they were delighted to receive visitors to relieve their boredom. They thought there might be some problems with the road on the other side, but suggested we'd have to inquire at the next army checkpoint. We arrived there to find a bus had just made it through from Paraguay....and the driver assured us that there was absolutely no way that we could make it, especially around a bridge that was under construction just a few km down the road
04 Dense bush....
. What to do, but go and check it out!Our first impression was that the bus driver was probably right, and that we had no choice but to turn back. Then after some more detailed investigation, we decided that it was worth a try. After all, the water was no more than knee-deep if you kept through the centre, and it was only either side that it got about three-feet deep through squishy, icky mud. The worst that could happen is that we would get stuck and the van would fill up with.....oh well, we decided not to dwell on that, but concentrated on the power of positive thinking (well, okay, four-wheel drive would have been nice too!). Finally the planning and speculating phase was over, and it was time to take a deep breath and take the plunge. Yes, we made it....but half way through, when the van slipped off the high centre ground and started sliding sideways into the deep mud and all seemed lost, the photographer (who shall remain nameless) lost her cool in all the excitement and missed the best shots!! Never mind, DC3 proved up to the challenge and just managed to keep enough traction to make it safely up the far bank! After that, the next 130 km of convoluted obstacle course and muddy diversions through the initial preparations for road construction on the Paraguayan side seemed like child's play (and if you're still thinking of making this crossing, it will likely be five years before their part of the road is ready!). Meanwhile, the afternoon temperature was a steady 43C, and we were guzzling water like it was going out of style. Eventually, the new road appeared as if it were a mirage - only another 120 km to the first Paraguayan outpost of Mariscal Estigarribia. Never were we so glad to see a good tarmac road heading straight as an arrow to the horizon!
