On the bus down to La Paz someone told me there was a boat journey that went through the jungle, and as one of the things I wanted to do while I was away was take a serious boat journey I did some quick internet research and found the place that did it.
I popped across to the tour office before I headed out to the World`s Most Dangerous Road, and met the guide Ivan who talked me through the trip, and it sounded spot on. It was three days of pure relaxation, fun, and great experiences. So here`s the journey:
Day 1
The guy`s picked me up, along with Betty who I`d met the night before. It was a very long 5 hour jeep journey along the most dramatic bit of the road to Rurre. I can see why it takes so long, and why it has a reputation for being dangerous. The road clings to the side of a mountain, and is less than 15 feet wide in places. To the left there`s a vertical drop straight down to the valley. There are occasional passing places, but given the blind corners, it`s not uncommon to see buses, lorries, and our own jeep having to reverse to the very edge of the road and let traffic past. Not one for the faint hearted.
Here´s a picture on the back of one of the buses - Osama Bin Laden and Che Guevara:
After lunch, there was another few hours of dusty dirt road to get to Guanay where the boat starts off. At Guanay we met two other people, and then it was off down the river for an hour and a half where we had a swim in a natural rock pool, before heading further down the river to the camp site.
The camp site was literally on the river - on a sandy shore. The cook, Carmen, made an incredible meal, while we lit a fire. After food and some chilling out, it was time for bed.
Some kids jumping into the river at Guanay:
On the river:
Camping on the beach:
Getting ready to set off:
Day 2
The next day started with a trip down the river to the only port - where we picked up supplies. It was Sunday morning, and people were out in the town. There was music blasting out of quite a few places, as if they were trying to compete with each other.
No! No! NO! NO! Some Pigs:
We then headed to one of the local communities which was a real experience. All of the people who live in this area are gold prospectors, who either pan, or leach gold from the river.
After lunch we got to the next camp site, and did a walk into the jungle. It was great to get out into the jungle - although it`s extremely humid, and even the lightest effort raises a sweat. Part of trip included fishing for Piranaha - I was hugely unsucesful, but check out these nashers (no animals were hurt during the tour):
And here´s where they live:
Here´s some pics from the jungle walk:
After dinner (complete with rain and the most unbelievable lightening) and another fire (this time with beer and a vodka like spirit from the port we stopped at in the morning), Ivan took a few of us into the jungle. I`d have to say this was one of the highlights of the trip. Most of the animals are nocturnal (not that you could see much), but you could hear birds and insects - as you walked along large winged insects kept flying into you. It was incredibly noisy and really exciting. No pics - sorry it was too dark - but what a trip...
Day 3
Got up early and had another great breakfast. We then headed off into the jnugle again. as we were walking along, you could here wild boar in the forest, and we followed them for a while, listening to them. Wild Boars will kill and eat humans if the pack is large enough - and even eat the bones (just like in the film Hannibal).
It was both incredibly awesome, and terrifying at the same time, but Ivan was so excited that you couldn´t help but catch his enthusiasm and follow them through the jungle (there were about 40 to 50 so we were safe). It was the absolute highlight of the trip - and while I didn´t see anything other than some trees moving, it was an incredible moment.
Here´s a bullet ant - so called because if you get bitten it feels like a gun-shot wound. It´s also called the 24 hour ant - four bites and your dead within 24 hours. Nice!
Then it was back to the boat to float down the river to Rurre.
I´d definitely recomment this trip - it was awesome. Check out Deep Rainforest in La Paz and ask for Ivan - you won´t be disapointed.
No comments:
Post a Comment