The last leg of our trip has been a wild one! On Friday we left the city of Rurre for the Pampas jungle tour. The minivans picked us up and it took us about three hours to reach the boats. The roads in Bolivia are not paved so we had a pretty bumpy ride there. Once we got to the boats we traveled another three hours to get to our camp. The boat ride was nothing short of breathtaking. Our guide Choco pointed out various wildlife along the way. We were able to see cayman, which are smaller sized Bolivian crocodiles. There were many pink dolphins as well. Yes, they are actually pink! We were able to see them when they came up for air, some were very close to our boat it was so cool. The variety of birds was also amazing. The best part was meeting the squirrel monkeys. Choco pulled the boat right up to the trees and the monkeys climbed aboard! They were adorable and extremely friendly.
We finally arrived to camp where we shared a cabin and had our own cook (who was amazing). The first night there we went on a boat ride to watch the sunset followed by a night watch for animals. We used flashlights to scan the trees for any eyes of cayman or alligators hiding. The mosquitos were crazy, I have never seen so many in my life! We we spent most of the tour in the wetlands where the mosquitos love to hang out.
We were awoken early the next morning by the sounds of the howler monkeys. They make an eerie sound that is loud and slightly scary. I had never heard anything like it before. Soon after breakfast we went on a snake finding hike. We put on knee-high rubber boots and followed our guides into the jungle in search of snakes. Choco found one anaconda lurking in the trees, it was pretty big! After lunch we went fishing for some piranha. We each had our own fishing gear and we were given meat to use as bait. Surprisingly I was able to catch two big white piranhas (this was after catching a sardine sized one without teeth). We took our fish back to camp where our cook grilled them for us to eat. I tried a small piece and it tasted like any other fish, just a little saltier. It was pretty good! Sunday, our final day in the Pampas, we went dolphin watching. It was so cool to see small herds of them so close to our boat.
We spent all day Monday in La Paz, the capitol city of Bolivia. Here our tour guide Victor took us around the city to various places as he explained the rich Bolivian culture. We saw the incredible moon valley formed by sand and clay. He took us on a ride in the gondolas where we could overlook the entire city, it was beautiful. I was scared of how high up we were but loved seeing the city from above. It is an extremely densely populated city with buildings pretty much everywhere. We learned that landslides often ruin homes and leave people with nothing.
Victor showed us around the crowded shopping areas. It reminded me of New York City it was so busy with people. Each of us picked up some gifts for our families and friends. We attended a Bolivian Folk show to end the night at La Paz. It was a beautiful representation of Bolivian culture and history.
I am grateful for this last part of the trip because I was able to learn about Bolivian culture and traditions. I thought it was impressive that culture is so highly valued in Bolivia. I took away the key theme that it is important to remember where you came from. I will never forget La Paz and it’s beauty and chaos all wrapped into one. The altitude sickness was the biggest challenge, but we took it slow and it was a great experience.
We made our way to the airport where we will begin our journey back to Boston. This week flew by and it feels like we only just arrived!
We finally arrived to camp where we shared a cabin and had our own cook (who was amazing). The first night there we went on a boat ride to watch the sunset followed by a night watch for animals. We used flashlights to scan the trees for any eyes of cayman or alligators hiding. The mosquitos were crazy, I have never seen so many in my life! We we spent most of the tour in the wetlands where the mosquitos love to hang out.
We were awoken early the next morning by the sounds of the howler monkeys. They make an eerie sound that is loud and slightly scary. I had never heard anything like it before. Soon after breakfast we went on a snake finding hike. We put on knee-high rubber boots and followed our guides into the jungle in search of snakes. Choco found one anaconda lurking in the trees, it was pretty big! After lunch we went fishing for some piranha. We each had our own fishing gear and we were given meat to use as bait. Surprisingly I was able to catch two big white piranhas (this was after catching a sardine sized one without teeth). We took our fish back to camp where our cook grilled them for us to eat. I tried a small piece and it tasted like any other fish, just a little saltier. It was pretty good! Sunday, our final day in the Pampas, we went dolphin watching. It was so cool to see small herds of them so close to our boat.
We spent all day Monday in La Paz, the capitol city of Bolivia. Here our tour guide Victor took us around the city to various places as he explained the rich Bolivian culture. We saw the incredible moon valley formed by sand and clay. He took us on a ride in the gondolas where we could overlook the entire city, it was beautiful. I was scared of how high up we were but loved seeing the city from above. It is an extremely densely populated city with buildings pretty much everywhere. We learned that landslides often ruin homes and leave people with nothing.
Victor showed us around the crowded shopping areas. It reminded me of New York City it was so busy with people. Each of us picked up some gifts for our families and friends. We attended a Bolivian Folk show to end the night at La Paz. It was a beautiful representation of Bolivian culture and history.
I am grateful for this last part of the trip because I was able to learn about Bolivian culture and traditions. I thought it was impressive that culture is so highly valued in Bolivia. I took away the key theme that it is important to remember where you came from. I will never forget La Paz and it’s beauty and chaos all wrapped into one. The altitude sickness was the biggest challenge, but we took it slow and it was a great experience.
We made our way to the airport where we will begin our journey back to Boston. This week flew by and it feels like we only just arrived!