| May 7, 2006 - The Pampas near Rurrenabaque, Bolivia
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 | The jeep at the lunch break
| | The boats, ours on the right
| | Jess & Sofia, Ruth & Mary, and more of the gang
| | Starting out the journey
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 | Jaqui the cook, our guide, and me
| | I was sitting in the back
| | Our first friends (spider monkeys?)
| | We got pretty close
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 | A solo portrait
| | They all came out to greet us (or for food?)
| | More river scenes. There will be a lot of these
| | Turtles, for some reason they chill like that
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 | Stork (or stork-ish bird)
| | Away in the distance, signs of the dolphins
| | More turtles
| | Our camp
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 | The Sunset Bar
| | The open grasslands, from Sunset Bar deck
| | Members of the group, relaxing on the dek
| | The grasslands and a plane
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 | Country flags lining the pier of the deck
| | First of the sunset sphoto session
| | I have this picture in many locations around South America. Here's the pampas
| | The group
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 | Probably the best of the sunset pics
| | Jo, from the jeep down from La Paz
| | The rest of the jeep group from La Paz
| | Ben and some flags
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 | Sunset and reflections
| | Sunset reflections and a canoe
| | One last shot
| | On the way back to camp
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 | Still in the boat, Kyle, Scott, & Ben
| | Nighttime riding, on the lookout for alligator eyes
| | Saturday morning, our friend had come on shore
| | He looks so sinister here
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 | Getting an early start in the morning
| | One of many birds we passed on the way
| | Same birds in action
| | They calmed down now
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 | Scene from the front of the boat
| | Shoreline of the river
| | Jaqui doing her thing
| | Another group's cooks at the lunch spot
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 | Taking off again after the morning pit stop
| | Me at the front of the boat
| | Cool bird
| | The start of the anaconda hunting
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 | Our guide in the grass
| | Me in the grass
| | A little more of me in the grass
| | During the anaconda hunt
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 | It was deep and mucky
| | The scene around us
| | Kyle on the go
| | Strange eggs
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 | Me again
| | And again
| | And walking away
| | Wide shot of the group
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 | We got it!
| | Showing the fangs
| | "Cheese!"
| | It actually smelled like crap
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 | Funny pic
| | Up close and personal
| | More of the scenery
| | Hanging out once again
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 | I climbed the tree
| | Same shot, vertical
| | Another group posing with our friend
| | This just looks cool
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 | Cute little girl back at the lunch spot
| | The two daughters of the other group's cook
| | On the way to the swimming spot
| | More of the birds in the area
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 | Would be a great shot if it was framed better
| | Many birds were here
| | The birds and a herd of cattle
| | The cattle and the birds
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 | Out of focus bird on a tree
| | Basking in the sun
| | The boat at our swimming spot
| | So refreshing
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 | Swimming around
| | Most of the group
| | I feel great
| | Another one
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 | Show off
| | The boys
| | Cool bug landed on my finger (macro lens)
| | Bugs-eye view
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 | Swarming birds
| | More of the birds
| | And more birds
| | They landed on this tree
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 | Capivada on the shore
| | Closer to the capivada
| | World's largest rodent
| | Just a pretty scene
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 | The birthday celebration that night
| | Sofia and the birthday boy
| | The musicians
| | Hanging out after dinner with new group
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 | Sunrise session on Sunday
| | Also at the sunrise
| | Large bird overhead at our camp
| | Same bird at the camp
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 | Pics of the gator
| | Not a great ad for Fluvial
| | Bird at the camp, through binoculars
| | Looks like he's stalking the bird
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 | Playig the part of the piranha
| | Piranha fishing
| | Working on my ring and necklace
| | The piece for the necklace
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 | All done
| | That is the seed the necklace piece is made from
| | The raw material
| | Gutting the piranhas for lunch
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 | Too close?
| | Mmmmm, fried piranha
| | Jaqui, ready to leave
| | Chillin on the way out
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 | | | Good time for a snooze
| | Back in Rurrenabaque, at the river
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| | On Friday morning all of us that were to make up the tour group for the Pampas met at the tour agency's office. We boarded a large 4x4 jeep similar to the one that I took from La Paz and were driven a couple hours out to another river in the area. This was a nice scenic ride, albeit very dusty and bumpy. Along the way we paused for lunch at a restaurant arranged by the tour company. It was a nice way to start the trip because it gave us all a chance to get to know one another, trade travel stories, and get pumped up for the experience. We all got along really well and it was a fantastic group of people. With 8 different countries represented by the 10 of us, it was a diverse crowd as well. The group was: Me from the US, Sofia from Columbia who know lives in Australia, Jess from Australia, Scott from New Zealand, Ben from Germany, Martine from Switzerland, Magaly from France, and Mary, Ruth, & Kyle all from England.
The jeep ride ended at a put-in spot for boats along a river. All the different tour companies arrived here about the same time, and like in the jungle, a transfer was made of tourists. Boats started to return with people who were just ending their 3-day Pampas tours. We the new groups would then board these boats while the old groups would get on the jeeps we just rode in and go back to Rurrenabaque. It all worked very well, but is an interesting system for the guides and cooks of the tours. They never actually know if a new group is coming or not, so at the end of each tour there is the chance that they will turn around and do it all over immediately once again, and another chance that they may be able to go home for the night and see their families. We boarded our boat, which is a long wooden dugout canoe-style thing. There is a motor in the back which our tour guide, whose name I forget, operates, and with all of us piled in and sitting low the water comes almost up even to the edge of the boat. We also met our cook for the tour, Jaqui.
Over the next couple of hours we got a feel for what the majority of the tour would be like. For most of the time we just cruise along in this boat, laughing and talking with each other, and enjoying the amazing scenery as we wind our way through a network of rivers spread out over the vast grasslands. It's easy to see why most people prefer the Pampas to the Jungle. Here there is no work required on your part, you are out in the sun, and the wildlife comes right to you. There were many times when I honestly felt like I was on a ride at Disneyland. Early on we met our welcoming committee, a tree full of the smallest cutest monkeys. They actually are the smallest species of monkey in the world, though I forget the name (possibly spider monkeys). At first we were amazed and excited that they were so callm and curious in our presence, but then we realized they actually come out because they have gotten used to tourists giving them food in the past. We decided not to feed them, but still they were very friendly. Over the next few days it became commonplace to see various exotic birds such as toucans and parrots, more monkeys, large turtles and alligators, and a rare breed of pink freshwater dolphins that swim in the rivers here. And all this from the comfort of the boat with the sun overhead and a light breeze in your face. Even endangered species like the Blue Macaw were a normal occurance in this heavily-visited yet well-protected patch of beauty. (Though to be totally honest, the pink dolphins were really more grey with just a very distinct pinkish hue, which was a point of debate and argument in our group).
Anyway, we boarded the boat that Friday afternoon and cruised for about 2 hours until we got to our camp, getting our first taste of the pampas, the scenery and the wildlife, and the comforts of the boat, along the way. In the jungle, the different companies own have their own sections. You camp and tour and do everything within this land and never see other people. Here, all the companies use the same rivers and do the same things, so you are constantly seeing the other boats. But the camps are still kept separate and are spread out along the shore of the river over a stretch that takes over an hour to cover by boat. The camp consists of one structure for cooking and eating, two large structures full of bunk beds for sleeping, and then a third open-sided one with 6 hammocks strung across it for down time. There was also a large and intimidating alligator that always hung out around camp and even came on shore at times, but we were promised he was harmless. He stayed in the area because leftover food was always discarded nearby, and apparently he had gotten use to humans being around so was no threat to us. A hard concept to fully trust to be sure. When we arrived another smaller group was already there who were on their second day of the tour. Both groups ate together, and we were treated to a small musical presentation by the two guides, who seemed quite pained to have to go through the motions yet again. From there we headed out to the Sunset Bar, which is a small establishment also on the river that someone had the brilliant idea to set up. All the companies take their tourists here at night to mingle with each other, and sell them overpriced alcohol, sodas, and snacks. It did live up to its name though and we sat and watched a remarkable sunset over an endless patch of grasslands from their elevated deck. Once it was sufficiently dark and before heading back to camp, we went on a short nighttime ride in the boat. To make it interesting we all had our flashlights and were on the lookout for alligators. We were told to shine the light around and we would see the alligators since their eyes would reflect brightly in the dark. We found many alligators quite quickly, a cool experience though not the most comforting.
Saturday we woke early for breakfast, and then were off Anaconda hunting. Let me explain.
Saturday we woke early for breakfast, and rode over to where we would be having lunch later on. We dropped off Jaqui and the food, and then put on rubber boots that we would need for the morning's activity, anaconda hunting. Let me explain. Like I said, these tours through the Pampas are very organized and rigid. All groups do the same thing every time, and this is one of them. Anacondas are snake-like creatures that live in swampy, marshy areas, and can sometimes grow over 20ft in length. I suppose they are dangerous, we didn't here much about this, but apparently not dangerous enough to stop a group of gringos searching for them in the high grasslands. We ate breakfast at camp and then took the boat over to a setion of wide open fields with high grasses and little else except for a few sparse trees. With rubber boots up to our knees and pants tucked in to those boots, we were supposed to stay somewhat close together, and shout out to our guide if we saw anything brown and slithery underfoot. This wasn't hunting to do anything to the Anaconda, just to find it and as a sort of trophy, and presumably something to fill the time on the morning of day 2. It was actually pretty fun. The location of course was beautiful, and you can imagine yourself in any glorified role or circumstance to add excitement, gravity, and importance to an otherwise absurd situation. We walked for about 30 minutes without seeing much. At one point a couple of the girls nearby made a commotion that they had found something. It wasn't an Anaconda, but I ran over and was able to see a pencil-thin light brown snake omving around in the mud and grass. We called out to our guide who started running over. I was watching him, I think just because seeing someone try to run in rubber boots through this muck in such a calm setting was pretty amusing. As he was half-way to us he stopped abruptly, paused and looked at the ground for a second, and then quickly bent over and punched his hand into the ground. He stood up with a shiny brown medium-sized Anaconda writhing in his hands.
Soon everyone in the area, including other groups from other tours, gathered around to see, hold, and pose for photos witht the serpent. The guides all told us that not every group finds and Anaconda so we should feel lucky, and it seemed to be a little competition and source of pride among the guides about who is best at finding them. It was cool to hold and observe and all that. But after we left to continue walking around, and then returned about 30 minutes later on our way out to still find groups passing around the same Anaconda we began to feel sorry for the guy.
We got back in the boat and returned to the lunch spot, where we had a great siesta in the hammocks there while Jaqui was cooking up some delicious lunch. I took some time to chat with the cooking staff and guides that were there. After eating, our group hung out for a while together, and got into a very political conversation which I've realized is not an uncommon occurance here in South America when so many travellers from different countries all get together. After digesting for a while it was time to head out for the afternoon's activity. We cruised around for a while again, seeing many animals along the shore and flying overhead, and then arrived at a large opening in the river which served as a sort of natural pool. We waited to see signs of the 'pink' dolphins before jumping in for a swim. Along with Anaconda hunting, swimming with the dolphins is another activity advertised on these tours. What they don't tell you is that in addition to the fun of swimming with dolphins, it is actually necessary that they be there since their presence assures that the alligators, piranhas, and anacondas stay away. It was a hot day so the dip felt great and was a lot of fun. Ben is actually a professional gymnast or acrobat or something in Germany so was able to impress us with an assortment of back flips and twists off the edge of the boat.
From there we had a long and lazy cruise back to the camp site in time for sunset and dinner. Our group opted not to go to Sunset bar that night, in part because it's not that exciting and we preferred to all hang out together, but also because we had already bought our own bottles there so really had no reason whatsoever of going. There was a lot of down time during which we sat and talked, lazed in the hammocks, wrote in our journals or read. We had dinner with the new group that arrived, and once again were treated to the presentation of some simple music and song by the guides. Tonight's occasion was made different however due to a special occasion. Each of the camps has one man who lives out there to care for the site when no groups are iin the area. It certainly makes for a peaceful if not very interesting existence. Anyway, the old man who tends our site had his birthday this night, so we spruced up the presentation a bit with some dancing, and of course some sharing of the bottles we had. We stayed up pretty late talking that night. As I said, we all got along very well.
The next morning we got out to a very early start so could go watch the sunrise. We went to another large open area with high grasses, and stood together talking and enjoying the view. We then went back to camp to gather up all our things nad wait for lunch to be served. During these hours was our last activity of the trip, piranha fishing. While it sounds much more dangerous than it is, its actually quite fun. Piranha are relatively small fish but they have razor-sharp teeth, and go absolutely beserk over blood and flesh. So we all got a length of fishing line attached to small peice of wood which we held in our hands. We put a small piece of raw meat onto the hook and then dropped that into the water. Then, like most fishing, when you felt a tug you had to jerk the line quickly hoping to hook the piranha and bring it out of the water. This proved much more difficult than it sounds because the piranhas have small mouths and are very adept and just pecking away at the meat without actually getting their whole mouth over it. We were at this for a while and most of us succeeded in catching at least one fish. Mine was sort of cheap. I was standing in the boat at the time, and though I didn't hook the fish I tugged the line as soon as I felt it bite. I must have done it quickly enough because the fish came out of the water with the hook, having bit down hard onto the meat. It didn't release its bit until is was out of the water, causing the piranha to go airborne, and then out of luck it landed inside of the boat instead of back in the water. In the end it was too small to keep anyway, but I counted it as a success before throwing it back. Those of us who tired of fishing sent the rest of the time just relaxing and talking. We were all on Malaria meds for this trip so the bizarre and vivid dreams that these meds bring about was a common topic of conversation. I worked on finishing the rings and necklaces made from seeds that I had started on my jungle tour, and the man who tends the camp helped me out.
After lunch we got back on the boat for one last ride down the river, one last lazy bask in the sun. We got back to the original put-in spot on the river, and got back in the jeeps to take us the final leg back to Rurrenabaque. We had all bonded so well by this point that we decided to have dinner together and then hang out at night. It was such a nice luxury to have such an amazing group for this trip. Everyone had different backgrounds and experiences, and I used this opportunity to bounce all my ideas for the remainder of my trip off of them. It was on this Pampas tour that the final weeks of my trip really started to take shape. It was the final thing left to do on the agenda I had set so many months back, and now the only remaining question was how exactly to get back to Quito in two weeks. I still had nothing set in stone and knew it would all be decided at the lat moment anyway, but their opinions, input, feedback and advice was very valuable and appreciated. It extended beyond the scope of my trip even, as many of us were at similar crossroads in life and were discussing all the different paths that lay open before us, and the pros and cons of each.
That night was a really fun sendoff too. After showering and cleaning up, and eating dinner together, we gathered on the large terrace of the hostel where Jess and Sofia were staying. Eventually we ended up back at the singular Mosquito Bar with the other tourists in the area including the group I had ridden down in the jeep with. It was a hysterical night, and we all felt so connected. Its amazing and wonderful how such feelings can happen so quickly on trips like this. |
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