Bags packed with our jungle essentials & bottles of Deet poking out of every crevice, Sarah and I set off to El Alto airport with the hope of getting our 8.40am flight to Rurrenabaque. Heavy rainfall means our flight is delayed! This is not such a big deal, there is an 'oxygen enriched' cafe and good Internet connection so we catch-up with each other's lives over the past three months and with our emails.
Flying to Rurrenabaque tends to be a gamble due to ever changing weather patterns and the grassy runway upon arrival. As the rain pounds down on the airport roof, we spend the day wondering whether we will have to do a U-turn back to Emma's (our friend with whom we have been staying).
At 6pm our rather plastic-looking plane takes off. The views provide a welcome distraction from
the fact that our 'co-pilot' appears to be a little clueless when it comes to responsible flying. I cannot help but notice the more senior pilot making extravagant hand gestures and lipping 'NOOOOOO!' after various buttons have been pressed. Powerless, I focus my energy on the silver-lined clouds outside.
In every cloud.....
We land on the grassy run-way of Rurrenabaque, and disembark onto the luscious green, leafy landscape of Rurrenabaque which is smothered in a blanket of humidity and steam. What a vast contrast! The landscape and the laid-back, smiling community are so far removed from the hub of La Paz.
"Runway"
First glimpses of Rurrenabaque
Beni River, Rurrenabaque
Ivan (E-ban), our guide from Chalalán Lodge, greets us at the airport and together we travel in the community bus into the centre of town. Quick stop at the Chalalán office to learn our itinerary for the coming days, and then we check into the Hotel Oriental.
Local Limousine
Main Square, 'Rurre'
The bustling main street!
The perfect place to buy a pink Lycra mini-dress or a giant purple plastic shark!
Unlike the rest of Bolivia, motorbikes are the transportation of choice here
Hotel Oriental
Pooch from the Hotel
A cold, refreshing shower revives us and our eager legs walk to the Mosquito Bar (which we have heard so much about from Emma!) for some Jungle Juice and Pampas Punch during 'Happy Hour'! We have a lovely Mexican meal in Camila's, and return later for more Mosquito Bar fun. We meet some nice Israelis and have a very enjoyable evening playing pool and admiring the stars! We do not get quite as much sleep as Ivan recommended!
At 7am we make our way to the pier, as promised. This morning we shall travel for 5 hours in a small boat with an outboard engine. Our skipper's name is Darwin - what a fantastic name!
Anke, a Northern German girl, is part of our group of three. She has got a big camera. The rain lashes down upon us within minutes of commencing the trip, and does not cease until we arrive at our destination hours later! Luckily, there is a little boy on the side of the bank who supplies us with heavy-duty ponchos.
Get the oilskins out quick!
Practical, not glamorous
Low hanging clouds
Speeding along the brown liquid
Aboard we are fed with a delicious meal of steak, egg, rice and banana (locally known as 'bistec a la pobre'), delcious! Sarah and I doze, giggling about this and that. Between snoozes, we get some first glimpses of the local wildlife.
We swoosh along the currents of the Tuchi River (literally meaning 'ugly river' in Quechua) until we arrive at the embarkation bank and trek two kilometres to the lodge.
Hiking from the river bank to the lodge
Shelter under the vast canopies of green leaves
Chalalán ecolodge blends in with the natural environment, using old building techniques and local, environmentally-friendly materials. The lodge is entirely owned and run by a local community, San José de Uchupiamonas. At any given time there are 11 people directly employed at the lodge, but many more benefit indirectly (local weavers and jewelery-makers whose produce is available to buy at the lodge). Within the community, the 'general workers' and kitchen staff are rotated on a three-monthly basis. The money earned from the lodge is filtered back in to the comunity with the aim of benefitting all, including the sick and elderly.
All staff are from the San José indigenous community
The lodge is situated alongside the magnificent Chalalán lagoon, surrounded by the immaculate rainforest of the Madidi park. In between the cabins there is a beautiful orchard with lemon, grapefruit and lime trees.
The cabin
Our cabin is simple and clean; two beds with princess-style mosquito-nets and our own private bathroom.The walls are made from the Copa Palm (Iriartea Deltoidea) and covered with matting. The roofs are woven with asaí palm leaves (Geonoma Deversa) and the floors are made of fine hardwood.
Traditional style-lodge (apparently the roof will last 25 years)
The local wasp 'community hall'
Limonade on a tree
Our protection against Fugly Buglies (as they became known)
We get used to sharing our cabin
There really is a concerted effort to have as little negative impact on the environment as possible. For example, solid waste is separated with organic waste going to a compost heap and inorganic waste is collected by the Rurrenabaque municipal refuse collection service. Solar energy is used to light the bedrooms and common areas of the Ecolodge using batteries only for torches and keeping the use of fossil fuels to a minimum. Water is purified by being treated with special filters. It is also boiled and stored in closed containers to later be used to prepare drinks and food.
Ivan informs that lunch is served immediately - we exclaim in shock, still full from our nutrious lunch two hours earlier! Once Maria (the boss in the kitchen) starts producing a spectacular, three-course meal feast.....well, we just cannot resist. Afterwards, we are good for little else than a two-hour siesta. Later we roam down to the lake for a canoe trip in search of monkeys.
Chalalán Lagoon
Ivan, our guide
Sarah, all the way from England
Four other guests in search of wildlife
A non-censored photo, especially for Samuel
First glimpse of some Red Howler Monkeys, the laziest monkey of the jungle!
Getting dark, time to return to the lodge
The monkeys begin to look for a bed for the night
Then it is dinner time, another three course meal! The food is delicious, healthy and freshly-produced in the kitchen.
Then it is time for a night-walk in search of tartulas.....and other fugly buglies.
Golden Cill Spider
Giant Hunting Ant
Another bugly, name unknown
Official name, Tree PrickliusAfter 15 minutes of walking - bingo! Look at this beautiful lady!
Lady Tarantula
Tarantula boudouir
Ivan spots her initially, and shines his torch which makes her retract inside the tree. So he picks up a stick, puts some of his own saliva on the tip and rests it outside her boudouir....and sure enough our she strolls to have a look around and decipher who is lurking around her den. She takes a good look around, flaunts her beauty, and ambles back inside to bed. Soon afterwards, we do likewise.
Next morning, with a spring in our step, we are ready for a 6-hour trek through the jungle. There are mosquitos and it is humid, but is nowhere near as unbearable as I remember the Amazonian jungle in Iquitos, northern Peru. It is a very successful walk, and we see many creatures and plantlife whom are resident here.
Watch your step!
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the 'one less traveled' by,
And that has made all the difference.
I took the 'one less traveled' by,
And that has made all the difference.
-Robert Frost
I love how the light sparkles on the damp leaves
We don't spot the big branch cutting the picture in half!
Red roots to discourage wild pigs from having a nibble
Ficus Estrangulador
Beso de Novio (meaning: Kiss from Lover)
Jungle Orchid plant
Dormant termite nest
Martian walkie-talkie system linking to Earth
The cleanliness and purity of air and terrain is incredible
Hangin' around
Funky Fungus
We are incredibly lucky to see a Toucan (notoriously difficult to see)
A fresh jaguar footprint (20 minutes old!)
Later, we rest and read. We cannot understand why we are so tired, but later we learn that often when one has been at altitude for some time and suddenly drop down to sea-level, it is quite common to become lethargic. After our rest, we spend more time canoeing on the lake. This is such a peaceful and special place, I feel entirely relaxed. Tonight we are in bed by 8.30pm, and I am asleep by 8.32pm after reading one page of my book!
On our last day, the rain batters down upon the roof. It has not stopped for about 12 hours! Everywhere is mucky and swampy. The rain eventually calms and we set off for a three-hour walk in another direction.
Known locally as the 'tree with many legs'
Wasp nests
Can you spot the red-fire ants?
A very soggy jungle
Interesting plant
Ivan paddles through the floods with his little white booties!
Difficult to capture these green and yellow maccaw
Jungle fruit
Leaf-cutting ants
Grasshopper
However, it seems all the animals are hibernating today after a heavy-night's rain and we see little. Ivan take the opportunity to explain more about the plants and tree's in the forest, informing us about each of their medicinal properties. Including one which apparently is used in his community as a 'natural viagra', as well as treatment for problematic a kidney or liver.
We also visit a mirador (viewpoint) of the lake.
Chalalan Lagoon, from the Mirador
Trees are filled with birdlife
Smiling for photos, so passé....(Ivan & Anke)
Ivan aka Tarzan
On the way back to the lodge we collect wild mangoes....to assit with our jewelery-making session later.
With the help of Ivan, we make commitment rings from the nut inside the fruit. What are we committed to we wonder? To never stop learning and discovering new things
about ourselves and the world, we decide.
Sarah gets stuck in with the jewelery making
Before dinner we canoe out to watch some yellow squirel monkeys playing in the trees by the lake. They are so inquisitive, playful and adorable. We watch their antics for over an hour.
Getting ready to climb aboard our canoe
Edging along the trees in search of monkeys
Huatzin
Orinoco goose
The red-howlers exchanging gossip & watching the world go-by
On the other hand, the Yellow squirrel monkeys dart about like the speed of light!
Having a quick nibble mid-chasing game
Hide-and-go-seek!
Silouette of a Brown Cappucino monkey, much more timid that the yellow
Cappucino monkey
The sun retires for the evening
Just before we are about to leave we spot a caiman prowling the lower branches, hoping one of these joyful creatures will miss their footing and drop into his waiting jaws below.
The beady eyes of a Caiman watching his prey
The constrast between the convivial monkeys above, and the still, serious caiman hunting below is one the most incredible moments of the jungle for me. We float on the lake a while longer, looking up an the incredible starry night above, we try to remember the constellations and I feel like the luckiest lady on earth.
After our last supper, we return to our canoe with torches in hand. We are on a mission to find more caiman. We find a number of juvenile ones, their eyes glowing fireballs of orange under our spotlights. Along the bank of the river we find a tree boa boa contrictor and a baby constrictor hanging from a tree.
Tree boa boa constrictor
Nearby, a youngster dangles from a branch
Our last night, the rain stays away. We fall asleep to the ballad of the jungle, and wake to the ferocious squawking of red-howler monkeys.
The boat trip back to Rurrenabaque is much quicker as we are swept downstream. We see three toucan flying overhead, and arrive back to the town feeling healthy and rejuvenated. Chalalan Lodge is an amazing place, and I would strongly urge people to visit if they are considering a visit to the Bolivian rainforest. It is more expensive than some of the other lodges, but one can rest assured that their money is going to a worthy cause and that the lodge is the most eco-friendly around. I feel I have had a truely authentic experience with nature, where no harm has come to anyone or thing. In the Pampas, apparently tour companies are feeding monkeys and piranah in order ensure sightings for tourists - something I am familiar with (and disgusted with) from 'Monkey Island' in Thailand and 'cage diving' in South Africa. Not only does this behaviour disrupt the delicate eco-system, but also tends to lead to aggression in the (confused) animals and inevitably causes a bigger rift between man and beast.
Back to reality, we are told that all flights are cancelled for the foreseeable future due to the extremely heavy rainfall over the past few days. We are offered a jeep transfer, but cannot face this. We check back into the Hotel Oriental. Showers, laundry, cold beer. Later we have a delcious meal at La Casa de Campo and pour some wine beside our table for Pachamama (Earth Mother), in the hope that she will help us get back to La Paz the following day.
There is no rainfall overnight and the wonderful people of Chalalan work their magic and somehow manange to get us on the first back flight to La Paz, at lunchtime. Thank you Pachamama!
A bumpy, clausterphobic flight. With the lady beside me having panic attacks and I feeling distinctly like I am not getting enough oxygen. We arrive back to Emma's home and are warmly greeted by the delightful menagerie of smiling, happy children and loveable animals. Tonight, we are going for a VIP boogie at Ram Jam in town (Jill is the owner and great friend of Emma). The nicest place in La Paz, I reckon, with fabulous music and a mix of locals, expats and travellers. Alas, an hour after arrival I am struck down with illness - AGAIN! I am not sure what has caused this - sudden change in altitude or food poisoning? Once the violent vomiting has stopped, we ring for a taxi. And the 40 minute journey back to Emma's is just about the longest and most unpleasant I recall. The winding road, the altitude and my need to stop every few minutes put a very sudden and dramatic end to my fun.
Will my tummy every be the same again I wonder, as I shiver in bed, bucket on-the-ready.....
[Note to those concerned: After a tortuous 24 hours, the author has recovered]
Plastic planes is an improvement. When I went to Rurre I got a bus down death road (nobody told me beforehand) and flew out in a plane made out of wood and operated by Bolivian Military Airlines.
ReplyDeleteReading this is making me want to go back to South America. A lot. Sounds like you are well and enjoying yourself, which is good to hear.
The jungle trip was amazing. Felt I was there with you. Great photos
ReplyDeleteThat was an amazing trip to jungle. Photos great.
ReplyDelete