The best rewards are sometimes completely unplanned and ventured on a lark. Some how, despite having been to tropical jungles a few times in Central America and having suffered the heat and humidity, I got convinced to visit the remote pampas of the Bolivian Amazon. Consequently, 2 full days were wasted getting to and from Rurrenabaque, a remote town in the Bolivian Amazon. Getting there required a 22 hour bus ride through the Road of Death in a double-decker bus on a road 9 feet wide (in total I’ve traversed this stretch 6 times), then a 3.5 hours of bouncing through non-existent roads in a Land Cruiser fitted with seven passengers plus our driver, then finally a 1.5 hour boat ride through tributaries to the pampas to get to the ecolodge. The heat is unbearable, the humidity drenches every article of clothing within minutes, but the greenery and wild life are astounding. To see this vast swath of fluvial plains of the Andes mountains is indeed memorable for the sheer wild life experience.
Day one was spent on the boat cruising a three hour tour of the pampas watching the various wildlife, then mounting a scaffolding built atop swamps to view the glorious sunset amid vast fields of lush vegetation. After dinner, we took another boat ride through the pampas to stargaze and hunt for alligators. As we quietly glided over the waters, the stars draped overhead while gathering fireflies flickered on both sides; occasionally we would spot the intense red glow of alligator eyes floating atop the waters.
The second day was spent treading through the remote pampas swamps on foot looking for the anaconda snake! Even though the temperature was not too high, the intolerable humidity and direct sun made the 3.5 hours long march through knee high swamps unbearable for everyone. The boots they provided for us was insufficient and most of the group became completely soaked in rich fluvial mud.
Alas, due to the high waters, none had been seen for 15 days. We had to content ourselves with spotting a boa constrictor up-close — which incidentally bit one of the girls, leaving quite an indelible mark. After a short rest, we went swimming with pink river dolphins in the river (away from alligators). This too was an idyllic experience as the curious dolphins would swim close and rub their fins on our legs.
The third day we went perranah fishing in the remoter river areas. Their reputation is well-deserved; indeed, they are more cunning than imagined as they kept stealing the bait and leaving my hook tangled in the brambles below the water. As this was an ecologically friendly tour, all the fish caught were immediately released back to the water.
The journey back to La Paz was just as grueling, not the least that I had misgivings about going on the stretch of the Death Road at midnight in pitch blackness with a tired driver at the wheel. But, we all made it safe… and this coffee break from the Witches’ Market is over… I’m off to Lake Titicaca.