The Pampas

Ok, so the rainforest was beautiful for its vegetation, but we didn´t see as much wildlife as I expected. The pampas, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. It wasn´t beautiful in its landscape because it was mostly a savanna, but I have never seen so much wildlife in my life. WE took a three hour canoe ride to our camp, and in those three hours I probably saw 80 caiman, which is a relative of the crocodile, 50 capybaras, 20 squirrel monkeys, countless turtles, and many different species of birds. It was incredible. I was not expecting that at all. The caiman were so cool. Some were basking in the sun, where we really got to see therir size, and some were chilling in the water, but you could only see their eyes. Everything about them says stealthy. They are such a prehistoric creature. So instinctual. And we got so close to them. I got some great pics. Caiman are smaller than crocodiles, so most of the ones I saw were about 6 feet long or shorter. And then there were the infamous capybaras. They were so weird looking! They really are overgrown guinea pigs. They were basking in the water and grazing. And they weren´t afraid of the caiman at all becuase most of the caiman are too small to actually take down a capybara. They were funky looking. The squirrel monkeys were absolutely adorable. They are very small, with yellow bodies and black faces. They were very curious and came very close to us. So to say in the least the wildlife was abundant. Our camp was on the shore of the river. Al the houses were on stilts so the frogs and snakes would have a harder time coming into the rooms at night. Creepy. The next day we swam with pink river dolphins!! You are definitely not allowed to swim in the water if they are not present. Pink river dolphins scare away caiman and piranahas, making it safe to swim as long as they are there. It was a little scary when we were in the water and the dolphins were circling us but probably about 20 feet away was a caiman just watching us with its beady eyes. The dolphins are actually pretty ugly lol. They have these long snouts and big muscular bodies that are a faded pink. But they are very curious animals and stayed by us all the time we were in the water. It was very fun. We also went piranaha fishing. For some reason I just couldn´t catch one, but a lot of people did. They have very sharp teeth. We had to be very careful taking them off the hook and putting them back into the water. Pop, you should be proud that I tried to fish even though I didn´t catch anything. I got very close once though lol. Can´t say it changed my view on fishing though sorry. On the final day, we woke up early to explore the marshlands on the opposite shore. We were searching for anacondas. Anacondas! The water and mud went up to your knees. I just hoped that nothing would swim by and bite my leg. We did quited a bit of searching and trekking though the mush untill we came upon our first specimen. A green mamba. It was absolutely gorgeous. And its camoflauge was amazing. Its body was green but it had a blue head. It matched perfectly in the green reeds. Although quite small, it was pretty long, and extremely venemous. One bite would kill you in 30 minutes. That was a scary thought considering we were in the middle of nowhere and civilization was 6 hours away. A little while later we finally found what e were looking for. We actually got very lucky considering anacondas are getting harder and harder to fing considering the affects humans are having on its habitat. But there nestled in a bush was an anaconda about 3 feet long. It wasn´t big, but its presense was still powerful. You could just see the power it held in the way it moved its body. It was made to suffocate the life out of its prey. I´m so glad we saw those two snakes. It really made the trip. And now I´m writing this and I am in Puno, Peru!! Bolivia is over! Que lastima. But Puno is great. My host family is awesome. The mom is so nice and energetic. And her 11 year old daughter is very sweet, and they also have and 11 month old baby girl who has the hugest cheeks ever and is adorable. Time is flying.

The Amazon

Possibly the most incredible part of my journey here in South America has just come to a close. I spent 5 days in the most lucious part of the world, the amazon. We landed in a small tourist town called Rurrenabaque. The town is nestled into the mountains of the rainforest. The first thing that hit all of the group, the humidity and the heat. It was expected, but for me living in that kind of atmosphere is not normal. And I never really got used to it, but that didn´t distract me from the amazing place I was in. Our adventure started the next day as we all jumped into an oversized canoe and traveled up the river Beni. We got our first real taste of the vastness of the amazon. Giant mountains towered over us that were covered in moist green trees of all varieties. It was beautiful to say in the least. Our camp was between the shore of the river and the dark depths of the forest. The first day we trekked into the heart of the forest by foot. Our guide, Freddy, was amazing. The guides have an amazing knack for hearing and seeing wildlife. A few of the astounding things he pointed out to us were a posionous tree, a tree that heals wounds, bark you could chew on, and countless insects. The posionous tree was amazing because a few drops of the liquid that lay just beneath the surface of the bark could kill a human. We had to look away while he hacked at it with a machete because if the liquid had gotten into our eyes we would have gome blind. Intense. The tree that heals wounds had a red liquid that resembled blood. It looked like the tree was actually bleeding. The next day we hiked even further than the day before into the forest. There wasn´t a trail. But thats where we were rewarded the most. We got to observe the parrots in the tops of the trees, and we happened upon a large group of wild pigs that were foraging. They make the weirdest noises. The parrots too. When they made their bird calling noises it sounded exactly like a small child screaming. A bit unnerving. That day a group of us also took a dip in the river. It felt absolutely delicious. It was such a relief from the heat. We floated down the current on logs we found on the shore. It was great. After our swim we boated up the river for a few minutes untill we were at the parrot house. It´s this cliff side that all the parrots build their houses in. They dig holes into the side of the cliff and raise their babies there. We saw so many parrots. Their colors are beautiful. Red, blue and yellow. And they are elegant flyers. The part that all the girls mooned over, including me, was that parrots mate for life. So you could see all the pairs because they always fly together. So cute. That night we did another hike. There we saw the biggest tarantula I have ever seen. It was on the ground near its den hunting for prey. So cool. The other guide, Angel, made jaguar noises through this tube that would attract them to our area. Although it didn´t work because no jaguar appeared, the noise itself was an experience. And after we did a bit of stargazing. The stars are so bright and numerous. And we saw countless shooting stars. It was such a cool experience, but wait, the pamaps are next!

end of malcorancho, return to la paz

Malcorancho was a wonderful experience. The last two days we finished cementing the walls on the insides of the classrooms, and we got a big chunk of the sidewalk done. And the most embarrassing moment...dancing in front of all the kids at the school in traditional dance clothing. Despite the snickering and laughing, we did pretty well. But the heat plus the dresses got to be a bit much. On the last night we had a fiesta. Everyone ad their families came and we danced and ate. Dancing with the little kids was so much fun. And the food, as always, never fails to be delicious. Sarah and I had a long goodbye with our host sister Andrea. She was such a sweetheart. She gave me her bracelet and told me in a letter not to forget her. Such a sweet person. We have know been in La Paz for three nights. It has been a blast. I actually started to do some shopping, which is so hard to resist when all the colorful clothing and alpaca is screaming, buy me! O and a few of us also visited the coca museum. That was very interesting. They had the whole history of the coca leaf in this little shop that you could barely walk around in. The information was very informative though. The coca leaf is very nutritious for you, especially at high altitudes. I want to take some back home because that would be the perfect remedy for all the intense hiking trips my family and I go on. But, alas, its illegal...hmmm....well see. Today we visited Tiahuanacu. The tour was pretty boring, but the ruins were cool. It´s amazing to think that people in that age were able to accomplish that much. Like make arrowheads and designs in pottery. That´s pretty advanced. O and i quick fact. The Tiwanaku people were believed to be pacified, but in fact they sacrificed many people. At one point they even sacrificed several children. So that was pretty interesting. The ruins weren´t that great. It was mostly a mound of dirt where they used to be becuase the Amarya destroyed them when they came through. And now were off to Rurrenabaque!! Time for some jungle!

malcorancho

so i just finsihed a week in the rural pueblo of malcorancho. ill admit i was a bit worried at first, all the natives i spoke to gave wierd looks when i told them i was staying in the pueblo for a week. but it was awesome. and beautiful. every home owns their own feilds to grow their own crops and every family has their own cows or chickens and geese. huge hogs wander the fields and the dogs roam the streets in the day. the colors in the campo are beautiful. the fields and so green, and the sky so blue. and like clockwork, its sunny and hot until noon, and then huge thunder clouds come over the mountains and cover the sun for the rest of the day. giving us workers a huge relief. i prefer the cloudcover. i almost think it makes the colors of the earth look even richer. and i loved my host family. there was a 4 year old daughter, a 14 year old daughter, and a 23 year old son. the parents are so nice and welcoming. and sarah and i, my roomie, became really close to andrea the 14 year old daughter. they feed us so much lol. they just want us to be perfectly content. and our house...cant complain. we have a toilet and shower....enough said. so we got into the routine that every day we would wake up and leave to walk 3k to the school in a neighboring town called viloma. there we would slowly but surely build the classrooms untill 12. take an hour break for lunch, and then get back at it untill 3 30. its very demanding but very satisfying work. the clouds provide such a huge relief from the sun. and then we would go home, shower, eat, and sleep. the week went by so fast. i couldnt believe it. o and one night we all met up at the leaders house and ahd salsa lessons!! they were great. its actually not that hard. well for me it wasnt lol. that was a great night. and another night we all got together and just chilled and watched a movie. group activities are very fun. i got sick the last two days from dehydration, i know stupid me, but im all better now. i just have to remember to drink lots and lots of water on the work site. o and another thing. the kids at the school are teaching us a native dance. we have to perform for them on tuesday. quite nervewracking. we practice at the school during lunch with a few of them. the kids love to watch us work. its so funny. and they love to watch us eat. they wont talk to us, just stare while we talk and eat and work. there are a few who are brave enough to talk....but not many. but they love to help out. a 3 year old came with his mom and tried to shovel cement. it was the cutest thing ever. today the group is relaxing at an eco spa. and tonight we head back to malcorancho for two more days to finish the classrooms. untill la paz!!

last day of civilization

today is our last day in cochabamba, as well as our last day of civilization for about a week and a half. our next stop is the rural pueblo of malcorancho where we will begin our first volunteer project, building a school. im a little nervous only because every native weve told that were goin to malcorancho has given us wierd looks. like, why would you want to go there? ha so i guess its going to be a very different experience. it´s very hot here. despite the random rain storm we got two nights ago, the weather has been very claremontish in the summer. i wont be able to blog untill saturday. omg, i need to tell everyone who reads this blog how amazing my host mother is. she makes her own ice cream!! and its possibly the most delicious ice cream ive ever tasted. im not lying. and its so easy to make. i asked her and she showed me the ingredients to make it and its super simple. all you need is evaporated milk, the powder of the fruit or flavor you want, and a little bit of sugar. and all you have to do is mix them and let it sit for an hour. ah its so good. im going to try to make it sometime. the only bummer is that i dont know if the states sell the powder mixture they have here. ill have to see when i get home. im a little homesick lol. i think its because weve settled down here for a long enough time that i have time to think about how things would be at home. and of course the whole home setting makes me miss seeing everybody every day. but its no biggie. i can deal. spanish lessons are also coming to an end. they were good overall. i reviewed a lot and am overall better off. there isnt much other news to tell....so ill say goodbye now and catch up in a week with all my stories of malcorancho!

cochabamba

i am currently in the beautiful city of cochabamba. it truly is great here. it´s pretty small, so much cleaner than anywhere else ive been, and arguably the food capital of bolivia. the south american culture is so different in relations to food. they really only have one big meal a day, which is lunch. that can consist of a three course meal, but then breakfast and dinner is just bread and tea. i dont think ill ever get used to it. i have never had a bad meal though. the food is great. they really value good cooking. but then again, ive been careful to go to all the right places. i had a health scare a couple nights ago. we were still in the hostel, and i took a swig of my friends water to wash out my mouth after brushing my teeth. all of a sudden she shouted, robyn, thats not purified girl. i practially choked up the water. i was a little shocked at my own carelesslness, but i got over it eventually. you really just cant drink the tap water here. the natives dont even do it. its just so unclean. so i still might get sick, but for now there have been no affects and it seems that luck was on my side. i told myself i couldnt get sick anyways. i made a bet with my leader jess that i could stay healthy for two weeks. ten bolivianos is on the table. im going to win. so anyways, cochabamba. im rooming with a girl named elise, and shes super chill. our host mom is great. shes a grandma, and her niece and another girl from washington who teaches down here room with her. theyre all very nice. we live in an apartment flat overlooking a park thats also a chaoitc roundabout. and then there are the spanish lessons we have twice each for an hour and a half. my mom would be so happy if she were here lol. im getting a lot of review. unfortunately im a little more rusty than i had thought. the teacher, toni, is highly recommended by everyone i have talked to. im remembering a lot. putting it into conversation is another thing. the nightlife here is great. i think weve all gone out just about every night. the first night we all met up at globos, a burger and helado joint. its very similar to jhonny rockets. and last night some of us met up and tok taxis to the cine. we saw the ugly truth for like 1 dollar, and it was in english. apparently all the movies are in english with spanish subtitles. i never would have guessed. it was a lot of fun. and last night it rained! we would have walked to the cine, but it was raining so hard we would have been drenched. the city reminds me of claremont because of the houses that back into the hills. it looks very familiar. i walk to both of my spanish lessons. i get to explore the city that way. its unsafe to walk alone at night though so we always group up. o, interesting story about last night. four of us girls took a taxi from the cine to the first stop, sarahs and amandas house. our house is just up the street from theirs, but the driver was goin to make us pay a total of 15 bolivianos. which is totally a rip off and we knew it. we could get to the other part of they city for 5. so we argued with him and he kept making excuses so finally we all just got out and told him we would walk. we still had to pay 6 which was ridiculous for a 2 minute drive. but im glad we didnt pay the 15. my next lesson is soon, so adios!