The Bolivian Jungle

Rueing my lack of Spanish, and relying on sign-language, I got on a rickety old bus in rural Bolivia that I hoped would take me to my destination. It dropped me off in the middle of a dirt road surrounded by jungle. It was densely dark but the stars were indescribably beautiful. Finally I noticed a tiny wooden sign poking out of some foliage and I scrambled down a small path into the camp. Parque Ambue Ari is a rescue centre for mistreated animals, particularly large cats, such as pumas and jaguars. Unfortunately, as I only stayed there for two weeks I was not allowed to take charge of one these cats, but I was not disappointed by the array of smaller animals left to my care. There were deer, emus, an ant-eater, parrots and monkeys that all needed to be looked after. All the duties were quite menial - building new enclosures, feeding the animals and cleaning their cages - but the animals were hilarious: there was one parrot that would talk to me and imitate my movements and a tiny baby monkey who would run under my top and sit on my shoulder. One older male howling monkey, Faustino, was being weaned off an addiction to cigarettes. He followed me around the camp and got so attached to me he even became jealous if my partner hugged me in front of him! On my last day at the camp I was allowed to walk Katie, one of the domesticated jaguars, on a lead around the park, which was an amazing unforgettable experience. The camp was a great place to meet travellers from all over the world, as it created a very close, tight-knit community. However, it was not for the faint-hearted: the mosquitoes were vicious! Despite smothering myself in insect repellent and two layers of clothing, there was barely an inch of my skin that wasn't attacked. The lack of electricity and hot water was hard to get used to, but plunging into a freezing cold shower in the morning was a great way to get up, and my first hot shower and burger and chips after leaving the jungle tasted like heaven!