So… Bolivia is apparently on fire. It seems that this is the time of year to burn all the land for crops, and by the look of the air they really are burning ALL the land. In La Paz it is practically impossible to see the other side of the city. The city is built in a canyon, so in theory you should be able to see all the city all the time.
My original plan, upon arriving in La Paz, was to spend a day or two here then pack up and fly to Rurrenabaque, a jungle town, do some tours… i.e. head into the Amazon, make good use of my mosquito net, insect repellent, and yellow fever vaccine.
Well, apparently with so much smoke in the air, all flights have been cancelled. Yes, the smoke is just that disgustingly thick. So, my plans changed. Death road sounded like a good idea, as did taking a 16hour bus to Rurrenabaque. (granted Death Road would have been much scarier had I actually been able to see to the bottom and across the mountains, but of course many of those views were shrouded in a thick layer of smoke)
So, I was supposed to visit some ruins outside the city today, giving the Amazon one more day to clear up before heading out, but a phone call last night from Marco (my amazing travel agent guide who has made my life so much easier, by scheduling all this stuff for me and just telling me where to go) changed all that.
He called to let me know that there is a protest scheduled for today. 1 million + people. Everything will be shut down, apparently the last time there was this protest (people pissed that Sucre is the actual capital, and want it to be La Paz) there were 2 million. so my bus to the ruins just wouldn’t work. And, you know what, frankly I’d rather not be in the city for a huge protest. Lonely Planet and the State Dept. Website keep telling me to avoid them. But somehow Marco can get me on a bus to Rurrenabaque. I think it has something to do with not going thru el alto.
So, my stuff is packed. Equipaje in storage. I’ve got my deet and I’m ready to spend the next 16 plus hours (cause its always longer than they say) on a bus. Hopefully not a bus where my backpack goes on the top and I have to sit with the chickens. Well I’ll see.
And as an added bonus I may get to swim with dolphins in the Amazon (something my parents promised me I’d get to do when I was 14) granted these are pink dolphins that have scary prehistoric teeth, but they are dolphins nonetheless. And word on the street is that they keep the piranhas away (always an added bonus if you ask me) Should be fun!
