The flight North to `Rurre`, in a plane seating 14, was rather eventful. Whether it was the size of the plane, the weather conditions, or the pilot, I dont know. However, at least three people were sick, and another 10 terrified. In fact, it seemed I was the only one unfazed, and I actually managed to sleep through much of the one-hour flight, much to the horror of other travellers!
When we arrived to the `airport` in Rurre (a wedge of grass in a small clearing), it was a balmy 32C, and I was thrilled. After the chilly Altiplano (highlands), I was happy to lap up the warmth and humidity. I then caught the local bus to the centre of the small town of Rurre, to meet the group for my jungle pampas trip. Luckily, we had a fantastic group - A Danish couple (Aged 25), and german motorbiking pair (28), and another slightly older German guy (40+). We enjoyed a couple of `meet and greet` drinks at one of Rurre`s three bars, and all got on very well.
The following morning, we boarded a jeep for the 3-hour journey to our hollowed out canoe on the river, which was to be our jungle transport. It seemd we scored the fastest jeep driver, given the number of other jeeps we flew past, the speed at which we travelled on an extremely bumpy road, and the number of huge fractures in the glass windscreen!
Despite a two-hour delay in boarding our canoe (I think the guides were operating on `Bolivian time`), we began our motorised canoe trip down the River towrads our jungle huts. The trip took three hours, and I saw more alligators, caimains, capibaras, and birds than Ive seen in my whole life up until now! Two hours down the river, we stopped off to observe and swim with pink dolphins, which was fantastic! (Apparently, despite the huge presence of alligators and pirahna fish, neither posed us any threat (I took our guide`s word for it!).
After a fantastic river trip, we arrived at out quaint jungle hut in the early evening, in time to see the last of the sunset.
The following day, we rose early (despite the unexpected torrential rain!), and headed out to find Anacondas! After walking for three hours, we eventually spotted on in the hollow of a tree. Despite not being able to catch it and pose with it around our necks (which we were all kind of hoping for!), we were able to watch it for a decent period, and grab a few photos, before heading back to camp.
After a very satisfying lunch (as were all the meals on the trip, to my surprise), we headed back to the boat for some pirahna fishing! It was great fun, and it was fascinating to see and hold a real pirahna fish. I knew their teeth were large and sharp, but was still a little taken aback by the size of them - I certainly wasnt tempted to dip my fingers in the water after seeing one! The results of our fishing, however, were hugely varied. Our tour guide managed to catch between 8 and 10, the german guys caught a good 12 between them, and I managed......a measly one! Says something about my reflexes I think! However,I did also manage to catch a catfish, and to soften the blow, the poor Danish pair (Gitta and Mike), didnt manage to catch any. I felt quite sorry for poor Gitta, who was the most persistent of all of us, and `fished`continuously for three hours...to no avail. It was great fun though, and our guide brought our catch back to camp to cook it for dinner (Luckily for me, the non-seafood eater, there were also other choices on the menu!).
After an ealr dinner, we jumped back in the boat, and headed down the river for the ideal sunset viewing spot. Once the sun set, we then grabbed a footbal, and had a game of football on the local pampas football pitch. So yes, Kate played her first ever game of football! Not only did I play football, but I did a brief stint as goalie, and managed to practically knock myself out saving a goal with my head! (Dan, you should be proud - I really used my head!). I ended up with a bruise on the temple, not to mention a covering of mud, but it was worth it! Great game, and am looking forward to playing some more when I get home.
Our third and last day in the jungle began at 4:30am. We boarded our canoe at 5am, and headed up the river to enjoy the pampas in semi-darkness (before sunrise). This was a fantastic experience, and the sounds of the jungle at this time of the morning were fascinating. We returned to camp for breakfast, then heade out for an hour hike to view some local flora. Our guide provided some fascintaing information about various medicinal plants, not to mention those used in the past for torture!
After an early lunch, we packed up our small number of belongings, and headed back to the canoe to make the journey back to Santa Rosa (to board the jeep). We got another opportunity to swim with the pink dolphins, which was great, but unfortunately for Gitta, there was no meat, or time, left for further pirahna fishing! We also stopped ashore to feed some of the local monkeys some bananas, which was brilliant, as they were far from shy. At one stage, I had five monkeys on my arm, all attacking the banana in my hand!
Once again, we had a bit of a wait in Santa Rosa, before our jeep arrived to take us back (It was running a small 3 hours late, even though there didnt seem any real reason for the delay!).
We arrived back in Rurre in the early evening, rather hot, smelly, sore and tired, but with memories of a brilliant three days in the Bolivian pampas.
