Jungle Tour in Park Madidi and New Year in La Paz

After a chilled out Christmas by the pool we boarded our jungle vessel on boxing day headed for Parque Madidi, an internationally renowned area of outstanding biological diversity. It was like entering a ´lost world´as the boat fought the strong current as we headed up river. Jagged mountain peaks (the last of the Andes before the flats of the Amazon basin) were covered in lush jungle greenery. Our first stop was at an Tacana sugar plantation where we learnt the art of crushing sugar cane. Leon made an especially good substitute for a horse as he almost single handedly turned the giant wooden beam to crush the sugar cane! We then enjoyed the fruits of our labour as we sat down and chugged back a bowl of fresh sugary limeade. The sugar buzz lasted the rest of the journey as we headed to jungle base camp.

We were hosted by an indigenous Tacana community in Camp Mashaquipe, a stunningly rustic collection of thatched huts with hammocks strung between tropical palms. With only our Australian and German amigos we had the place all to ourselves (apart from the resident Macaws, green lizards and TARANTULAS!). Lydia as an arachnophobe, was delighted to be shown the tarantulas living in the thatch roofs of the camp. Thankfully, we did not see any in our sleeping accomodation! Over the next few days and very early mornings (5am!) we were treated to an amazing array of flora and fauna. It was a like a Bear Grylls adventure in jungle survival. The variety of useful plants in the jungle was astonishing. With our guide, Eber, we tried about half a dozen delicious jungle fruits with our favourite being the ´jungle apple´ a delicious brown fruit that tastes just like homemade apple sauce. All we needed was a tasty wild pig! We also learnt how to extract clean water from bamboo, how to navigate, use a machete, find poison for poison darts, treat leishmaniasis, treat stomach ailments with the bark of a red tree and most impressively of all, we tried an anaesthetic plant whose leaves made our mouths instantly numb! However, we also came across a range of ´peligroso´and toxico insects and Leon even found a poisonous snake. The monkeys were a real highlight on our walks and we enjoyed a long argument with a large male howler monkey in the canopy above. We also saw capuchins and black-faced lion tamarins (Leon´s monkey namesake, as Leon means ´Lion´in Spanish).

As well as the nature viewing we also tried our hand at some indigenous crafts and culinary delicacies. We made jewellery entirely from jungle nuts and berries which turned out to be rather attractive pieces. The bonus was that we also got to eat the grubs inside the nuts!

On the last night we camped deep in the jungle, with only a thin mosquito net to protect us from the multitude of nasties and creepy crawlies. It was hard to get to sleep as a twig or branch would break in the bushes whenever you put your head down. Fortunately, our night was uneventful in contrast to our comrades who woke up to find thier campsite under siege by voracious leaf-cutter ants. They cut holes all through their mosquito net and then moved on to our friends shoelaces, favourite shirt, trousers and bedsheets. With their large, strong jaws it took over an hour to de-ant the camp!

The next day we set off early to the Mirador to witness a magnificient spectacle. Macaws come in their dozens to a cliff in Madidi to eat salt, which is necessary to help them process and expel the toxins in the fruits they eat. We were able to look out over an endless expanse of rainforest while groups of macaws swooped, dived and perched all around us. The sound they make is an unforgettable deafening, excitable screech. It was a nature moment we will never forget.

Sadly, it was time to head back. We found out that rather than returning by boat, we would be building a bolsa tree raft and riding it down the Tuichi river back to camp. We tied six logs together with bolsa bark and boarded our semi-submerged, but just about worthy vessel. It was a hilarious and unforgettable ride back to camp as we battled rapids and Leon battled a spider stowaway. No matter how many times Leon ejected our eight legged friend from the raft, like an 80´s horror movie it still managed to find its way back again and again! Thankfully we all made it back in one piece and bite free although rather wet and a little sunburnt.

Following our jungle adventure, we headed back to La Paz for Ano Nuevo. It was a fantastic evening with the night sky lit up with more fireworks than we have ever seen. Naturally we had to join in with our Lebanese bombs, Stealth rockets and firecrackers. To our great amusement the parties lasted all night and into the following afternoon. Indeed, Bolivians don´t do things in half measures!

Best wishes for 2010!

Leon and Lydia