headlights and hefty offroading tires bumped and splashed towards 'Rurre' for 12 hours, dropping us off at 1 AM in the small riveside town known for its proximity to the Madidi jungle and the Yunguyo Pampas. We had decided to try and visit both areas in a week, and fill in the spaces with a little hammock time. In all of the protected areas around Rurre it is prohibited to set out independently (it is also nearly impossible due to the remoteness of everything), so we signed up with a tour and headed out towards the Pampas, a wetlands area teeming with wildlife that swims, swings, and swoops alongside the motor driven canoes of the tour company. The first day the weather took an unfortunate turn from the typical balmy tropical heat to a frigid and cloudy drizzle. Although the weather slowed my unprepared and unprotected body to a crawl, it did not stop the myriad of creatures that lined the banks from showing their faces. On the way out to the rustic lodge we saw caiman, alligators, squirrel monkeys, anteaters, capybara, and birds of paradise to name a few. Upon arriving the weather improved for the duration of our stay, and I passed the night drinking cheap whiskey and happily pulling catfish out of the murky brown river with my hand-line. The next day we set out into the open pampa with rubber boots and sticks to find the infamous anaconda. We had been told that it was rare to find the snakes, and what we had read from other tourists prepared us for disappointment. However, after arriving at a lake filled with more caimans than seemed possible, someone from the group gave out a shriek of success and we came running over to see the creature. The 10 ft long snake was coiled up in the bushes and fortunately is rather incapable of attacking unless it is in the water. After a few hundred photos we headed back to the boat, passing a number of other amazing birds such as the giant Yapebu. That evening we did another wildlife watching trip and found some howler monkeys and sloths among the branches, as well as some pink river dolphins alongside the boat. Our final act of business for the day was to fish for some piranhas using raw beef. Viviana quickly upstaged me as she deftly yanked one into the boat, and I was left tossing back sardines and wasting a sirloin worth of bait. At sunset we stopped by a little shack/bar and played volleyball and sipped more cheap whisky until the night fell. The last day only contained one activity really worth mentioning. We cruised out on the canoe until we located a group of river dolphins, which we were told would scare away the piranhas. Apparently the caimans and alligators were braver, but despite there being five or six of the beasts in the water nearby (oh and don't dare pee in the water either...) a few of us jumped in for a dip. The alligators maintained their positions and after a few unnerving minutes in the water we hopped out and headed back to town, ready for the next adventure.
Madidi National Park begins a few kilometers down the river from Rurre and stretches on for 19000 square kilometers of dense, lush jungle. Our trip brought us to another small shack, this time without running water, located on the bank of the Tuichi river. Even though this reserve is part of the Amazon rainforest and is completely packed with wildlife, it is so dense that seeing them
can prove to be very difficult. The majority of our three days in the jungle was spent tromping through the understory following footprints and sounds searching for creatures. We found a few monkeys hanging around, namely the howler monkeys and another group of squirrel monkeys, but there were two real highlights, one on the first night and the other on the second day. After a few treks into the jungle and a nice dinner we retired to the dormitory style shack with beds and mosquito nets we were to sleep in. Before turning in we were all hanging out on the small porch out front chatting when the guide suddenly instructed us to be silent and turn off the headlamps and candles. We obeyed without protest and sat there for a good hour listening to a strange sound coming from the trees. Eventually we were told to very quietly go inside the cabin and continue being silent. The guide and his family followed us in and at this point we asked to know exactly why we were acting so odd. He explained that there was a pack of monkeys with a history of attacking and even killing humans waiting outside in the trees. Of course my skepticism kicked in immediately, but the fact that he waited in the cabin for over an hour after we had all gotten into the beds made me a little unsure, and an internet search turned up little information other than the fact that 'there are hundreds of species of monkeys in the Amazon, and many yet to be discovered.' Nevertheless, we all slept well avoiding any harm from the Cujo-monkeys, and the next day we resumed the wildlife search. At some point the guide had ventured off listening to a call in the distance and left us a short distance behind when we started to hear an odd groaning sound getting louder. The groan was intensified by the noise of the insects, which followed the crescendo. Soon the guide heard as well and came creeping back, passing us and instructing us to follow. The noise was close now and we could hear grunts and snorts as well as what sounded like the clashing of horns. The herd of animals was just on the other side of the bush, but as we crept closer they heard us and fled, allowing me only the faintest look at some brown object retreating into the distance. The guide explained to us that they were a pack of wild boars, battling and foraging for food. Eventually I accepted the loss and we continued the hike. Another few hours later we approached what we knew would be our best chance to see wildlife. In the middle of the jungle there is a small opening with some mud pits that are said to have a very high salt content, drawing all types of animals in for the nutrients. As we came close we went into stealth mode, and tiptoeing towards the pits we soon heard a familiar snorting noise. Sure enough there was a herd of around 40 wild boars congregating around the mud pit and taking in 
the precious mineral. We hid for a good five minutes watching them play before they finally noticed us and took off, leaving us all very content with the experience. Upon returning to the hut I began preparing for bed with my flashlight under the mosquito net. As I did so I noticed a familiar small dot on my skin and quickly recognized it as a tick. Then I saw another. Then another. And another. Soon I called Viviana over to make sure she wasn't infested as well. That night I pulled six ticks of of my own body and twelve off of Viviana, leaving a nice pattern of horribly itchy dots on both of us. The rest of the time in the jungle was spent scratching wounds and learning about the various medicinal and otherwise useful plants, which included a vine that filtered water, a fruit that makes henna tattoos, and a bark that can clear up bloodshot eyes (a sure money maker in Oregon). After only three days in the jungle I hopped back on the boat and headed to Rurre, ready to continue the journey south.A painful 22 hour dirt road led us to the next stop in Potosi, one of the most important contributors to the rapid spanish colonization of South America. Although the city now boasts a collection of impressive colonial architecture and a lot of other fancy crap, we decided to go for the true heart of the city and enter the centuries old silver mines where it all started. There are
a number of agencies that will lead you up to the still functioning mines, but they all depend on the cooperation of the miners. To appease the miners, and their devil ´El Tio,´ all visitors must bring gifts to give to the miners they encounter in the shafts along the way. The list of acceptable offerings is: alcohol, coca leaves, cigarrettes, dynamite, and soda. Clearly the miners have given up on a healthy diet. So we loaded up and went deep into the mine, ducking out of the way every few minutes as groups of miners pushed 1.5 ton mine carts by. The coca leaves proved to be absolutely necessary, as the already thin oxygen at 12000 ft becomes even more scarce deep inside the mine. At one point we stopped by and paid homage to ´El Tio,´ an ancient clay effigy that the miners worship for safety and success. This consisted of sticking a couple of burning cigarrettes in his tar covered mouth, taking a swig of horrific 96% alcohol, and then pouring a little out for the Pachamama. With my lungs burning as much as my mouth, we retreated to the outside world and headed back down to Potosi, where we caught another bus over to the desert town of Uyuni.Uyuni is basically just a jumping off point for the massive Salar de Uyuni, the worlds largest salt flat. Again the only way to access this remote region is by tour, so we signed up and hopped in a 4x4 with a few other French and Italitan tourists. After a few stops for photos in the middle of the giant salt flat we drove way out to the Isla del Pez, a cacti covered island that really makes you feel like you are in the middle of a giant white sea. Back in the jeep we drove for a few hours in a perfectly straight line to the edge of the salt flat, where we spent the night in a hotel made completely out of salt. The next morning we got up,
stretched our legs and necks and drove up to an altiplano lake absolutely packed with 3 different species of flamingos. Adding another accent to the spectacular scenery was a pack of wild vicuñas (a relative of the llama) grazing along the lakeshore. We passed three more similar lakes before coming to the Laguna Colorada, a slightly larger lake with blood-red water, and of course it´s own little flamingo colony. This was on the 25th, so our christmas celebration was slightly unusual. We had a bottle of champagne and some of the most amazing stargazing of my life, but no tree and unfortunately no family either. The next day was my birthday, and it proved to be equally unusual and uniquely incredible. The day started with a trip to some steaming geysers on the top of a ridge at sunrise, after which we descended to a mere 13000 ft for a dip in some hot springs, also with the requisite flock of flamingos. Then we passed by the ´Salvador Dali Desert´ and headed on into Chile, where we finished the trip in the town of San Pedro de Atacama. Since then we have made a 22 hours bus journey into Santiago, and are awaiting the arrival of my parents who will travel with us for 3 weeks. It has suddenly hit me that my trip to the third world is over, and the rest of the trip will be a little more expensive. However this also brings some serious benefits, such as healthy food, comfortable rooms, and even good beer. Now I will put to the test all of my acquired cost saving armaments to survive in the modern world, and some new weapons as well. Tomorrow we will be trying out couchsurfing for the first time, and of course I will keep you informed on how it goes.
