It´s a Jungle Out There
Wednesday, May 16th, 2007I went to the Bolivia jungle area northeast of La Paz with high hopes. I was going to visit Madidi National Park which National Geographic proclaimed as the most bio-diverse place on earth. I had read the horror stories about the twenty hour bus ride from La Paz to Rurrenabaque and decided to fly for about $60 each way. That was the best choice I made over a few days period. The flight from El Alto above La Paz went through the Cordillera Real section of the Andes and actually flew between, not above, two peaks that are about 6000 meters high. If someone is afraid of flying and took a small airplane on this route, they would not make it. All of us seemed to love it. It was a clear day and looking at the glaciers, peaks and green and blue lakes on the sides of the mountains was an amazing albeit short experience. We soon made it to the other side of the Andes which drop quickly down to rainforest at only a few hundred meters in altitude. The rainforest was cloud-enshrouded until we approached Rurrenabaque. We were skimming across the tops of the trees and all I was thinking about is that there better be a runway… soon. Getting off the plane was a shock since I have been at high altitude for weeks where it is dry and cool and we were immediately hit with scorching, humid air. Welcome to the tropics.
vagabondrick