bolivia, amazon - "a walk on the wild side" - travel

8/3/2019 Bolivia, Amazon - "A Walk on the Wild SIde" - TRAVEL

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BackpackersWanted.com

A Walk On The Wild Side

From the bars of La Paz to the sand bars of the River Beni, welcome to the Bolivian Amazon!

Resting on the lip of thousands of hecters of unruly jungle, swampy marsh, and endless grasslands,

Rurrenabaque provides the perfect jump off point for unlimited Amazonian exploration. The only problem, is getting there...

Suffering through a topsy turvy 20 to 26 hour bus ride (depending on weather), over and around some of Bolivia's most treacherous mountain roads, is one

option. Another, requires breaking the travel piggy bank and purchasing a flight aboard a rickety, 10 seater plane, setting you down literally, in the middle of

a cow pasture. Or, there is just one more option. The not so well known 3 day boat trip through Medidi National Park, stealing a rare glimpse at one of themost bio-diverse regions on earth.

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Our boat, nothing more then a few pieces of wood

slapped together. The campsites, sandier then your

usual choices. And the wildlife, inescapable! With

thousands of bird species, insects, and large game, this

park can honestly claim the status of, "WILD". Having

coexisted and subsisted within the jungle for hundreds

of years, the only human inhabitants, that of the

indigenous tribes, are just as much apart of the jungle

as their animal neighbors. In an attempt to truly preserve

their ancient ways of life, large scale tour companies are

not permitted to enter this portion of her magical

canopy. The only way in, is with a local...and a

machete. Meet Pedro.

First order of business, dinner! A hunt for wild boar! As mentioned before, Medidi is

a protected National Park and hunting is strictly forbidden, that is, unless you are a

local tribesman. Maybe that's why Pedro refused to give up the hunt. He wasn't out

to impress us, he was just bloody hungry. The ability to remain quiet is imperative,

but with 10 pairs of feet crunching through the freshly fallen foliage, we couldn't

have caught a sloth. Pedro decided it best to split up, choosing only a lucky few to

join him in the hunt for his coveted pork. Bathed in a cologne of feces, these little

beasts could attract predators from countries away with their stench alone. The

loud snorts of over 500 boars only aided in the pursuit, along with a peculiar

clucking sound that melodically followed the herd. What I thought were boars

snapping and grinding their teeth, was actually a different animal all together...birds.

With a "birds-eye" view, these air born lifesavers would cluck strange warning calls

to the boars, warning them of nearing predators. A warning that I would have happily

accepted, had I known they were not only trying to warn the pigs of predators, but

also us.

As we neared the pack, I got the 'stinking' feeling that we were not the only one's hunting. My fears were soon solidified with one, snarling roar! WIth his

eye on the prize, Pedro must have failed to mention another jungle inhabitant...jaguars. Guess we were not the only one's out for pork that day. Luckily, the

jaguars found pork more appetizing then human, and just as we reached the herd, so did they, sending the boars running once again. Sorry Pedro, looks

like only rice for dinner.

As night fell, a very different jungle came alive. Reliance on our flashlights was an initial comfort but, as Pedro said, to truly experience Medidi wildlife, you

have to become Medidid wildlife. One by one, we reluctantly clicked off our lights, until the last beam of console was extinguished. Complete Darkness.

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I suppose it's a bit like being blind or deaf. When one sense is taken

away, the other's are dramatically hightened. But for the first time, I could

smell the jungle. Not just the overall sultryness, but individual smells. The

sweet aromas of newly blossomed flowers, the spoiled smell of wet moss

lining the rocks, and the stale humidity trapped witin her leafy shelter. I

could also, for the first time, truly hear the wildlife around me. As if the

jungle orchestra had returned from intermission, taking up their

instruments and resuming the concert. The light breeze overtop the

canopy provided a soft musical undertone, while the swaying branches

and grasshopper wines created the tempo. Monkey calls formed a beat,while the occassional rustle of dry leaves initiated the percussion. Birds

completed the song with a harmonic chorus, including solo's, duets and,

of course, that one singer that just can't seem to catch a tune.

It was easy to lose yourself in the intoxicating performance, but it only

took one loud and inharmonious crunch, to bring us back to reality. The

reality of predator versus prey. Suddenly, the charming melody was gone,

replaced by wild screeches and angry squaks. The animals had gone

mad, seducing us into their harmonious trap, just waiting for the right

moment to attack. The agonizing racket escalated into a full blown

assault on our eardrums until, just when I thought the entire jungle was

about to come down on our gringo feast, a light went on. For 30 minutes

we stood in the darkness of the jungle, and for 30 minutes exhileration,

wonderment, and trepidation simultaneously danced with my senses.

For three days, I experienced a small slice of what is left of the

"untamed" jungle. With the closest village miles away, and the closest

outlet to civilization, even further, Medidi National Park harbored an

unforgetable, "walk on the wild side".

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bolivia, amazon - "a walk on the wild side" - travel

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