III Caravan Eco Tourismo Andina Amazonica

Each day of our journey brought a new adventure to behold. All along the trail we saw dozens of exotic bird species, alligators, monkeys and tarantulas. We never knew when a critter might cross the road. Indeed, after a rain Doug, a Canadian living in Bolivia, took to skimming across puddles on his 400EX in an attempt to reduce water spray. I found Doug flat on his back in the middle of the trail after he somehow managed to broadside a cow looking for a drink! Luckily the cow had only knocked the wind out of Doug! The jungle was always on fire because the locals would set it ablaze to promote new growth and attract game. At times it was hard to discern between smoke and the dust plumes raised by the passage of the Caravana.

During the entire trip I never saw more then three or four gas stations with electric pumps. Most often we refueled with gas stored in empty Coke bottles. Meals consisted of a choice between beef or chicken and for the most part the food was good. Several of the towns fed us in a large hall and a few even treated us to entertainment where they danced wearing traditional Bolivian costume. During one of these festivities after dancing around what looked like a May pole, a young girl about 6 years old pulled me onto the dance floor much to the amusement of my fellow riders. Lodging ranged from little more then 3 or 4 cots in an empty room to fairly comfortable and occasionally had electricity and a bathroom. While the rare bathrooms were a welcome surprise, I was not particularly fond of the electric showerheads that often had bare wire running to a throw-switch on the wall!

During our cross-country expedition the roads ranged from rutted dirt trails to blacktop and to blacktop rubble. While a few rivers had bridges, many had a barge upon which we loaded the quads and relaxed while the Bolivians pushed the barge by hand to the opposite bank. On one leg of the journey we traveled by gas-powered barge up-river about 5 miles while Pink Dolphins swooped gracefully alongside the barge. Watching the Dolphins playing in the water was pretty neat.