In the jungle, the mighty jungle

Hola amigos!

When we last posted we were about to head to Rurrenabaque, which is a small town in the Bolivian rainforest. We decided to fly there as the 1 hour flight sounded much more appealing than the alternative 24 hour bus ride on bumpy, windy gravel roads! The flight was great and had some amazing views flying over the Andean peaks and down into the jungle. When we arrived, the first thing we noticed was the heat! It was close to 30 degrees plus about 80% humidity! For some that may sound awful, but for us it was heaven - a welcome change from the colder climate up in the mountains. After taking the airport shuttle into town, we found a cheap hostel that had a bunch of hammocks with a great view of the Beni River!

Marsh napping in one of the hammocks at our hostel.

Rurrenabaque is located at the border between the jungle (lush rainforest) and the pampas (wetland savannas) - two very different and fascinating environments. We took a 3-day tour of the jungle and then a 3-day tour of the pampas. Our jungle tour started out in a small boat along the Beni River to the Madidi National Park. There we stayed for 2 nights at a small basic camp in the jungle. During the day, we went on walks through the thick rainforest trying to spot animals - howler monkeys, wild pigs, parrots, and lizards. We also saw prints from a jaguar (close to camp!) and tapir but we didn't see the animals (nocturnal). We learned about rubber trees; natural medicines and remedies for toothaches, arthritis, stomach problems; poisonous plants for hunting; and even drank water out of a tree branch! One night we did a night tour, which was a bit creepy, to look for animal eyes (mostly insects) through the pitch black forest. On our last day, we made some jungle jewelry out of natural seeds. Then on our way back to Rurrenabaque, we stopped at a clay cliff where hundreds of macaws live! Very exciting to see them in the wild.

Our boat on the Beni River at the entrance to Madidi National Park

Our base camp in the jungle - a cook/dining cabin, some sleeping cabins, a toilet/shower cabin

Jungle!

Howler monkeys in the rainforest

A pair of macaws in their burrow in the clay cliff

We spent one night in Rurrenabaque and then it was off to the pampas. Day 1 was a 3 hour drive into the pampas to a small river where we took a boat to our camp. It was absolutely pouring rain and the boat was completely exposed so everyone and everything was pretty wet. However there was a lot of wildlife out so it was an exciting boat ride of alligator, bird, caipibara (large rodents) and pink dolphin spotting. On day 2 we went out to look for anaconda in the pampas and were lucky enough to find one (no pictures shown here!). Then went to swim in the alligator and piranha filled river under the protection of pink river dolphins! A frightening but very cool experience. We also did a night tour to look for alligator eyes in the dark (they reflect an eerie red) and star gazing. Day 3 we got up at 5:30am to see the sunrise on the pampas and went fishing for piranhas (and then ate them for lunch!). Then it was another nice boat ride (no rain!) back to the bus to Rurre.

A family of caipibara - the adults are about the size of a large pig

An alligator lurking in the water

A large black caiman - more dangerous than the alligator

Playful squirrel monkeys living at our camp

Swimming with pink river dolphins - keeping the gators at bay

Sunrise on the pampas

Marsh fishing for piranhas and catfish

We really enjoyed the jungle and pampas tours! they were like nothing else we've seen so far. It would be great to go back and explore other areas of the Amazon basin. We're now covered in mosquito bites and back in the cooler drier climate of the highlands (just to rub it in - it's 25 deg and sunny here!). Tomorrow we'll hike around some local towns and then head to Potosi to see the horrific mining conditions. From there we'll head to the Uyuni Salt Flats and then off to Chile and Argentina!

Hope everyone is doing well at home! And yes, mustache madness is thank goodness almost over!

love marsh and shaina

xoxo

Lake Titicaca - Peru and Bolivia

Hello Everyone!

Our last update had us just arriving in Puno (a city on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca). We spent a few days in Puno exploring and battling some stomach issues (suprisingly Marsh's stomach and not Shaina's). Puno was interesting but the main reason we were there was to visit the islands of the lake. Once Marsh was feeling up to it, we hoped on a boat and took the 4 hour chug across the lake to Amantani Island.

Pulling out of Puno on our boat with another boat behind us

On the way to Amantani, we stopped at a "town" constructed in the middle of the lake on floating islands made by the locals. It was interesting to see how they construct the islands out of reeds and soil and how they live their lives in the middle of the lake (most are fisherman).

The floating island we stopped at on the way to Amantani Island

Once arriving on Amantani, we were paired up with a local family to spend the night (there are no hostels on the island). The family was super nice and the living quarters were better than we expected! After settling in, we went exploring on the island and hiked up to one of the island's peaks to see some old Incan ruins. The views from the top were outstanding as you had a panoramic view of the entire lake!

Marsh at the Incan ruins on Amantani Island

On the way down from the ruins, we passed by the cemetery where some locals were celebrating The Day of the Dead (Nov 1-2). The locals all head to the cemetery to visit their dead loved ones and celebrate with them with flowers, food, and drink.

Locals celebrating at the cemetery on the Day of the Dead

In the evening, the local families hosting all the tourists on the island threw a fiesta for us. Everyone got dressed up in the local traditional clothes and went dancing!

Shaina with 2 members of our host family - Maria and her daughter

The next morning we made our way back to Puno, and the following day we took the bus to Bolivia! We made our way to the town of Copacabana which is Puno's Bolivian equivalent. From Copa, we took a boat to the Island of the Sun on the Bolivian side of the lake. According to Incan legend, the Island of the Sun is the birthplace of the Sun, the Moon, and the first two Incans! The island was very laid back and the scenery was amazing. We stayed for two nights relaxing and exploring the island on foot.

The beaches on the north side of the Island where we spent our first night

Local kids flying kites on the beach (a popular activity on the windy island)

A view from the South Tip of the Island

Marsh at a sacrificial table built by the Incans

A view of the Bolivian mountain range (Cordillera Real) across the lake

The view from our hostel's "patio" where we spent our second night

The sunset on our second night

After 2 great days we left the island and headed back to Copa, where we jumped on a bus and took the 3 hour ride to La Paz (the capital city of Bolivia). We have spent two days running some errands and checking out the city. So far Bolivia has been great. Everything is so cheap! Tomorrow, we are heading to Sorata (a small town in the Cordillera Real) to do some hiking before returning to La Paz for some mountain biking and then a trip into the Amazon Rainforest!

On another note, you may or may not know that Marsh has chosen to participate in "Movember" by growing a mustache to raise money for Prostate Cancer. To see pics of his mustache (there are 2 posted thus far) or to donate to the cause visit: http://www.movember.com/m/1855888

Hope everyone is doing well at home!

Love Marsh & Shaina