The Bolivian Pampas - a paradise for animal watching
Along the Rio Yacuma - accompanied by pink river dolphins
We get to see monkeys, birds, caimans and even a sloth
And ultimately a really nasty gastrointestinal infection
We are still in Rurrenabaque, the gateway to the Bolivian Amazon. After 5 days in the jungle we first need to relax. It was a really strenuous time for both of us, physically and mentally. Added to this is the rainforest climate, which is quite difficult for me. It's good to relax in the hotel for two days before the next adventure is waiting. We enjoy the time by the pool and in civilization with a beer. Then we go to the Pampas for 3 days, a vast area around the Rio Yacuma. Perfect for watching animals. Many of the resident species can also be found in the jungle. However there, they are not so easy to find. In the morning our guide Norman picks us up and we drive for 3 hours towards Santa Rosa de Yacuma. We can see some animals on the way, including ostriches and a tapir. Unfortunately the latter is only “domesticated”. It was rescued as a baby and is now growing up in the garden. Not the type of animal photography Micha wants :-)
We are accommodated in the Las Tortugas Logde, directly on the Rio Yacuma, and are warmly welcomed. Of course everyone is happy about Diego, once again the youngest guest in a long time. In the afternoon we set off with Norman by boat along the Rio Yacuma. Already in the first few meters we see so many animals that we can hardly believe it. Countless birds flutter around us or sit on the branches on the bank.
The most common species we see are crested chickens, also known as stinky birds. Not exactly pretty, these guys. They abound here; because, as the name suggests, their meat doesn't taste particularly good. So they hardly have any natural enemies. Unless a caiman steals a few eggs from the nest. They are the only birds in the world that eat a 100% vegan diet, so their stomachs are far too heavy compared to the power of their wings and they can only fly for about 30 seconds. A simple shot :-)
Almost as easy as the sloth. First, however, we have to look with Norman for a long time until we find one. It sits most of the time on cecropias, the so-called ant trees, and eats the young leaves, chills or sleeps. Sloths are perfectly camouflaged because they have the same fur color as the tribe. And since they hardly move, they are very difficult to locate. Of course Norman has an eye for it. And once you find one, Micha has endless time for sloth portraits.
Unfortunately, the weather is not so kind to us in the Pampas. A cold front arrives on Thursday afternoon. Normally it is more than 25 degrees here with lots of sun. That's why we wear sombreros for boating. However, within a short time there is a drop in temperature to below 10 degrees. Not so pleasant. Especially since the lodge is not built for this weather. There are no glass windows, only mosquito screens. So the air circulates well. We put on whatever clothes we have with us on top of each other and wrap ourselves up in blankets to sleep. After all, it's too cold for the mosquitoes and we don't come across a single one. The next day it is raining heavily in the morning. We have to wait for the rain to stop until we continue on the boat. Most of the time we travel on the river, sometimes in one direction, sometimes the other. We are always amazed at the new animal species we discover.
The squirrel monkeys on the shore are very friendly - almost too friendly for our liking when they jump onto our boat. They were already threatened with extinction in the area, so they were fed. Of course they remember that.
Just beyond the river bank, the landscape is more densely vegetated and almost resembles the jungle. We go watching for more monkeys with Norman. And soon capuchin monkeys are climbing on the palm tree in front of us. Did you know that they are the most intelligent monkeys, even ahead of chimpanzees? Not us. And they are very agile. It's not easy for Micha to get them in front of the lens. Later we discover black howler monkeys; We have already seen their relatives, the red howler monkeys, in the jungle. They are really curious and watch us from the branches.
All in all, the days in the Pampas are a complete success. We see a lot more animals than in the jungle, even though we are no longer in the Madidi National Park area (which is the most species-rich in the world). Of course, this is also due to the fact that the animals here mainly stay on the river and are easier to spot. Micha is particularly fond of the kingfisher. It's very agile and it takes many attempts to catch him in flight. Great that Micha is persistent (at least when it comes to taking photos). Norman throttles the boat for each shot.
At times we were even accompanied by pink river dolphins, also known as Amazon river dolphins. He is only native there. However, with the best will in the world, he didn't want to be photographed and had fun jumping out of the water unpredictable, here and there and everywhere.
Now, we have one more day to relax in Rurrenabaque before we fly back. We urgently need it. The temperatures are slowly becoming more pleasant again. Unfortunately, both of us won't be feeling so well from Sunday onwards. We're struggling with diarrhea, and the really bad kind. So bad that before our flight back we went to the pharmacy to get an antibiotic (you don't need a prescription for this in Bolivia). Back in Cochabamba things are getting worse. Diego has stomach cramps at night, so I carry him outside all night - unless I'm on the toilet. Luckily we got an appointment with the pediatrician the next day at 8:30 p.m. He welcomes us into his home and treats us three right away. Diagnosis: dysentery amoebas. These are really nasty parasites. In addition to the antibiotic, the doctor prescribes Gatorade for hydration and chicken soup. Fortunately, Diego has none of it. We are so happy. The bacteria are transmitted via water and fresh food. Diego now eats almost the same as us. We're feeling really miserable for a whole week. You can't really recover when you have a baby to look after. It takes a long time before we have any motivation to think about continuing our journey and look for diesel. The situation has only eased slightly in the meantime. You still stand in line for several hours to get a canister at the gas station. Don't even think about filling up the whole tank. Maybe it's time to leave the country after all, even if we would like to get to know more... And so we are still in Cochabamba, a really ugly and loud city, but in our situation we are happy to have a doctor , a pharmacy and above all a toilet in walking distance.
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