Finally I have time to write a bit again! Our new volunteer, Giulia from Italy and 23y, arrived last Thursday, and is settling in to life at the field centre. It's good to have someone else around to help cook and for the odd game of cards (usually Canasta) in the evenings. I'm sure its good for Nic too to have younger company!
Friday we had a southern storm bringing strong wind and a lot of rain so most of the day was spend inside doing translations and a bit of cooking for consolation. We decided to do a pizza for lunch, much appreciated all round I think! I certainly enjoyed it.
I was also preparing for a 2 day field trip with José so getting out the tent, filling the necessary water bottles and sorting out suitable food. José seems to live on sardines, tomatoes and bread rolls,with a few peanuts too but he certainly appreciated some of my nutty flapjack and wants the recipe!! I took some apples and carrots to munch as well.
The plan changed last minute ( as usual) meaning I could leave to go to Trinidad at 8am instead of 5.30am, so much relief there. I arrived with enough time to do the shopping tasks required for the centre and get some new batteries for my head torch before meeting at José's apartment. We ended up leaving late at about 2.15pm due to extra jobs he had to do, and snatching a chicken sandwich for lunch with Gatorade (erghhh...), not ideal before a camping trip! The 2h drive was fine, with a ferry crossing where the bridge scheduled for completion 2 years ago is only just started! The ferry consisted of six metal barges strapped together, powered by a small wooden boat with a tiny outboard. But it managed the job, if somewhat slowly. The guys had the planks for driving on and off plus the winching to tie the boat fast down to a fine art, all for 20p a vehicle!
At the entrance to the property our horses were waiting along with the ranch hand, a lad of about 18 to accompany us. We loaded all our gear and set off, I was given the slowest horse so had trouble keeping up. He also jibved at anything unusual especially the telescopic pole for mounting the camera I was carrying when it Vought on a tree!! So the lad carried it for me after that. We arrived at the ranch house about 4.30 with a 2h ride to continue on to reach our isolated destination, la Verde.
Since it gets dark at 6 here and the route is not that easy to follow I was surpised that José wanted to press on that evening. But we set off, seeing amazing flocks of ibis and ducks, herons and egrets, plus countless other birds I can't name, amazing. Also some green winged macaws and orinoco geese, beautiful! But we managed lose the track after about an hour and ended up backtracking to the ranch house for the night, arriving after 3h riding, in the pitch dark, with a close encounter with a black caiman of about 2m whose eyes shone red in the light of our headlamps!!!! The horses gave it a wide berth as you can imagine!
We camped in our tents on the terrace as the house was locked in the owner's absence, an early night after our sardine supper, though we did a little exploring and found an interesting cavity with tiny bats. I was woken by pigs and piglets snuffling under the raised deck we were on, thinking it might be something !ore fearful!
Alarm set for an early start 4.30 to make for lost time, when it went off José realised the night was far too dark to go so we had an extra hour, and left at 6 am. Another ride surrounded by magnifent birds that you rarely see singly, yet here they were in huge flocks. It was the earliest in the year that José had done the trip and water levels were still very high, hence the need for horses, often wading up to their bellies. The track normally made by the vehicles in the dry season became invisible again and it proved impossible to find a way through the thick growth of the forest island, where the mosquitoes were equally denseand I resorted to putting on my head net, a welcome defenseman at least for that part of me! So after circling for 3h we had to admit defeat and return to the ranch again. José had forgotten to bring the GPS with track to follow on it which might have helped...
We got back there at 11am and spotted a pair of blue and gold macaws so decided to check their nest with the camera. They had a chick about to fledge, lovely to see! After 5 hrs in the saddle it was good to dismount and have an early lunch (yes sardines!) Followed by a siesta in a convenient hammock while Jose went nest hunting with the ranch hand.
Their were blue and gold macaws, various green parakeets and several birds of prey around. Plus a tiny wren who came very close and I watched for quite a long time. There was the usual troop of dogs and a cat that didn't stop miaowing, hens and chicks and ducks with half grown ducklings all wandering loose, like the horses and pigs!
We left in mid afternoon to ride back to the entrance, stopping en route to do a transect of a forest island - again horrendous clouds of mosquitoes so the protection came out again.
I was far less sore after the 9 h in the saddle total as the horses were bigger and more comfortable, plus the horses carried some of our supplies so we had less on our backs.
On the return trip we just made the last very crossing of the day - it was also local election day and everyone here HAS to vote so not many people were on the road. I saw my first capybara, then my 2nd... I saw 9 in total on the way back. The sunset was magnificent too across the wetlands, we also saw 3 horned owls out hunting in the dusk.
By the time we reached Trinidad we were both hungry - not for sardines, so we stopped at a little kiosk style restaurant that did steaks with chips and rice. The only drinks available coca cola or fanta - not even water or beer, let alone coffee or tea! But the food was good and very welcome. We headed back to José's apartment, as it was too late for a taxi back to Sachohere. José was taking the night bus to Santa Cruz for a meeting the following day, so I was able to sleep in his bed which was bliss! No rush the following morning as Rafa had still not returned from la Paz where he had to fly back to for voting. But I headed back after breakfast and dropping off the keys with a friend for José to collect after another night on the bus back to Trini!A somewhat quieter week with general work on the new aviary, collecting different fruits for the birds that are now coming into season, and continuing translation scientific papers into Spanish. Until yesterday when I had a phone call at 12 noon to say all hands on deck as the government inspectors had decided to come that afternoon at 3pm. Nic was on his day off, Rafa and Giulia were working in Trini so had to return to help make the place look really good. José arrived too and by the time the inspection party arrived everything was looking really good! I'm not sure if they were impressed as they have doubts about the project's aims to release the offspring of our birds into the wild. There is a huge amount of politics and red tape blocking everything we are trying to achieve to protect the species.
My last day off on Friday as I leave the project in a week's time - its amazing how fast the time has passed!
Wednesday 1 April 2015
Thursday 26 March 2015
26th March
Last week was spent mainly in preparing the new aviaries for the captive blue throated macaws we have on site. These 6 birds were originally bred in England at Paradise Park, and donated to Bolivia as part of a programme to increase the wild population from captive born birds. Our 6 are too closely related to interbreed but we hope to pair them with other birds from zoos such as Santa Cruz, a nearby city in Bolivia.
Our project is run by the World Parrot Trust (their Facebook site Savetheparrot is worth a look). Our site in Sachokere near Trinidad, Bolivia, is privately owned by a local person who is interested in this flagship species, as the blue throated macaw is endemic to Bolivia but is only found in this department of Beni so it is important that locals get to know about it and take pride in it.
We have completed the wiring of the 2 aviaries, and have been cutting branches of ficus trees to plant in them. These should root easily and grow away, producing fruit that the birds can eat. We are also planting other tree species such as motacu, their staple diet which is available year round so they can learn about what to eat in the wild. The young our birds produce should be able to be released into the wild with a good chance of survival to augment the current population.....only about 200 birds total!
A bit of work to complete double entry doors and feeding arrangements and I'm hoping to still be around for the transfer of our macaws to their new surroundings. Their current aviaries (2) will then be available for breeding pairs to occupy.
As new fruits come into season that are suitable we are starting to introduce our birds to them. Current we collect motacu (palm fruit) for them and have been supplementing with sliced banana and Brazil nuts, ready shelled which they love. We've now stopped the Brazil's and tomorrow will give them their first taste of chontillo fruit (another small palm fruit) , lucky birds!
I spent my last day off visiting a village on the river Ibare, about 12km from Trinidad, so after the taxi to reach Trini I took a mototaxi (motorbike) to get there. The first one broke down after about 100m so I found another who was even cheaper 10 bolivianos or about £1. It was a lovely day so very pleasant way to travel, keeping cool and mosquito free! He took me to the village and drove through to the river pointing out the comedors where you can eat lunch. It's a quiet place with a naval base (interesting for a landlocked country, but they hope to regain some coast from Chile which they lost at some stage of history!). As much traffic in the forest goes by river they have quite a lot of work on the river for their men to train on.
There were 3 macaws being kept as pets in the comedors, blue and yellow macaws and a scarlet, both found locally. Often they poach the young birds from nests just before fledging to keep as pets or sell commercially, one of the reason so many species are threatened. At least the CITES convention no longer permits imports of wild birds into most countries but much smuggling continues locally.
The other main cause of low populations of many macaws is habitat loss, in part due to cattle ranching, clearing forest for grazing and the cattle eat new young trees so prevent regeneration and renewal of the forest.
It was lovely sitting eating my lunch in the restaurant by then river watching the floating clumps of grass and plants pass by, though I didn't see any more dolphins. Some cold beer and a huge plate of fried local fish with rice and plantain followed by a home made passion fruit ice cream - yum!
A pleasant stroll around the village chatting to a few locals and seeing lots of birds, then I made my way to the main road back to Trinidad. It was really hot walking so when there were no mototaxis in sight I was glad when a motorbike stopped to give me a lift - fortunately hitch hiking is pretty safe in this area. The guy was interested in where I came from and the work I'm doing here so it was a great trip back and he wouldn't take any money either!
Then I bought my goodies for the week - local cocoa solids to make choclte and a couple of bottles of wine plus some items for the other volunteers before getting the taxi back. I'm certainly having some different experiences here!!
On Tuesday I finally had a day out in the field with José on horseback, long promised! He picked me up at 7.15am and we drove to Loreto to pick up our rented horses, small but very sturdy and patient, with small western style saddles, though pretty hard despite the sheepskin cloth! We had to carry all our equipment in our backpacks plus waistpacks and I also had the extending pole which we mount the mini camer a on to look inside the nest cavities. It was about 2.5h ride to reach the remote property, la Cantina, inaccessible by vehicle due to swamps at this time of year. We crossed through swampy grassland and forest islands seeing hundreds of birds, huge groupsmod egrets and herons, ibis and southern lapwing plus some enormous southern screamers (well named!).
In parts our horses were in water up to their chests, weaq had to raise our feet to prevent them getting wet despite our wellies!
On arrival a quick lunch before checking various nests, mainly purpose built nest boxes on this property which is helping to conserve the blue throated macaw. We saw several adults and some eggs and young. Some nests had ducks, others wasps and bees so care was required before inserting the camera not to get stung! All went well and were finished in time to get back just as dusk fell, though the last hour jogging with all that weight on my back certainly left me with a sore backside! It was a long day but very satisfying, with an encounter with a caiman in the swamp on the return journey - fortunately only a young one about a metre long....
Another trip to prepare for on Saturday, a new volunteer started today too ,but more about that next time. A bientot!q
Our project is run by the World Parrot Trust (their Facebook site Savetheparrot is worth a look). Our site in Sachokere near Trinidad, Bolivia, is privately owned by a local person who is interested in this flagship species, as the blue throated macaw is endemic to Bolivia but is only found in this department of Beni so it is important that locals get to know about it and take pride in it.
We have completed the wiring of the 2 aviaries, and have been cutting branches of ficus trees to plant in them. These should root easily and grow away, producing fruit that the birds can eat. We are also planting other tree species such as motacu, their staple diet which is available year round so they can learn about what to eat in the wild. The young our birds produce should be able to be released into the wild with a good chance of survival to augment the current population.....only about 200 birds total!
A bit of work to complete double entry doors and feeding arrangements and I'm hoping to still be around for the transfer of our macaws to their new surroundings. Their current aviaries (2) will then be available for breeding pairs to occupy.
As new fruits come into season that are suitable we are starting to introduce our birds to them. Current we collect motacu (palm fruit) for them and have been supplementing with sliced banana and Brazil nuts, ready shelled which they love. We've now stopped the Brazil's and tomorrow will give them their first taste of chontillo fruit (another small palm fruit) , lucky birds!
I spent my last day off visiting a village on the river Ibare, about 12km from Trinidad, so after the taxi to reach Trini I took a mototaxi (motorbike) to get there. The first one broke down after about 100m so I found another who was even cheaper 10 bolivianos or about £1. It was a lovely day so very pleasant way to travel, keeping cool and mosquito free! He took me to the village and drove through to the river pointing out the comedors where you can eat lunch. It's a quiet place with a naval base (interesting for a landlocked country, but they hope to regain some coast from Chile which they lost at some stage of history!). As much traffic in the forest goes by river they have quite a lot of work on the river for their men to train on.
There were 3 macaws being kept as pets in the comedors, blue and yellow macaws and a scarlet, both found locally. Often they poach the young birds from nests just before fledging to keep as pets or sell commercially, one of the reason so many species are threatened. At least the CITES convention no longer permits imports of wild birds into most countries but much smuggling continues locally.
The other main cause of low populations of many macaws is habitat loss, in part due to cattle ranching, clearing forest for grazing and the cattle eat new young trees so prevent regeneration and renewal of the forest.
It was lovely sitting eating my lunch in the restaurant by then river watching the floating clumps of grass and plants pass by, though I didn't see any more dolphins. Some cold beer and a huge plate of fried local fish with rice and plantain followed by a home made passion fruit ice cream - yum!
A pleasant stroll around the village chatting to a few locals and seeing lots of birds, then I made my way to the main road back to Trinidad. It was really hot walking so when there were no mototaxis in sight I was glad when a motorbike stopped to give me a lift - fortunately hitch hiking is pretty safe in this area. The guy was interested in where I came from and the work I'm doing here so it was a great trip back and he wouldn't take any money either!
Then I bought my goodies for the week - local cocoa solids to make choclte and a couple of bottles of wine plus some items for the other volunteers before getting the taxi back. I'm certainly having some different experiences here!!
On Tuesday I finally had a day out in the field with José on horseback, long promised! He picked me up at 7.15am and we drove to Loreto to pick up our rented horses, small but very sturdy and patient, with small western style saddles, though pretty hard despite the sheepskin cloth! We had to carry all our equipment in our backpacks plus waistpacks and I also had the extending pole which we mount the mini camer a on to look inside the nest cavities. It was about 2.5h ride to reach the remote property, la Cantina, inaccessible by vehicle due to swamps at this time of year. We crossed through swampy grassland and forest islands seeing hundreds of birds, huge groupsmod egrets and herons, ibis and southern lapwing plus some enormous southern screamers (well named!).
In parts our horses were in water up to their chests, weaq had to raise our feet to prevent them getting wet despite our wellies!
On arrival a quick lunch before checking various nests, mainly purpose built nest boxes on this property which is helping to conserve the blue throated macaw. We saw several adults and some eggs and young. Some nests had ducks, others wasps and bees so care was required before inserting the camera not to get stung! All went well and were finished in time to get back just as dusk fell, though the last hour jogging with all that weight on my back certainly left me with a sore backside! It was a long day but very satisfying, with an encounter with a caiman in the swamp on the return journey - fortunately only a young one about a metre long....
Another trip to prepare for on Saturday, a new volunteer started today too ,but more about that next time. A bientot!q
Tuesday 17 March 2015
16th March
Sunday we took a taxi into Trinidad to meet up with José, then another one for the 12 km trip out to the beautiful river Ibare, surrounded on both banks with forest. There we had a motor boat hired with pilot and his 2 young sons to help bail out the bilge water just for our group.
It was a lovely tranquil cruise, watching the many cormorants who nearly always took flight just before we reached them, perching in the next group of trees to repeat the sequence as we approached them again. Keeping our eyes peeled for the dolphins was not so easy as the water is a muddy brown - the dolphins can't use vision to find their way in the turbid water, they use a type of sonar. There were not many other species of birds visible in the mid morning, and no monkeys either. By the time we had spent an hour and had to turn round we hadn't had any sightings of the dolphins and were beginning to think they were in another part of the river. But suddenly I spotted one break the surface, and after that we kept sighting them, each one for just a second as they don't leap out, just surface enough to breathe. We could see their pink colouration and their strange narrow angular beak, I even caught one on film as evidence! So an inspiring trip, followed by lunch at another of the 4 restaurants managed by the owner of the land where where our Centre is situated. Caiman casserole with rice and plantain, washed down with 2 huge jugs of natural fruit juice (cant remember the name of the fruit, with added sugar, but very refreshing!), very nice and too much to finish all of it.
As we waited by the church for the taxi back it was interesting to see a cow in the side aisle eying us with suspicion, eventually she leapt over the wall to return to her grazing outside! There were lots of colourful butterflies and quite a few macaws and parakeets flying overhead, all of which José could identify by sound alone, he has amazing knowledge about parrots, a real addict.
The week settled to a rhythm of training with Rebecca, and waiting for the planned field trip to materialise, with problems hiring horses, sudden work commitments cropping up for José and torrential rain (glad we didn't go that day!). On Wednesday we usually do our weekly shop as the fresh fruit and veg come in by boat that day. However this time they were on strike, and as Rafa was too busy to go till the afternoon, by then there was nothing left. So we have had a week of surviving on tins, bread meat, rice and lentils and my cake.
Eventually José Nic and I set off on Sunday morning in the car with the intention that we would do a day's work with the wild blue throated macaws together, then leave Nic to take a taxi back whilst José and I took the two horses available to ride for 2.5h on to the next property and camp there for the night. We would then check the nests in that area before returning on the horses and drive back in the afternoon. As it turned out to be one of the hottest and most humid days so far, the long walk was quote a challenge for us all, and by the time we reached the nest area we were glad of the break in a lovely shady woodland glade for our picnic lunch of bread rolls with tuna and tomato, plus an apple. Even the mosquitoes didn't bother us too much!
Then we spotted our first pair of wild blue throated macaws, a magic moment, having seen the captive ones in our aviaries, it was wonderful to see what our work is striving to achieve - to keep them free in their natural habitat! We checked various nests, most of which are man made boxes at this site: one had 3 eggs, the next 2 chicks which were fully feathered and almost ready to fledge. Those we needed to weigh and take blood samples from (with the necessary permit of course) so José climbed up the palm tree using ropes, very tiring, then he had to avoid very strong beaks and claws in manipulating the chicks.
All completed, but we needed permission to ring the chicks and take the moulted adult feathers (very important genetic information for our study) that were in the nest boxes. After checking the final nest box to find 3 chicks, José decided it would be better to return later in the week to get all the information we needed from this site, and postpone the horse ride to the next property. So we all returned to the car and drive to nearby San Lorenzo to cancel the horses and speak to a local guy about the problems facing the macaws (political and social as well as habitat loss)
We bought coca cola for us all, as there were no tamarind ice creams to be had! We certainly needed to rehydrate! He then gave us fresh cheesy bread rolls still warm from the oven, yum! And his son hitched a lift with us to Trinidad, dropping Nic and I back at the Centre in Sachojere en route. A cool shower and clean clothes enabled us to enjoy some local beef with the few veg we had remaining, and a glass of wine to end a very special experience.
It was a lovely tranquil cruise, watching the many cormorants who nearly always took flight just before we reached them, perching in the next group of trees to repeat the sequence as we approached them again. Keeping our eyes peeled for the dolphins was not so easy as the water is a muddy brown - the dolphins can't use vision to find their way in the turbid water, they use a type of sonar. There were not many other species of birds visible in the mid morning, and no monkeys either. By the time we had spent an hour and had to turn round we hadn't had any sightings of the dolphins and were beginning to think they were in another part of the river. But suddenly I spotted one break the surface, and after that we kept sighting them, each one for just a second as they don't leap out, just surface enough to breathe. We could see their pink colouration and their strange narrow angular beak, I even caught one on film as evidence! So an inspiring trip, followed by lunch at another of the 4 restaurants managed by the owner of the land where where our Centre is situated. Caiman casserole with rice and plantain, washed down with 2 huge jugs of natural fruit juice (cant remember the name of the fruit, with added sugar, but very refreshing!), very nice and too much to finish all of it.
As we waited by the church for the taxi back it was interesting to see a cow in the side aisle eying us with suspicion, eventually she leapt over the wall to return to her grazing outside! There were lots of colourful butterflies and quite a few macaws and parakeets flying overhead, all of which José could identify by sound alone, he has amazing knowledge about parrots, a real addict.
The week settled to a rhythm of training with Rebecca, and waiting for the planned field trip to materialise, with problems hiring horses, sudden work commitments cropping up for José and torrential rain (glad we didn't go that day!). On Wednesday we usually do our weekly shop as the fresh fruit and veg come in by boat that day. However this time they were on strike, and as Rafa was too busy to go till the afternoon, by then there was nothing left. So we have had a week of surviving on tins, bread meat, rice and lentils and my cake.
Eventually José Nic and I set off on Sunday morning in the car with the intention that we would do a day's work with the wild blue throated macaws together, then leave Nic to take a taxi back whilst José and I took the two horses available to ride for 2.5h on to the next property and camp there for the night. We would then check the nests in that area before returning on the horses and drive back in the afternoon. As it turned out to be one of the hottest and most humid days so far, the long walk was quote a challenge for us all, and by the time we reached the nest area we were glad of the break in a lovely shady woodland glade for our picnic lunch of bread rolls with tuna and tomato, plus an apple. Even the mosquitoes didn't bother us too much!
Then we spotted our first pair of wild blue throated macaws, a magic moment, having seen the captive ones in our aviaries, it was wonderful to see what our work is striving to achieve - to keep them free in their natural habitat! We checked various nests, most of which are man made boxes at this site: one had 3 eggs, the next 2 chicks which were fully feathered and almost ready to fledge. Those we needed to weigh and take blood samples from (with the necessary permit of course) so José climbed up the palm tree using ropes, very tiring, then he had to avoid very strong beaks and claws in manipulating the chicks.
All completed, but we needed permission to ring the chicks and take the moulted adult feathers (very important genetic information for our study) that were in the nest boxes. After checking the final nest box to find 3 chicks, José decided it would be better to return later in the week to get all the information we needed from this site, and postpone the horse ride to the next property. So we all returned to the car and drive to nearby San Lorenzo to cancel the horses and speak to a local guy about the problems facing the macaws (political and social as well as habitat loss)
We bought coca cola for us all, as there were no tamarind ice creams to be had! We certainly needed to rehydrate! He then gave us fresh cheesy bread rolls still warm from the oven, yum! And his son hitched a lift with us to Trinidad, dropping Nic and I back at the Centre in Sachojere en route. A cool shower and clean clothes enabled us to enjoy some local beef with the few veg we had remaining, and a glass of wine to end a very special experience.
Saturday 7 March 2015
7th March
Another week gone, and I hardly know where the time goes! Our new volunteer Rebecca, from England, arrived on Monday, and with her extrovert character and love of music, she has livened up the centre. On Tuesday we started another project, a phrenology study, of the trees that provide food for the localarrot species. This is an ongoing study, where 223 trees of around 12 different species have previously been tagged and their stage of flowering/fruiting, or not noted. We now had to repeat the rounds and update the information to learn about food availability for the birds in the wild. Nic and Rafa did the first day, and I did the second with Rafa ( he did the initial round and can identify the flowering/fruiting stages) - 7h walking through marshland and flooded forest with some drier paths, pretty tiring with water levels over the tops of our wellingtons so wet feet all day too. But I made it, and learnt a lot about the species of trees, and we saw some interesting birds, monkeys and insects, plus tadpoles, bright pink frog's eggs and an amazing spider. I've just come back from my second day and we finished the last trees, so very satisfying, having logged the last of the data in the computer.
Thursday it rained all day so it was a quiet day at the centre, as was Wednesday for me as the others all spent the day in
Trinidad at meetings and doing the weekly food shop, along with exciting things like visa renewals! So I communed with the macaws and gave them lots of fresh branches to chew their way through. Friday was my day off, time for a haircut and a good lunch at a fish restaurant, very tasty! And some exploring of parts of Trinidad I hadn't been to.
Tomorrow there's a possibility of a trip to see the pink river dolphins which would be great, but it depends on weather and availability of the boat. José is back on town after a week of meetings in La Paz, so we should be doing more field work this week with him, and see blue throated macaws in the wild. Looking forward to that!
Thursday it rained all day so it was a quiet day at the centre, as was Wednesday for me as the others all spent the day in
Trinidad at meetings and doing the weekly food shop, along with exciting things like visa renewals! So I communed with the macaws and gave them lots of fresh branches to chew their way through. Friday was my day off, time for a haircut and a good lunch at a fish restaurant, very tasty! And some exploring of parts of Trinidad I hadn't been to.
Tomorrow there's a possibility of a trip to see the pink river dolphins which would be great, but it depends on weather and availability of the boat. José is back on town after a week of meetings in La Paz, so we should be doing more field work this week with him, and see blue throated macaws in the wild. Looking forward to that!
Saturday 28 February 2015
Sat 28 Feb
Finally reconnected to the internet after 5 days - all due to a power cut that somehow broke our hardware. To return to last Friday, heavy rain meant we couldn't check the nests of the wild macaws to weigh the chicks and monitor their progress for our study. So that was delayedmtill Saturday, putting back the planned 3 day field trip I was going on with José. We did manage to find some building rubble to fill in the dips in the paths between our cabins when it stopped raining, so at least it's less muddy there now!
On Saturday I took a taxi to José's apartment in Trinidad. The taxi service is interesting - there are about 8 taxis which are all old estate cars and they leave Trinidad only when there are enough passengers to fill them i.e.6 (yes it is a squash!). It's then a 40 minute drive up to Sachojere village up a diet road which is closed if there is too much rain. The taxis go on beyond to San Lorenzo, then turn round and come back to Trinidad picking up as many passengers as they can en route. So you just have to wait for a taxi to turn up...... And wait.... This time 2 hrs! Then a mototaxi (motorbike passenger - the only taxis in Trinidad) to José's for a welcome cup of tea. By the to!e we had purchased a couple of items we needed not was lunch time so José took me to a Brazilian restaurant, which was like a self service salad bar and wide choice of main courses and vegetables, you fill your plate and then pay according to weight (great for carnivores!). Very nice food too with a jug of fresh fruit juice, a little saweet but very tasty. Back to the apartment for a half hour siesta that José insisted on.
The car still wasn't repaired so we decided to take the centre's motorbike to to to the nest site, a lovely ride, though made interesting with wearing the wellies necessary for negotiating the flooded areas, and carrying all the equipment! All our work requires a permit as the birds are protected by law. We found one nest had a parent bird sitting in it, incubating the remaining egg with one chick hatched. So we didn't disturb it. Another nest the chick had been poached from - one of the main dangers they face for the pet trade - very sad. We then found talking to one of the workers on the ranch that he had poached the chick and was raising it in a cage: education is a vital part of our work too, and much needed as you can see!
The taxi broke down on the way back to the centre so I was late back but everyone remains so cheerful here as this is the norm, and time is not important, he got the car going again in the end!
The forecast was bad for Sunday so our field trip was delayed till Mon, and as the horses we needed were not available then, José decided to take Nic on Mon afternoon, then he and I would go Tues and Wed with the horses. So they set off with all the ropes and gear for tree climbing and abseiling, reached the first nest site and the heavens opened. So they were only able to check that nest (at least it was a blue throated macaw nest!) And got soaked on the half hour walk back to the car. They then got stuck in the mud because the 4 wheel drive was not working 3 times, luckily locals helped push them out so they got back safely.
But that meant cancelling our trip while the car returned to the garage to get the 4 wheel drive fixed!
In the mean time we have started another project on parrot feeding, cycling out each morning from 6 - 8 am to find parrots feeding and check parrot species, food (tree species, whether
Eaves, flowers or fruit) etc. It's a lovely time to be out, with so many different birds around, and sometimes other animals too - Nic saw monkeys and a peccary, and I saw toucans yesterday.
My day off again today and I had a lovely guided tour of the Kenneth Lee ethno archeological museum, really interesting showing the early civilisations of the area going back to 800 B.C. and only recently discovered. The patterns of the raised fields and irrigation canals from the air caused Ken Lee to spend 30 years researching it, along with the rectangular reservoirs and artificial mounds they built as refuges from regular floods, where they lived. The higher the mound the older it is, and the higher up you live the more status you have - fascinating.
And I arrived at the taxi to find I was the last person required to fill it so we left immediately - a good end to the day!
On Saturday I took a taxi to José's apartment in Trinidad. The taxi service is interesting - there are about 8 taxis which are all old estate cars and they leave Trinidad only when there are enough passengers to fill them i.e.6 (yes it is a squash!). It's then a 40 minute drive up to Sachojere village up a diet road which is closed if there is too much rain. The taxis go on beyond to San Lorenzo, then turn round and come back to Trinidad picking up as many passengers as they can en route. So you just have to wait for a taxi to turn up...... And wait.... This time 2 hrs! Then a mototaxi (motorbike passenger - the only taxis in Trinidad) to José's for a welcome cup of tea. By the to!e we had purchased a couple of items we needed not was lunch time so José took me to a Brazilian restaurant, which was like a self service salad bar and wide choice of main courses and vegetables, you fill your plate and then pay according to weight (great for carnivores!). Very nice food too with a jug of fresh fruit juice, a little saweet but very tasty. Back to the apartment for a half hour siesta that José insisted on.
The car still wasn't repaired so we decided to take the centre's motorbike to to to the nest site, a lovely ride, though made interesting with wearing the wellies necessary for negotiating the flooded areas, and carrying all the equipment! All our work requires a permit as the birds are protected by law. We found one nest had a parent bird sitting in it, incubating the remaining egg with one chick hatched. So we didn't disturb it. Another nest the chick had been poached from - one of the main dangers they face for the pet trade - very sad. We then found talking to one of the workers on the ranch that he had poached the chick and was raising it in a cage: education is a vital part of our work too, and much needed as you can see!
The taxi broke down on the way back to the centre so I was late back but everyone remains so cheerful here as this is the norm, and time is not important, he got the car going again in the end!
The forecast was bad for Sunday so our field trip was delayed till Mon, and as the horses we needed were not available then, José decided to take Nic on Mon afternoon, then he and I would go Tues and Wed with the horses. So they set off with all the ropes and gear for tree climbing and abseiling, reached the first nest site and the heavens opened. So they were only able to check that nest (at least it was a blue throated macaw nest!) And got soaked on the half hour walk back to the car. They then got stuck in the mud because the 4 wheel drive was not working 3 times, luckily locals helped push them out so they got back safely.
But that meant cancelling our trip while the car returned to the garage to get the 4 wheel drive fixed!
In the mean time we have started another project on parrot feeding, cycling out each morning from 6 - 8 am to find parrots feeding and check parrot species, food (tree species, whether
Eaves, flowers or fruit) etc. It's a lovely time to be out, with so many different birds around, and sometimes other animals too - Nic saw monkeys and a peccary, and I saw toucans yesterday.
My day off again today and I had a lovely guided tour of the Kenneth Lee ethno archeological museum, really interesting showing the early civilisations of the area going back to 800 B.C. and only recently discovered. The patterns of the raised fields and irrigation canals from the air caused Ken Lee to spend 30 years researching it, along with the rectangular reservoirs and artificial mounds they built as refuges from regular floods, where they lived. The higher the mound the older it is, and the higher up you live the more status you have - fascinating.
And I arrived at the taxi to find I was the last person required to fill it so we left immediately - a good end to the day!
Thursday 19 February 2015
Thurs 19 Feb
Well, another week passed, time seems to be passing fast! Last Friday Rafa managed to slide the car down the bank in the wet slippery mud while trying to turn around. We had fun trying to get it back up, and found it wouldn't go into 4 wheel drive or lock the wheels together so impossible task. In the end the car had to go forwards, moving various obstacles and ruining the neighbour's grass! But at least we got it out safely.
Saturday I started on translating a paper written by staff at the centre into Spanish - quite a task given my Spanish is far from fluent! But google translate came to my rescue and made it feasible and enjoyable, plus learning more about the blue throated macaw's problems in the wild. It took me several days to do, in fact still not completed the tables of data yet.
The left over bananas needed using so I cooked a banana cake, which went down well with everyone too. I do a fair bit of the cooking, often using fruit to make ice cream or fruit fool - yum! Also had time to enjoy the hammock, definitely a good investment!
Saturday night the locals were celebrating the fiesta, which lasts several days in Trinidad. The music went on for most of the night, stopping at about 4 am but restarting about 20 minutes later. Then the morning bird chorus took over so not much sleep. Have seen several new birds over the week end including red headed cardinals, and red and yellow headed wood peckers, plus a third one with green speckles. The red one wakes us us most mornings tapping on a nearby tree! It's been raining on and off most days recently, heavy rain Sunday afternoon sent us all indoors, but the stallion roaming near our cabin sheltered right up against the cabin to keep out of the wind and wet, poor thing.
Monday we were nest checking again, and I helped take my first blood sample from one chick, for genetic checks later. An interesting experience! Feathers are also important to collect from nests for genetic checks of parentage from year to year. On the way back, Rafa stopped for a coke, and I was offered a local fruit drink made from a fruit similar to peach (durazno?) Which was delicious and far preferable to coke! Curried vegetables for dinner with rice, very tasty. Rained heavily from 8pm.
Tues neither Nic's nor my alarms went off so we both were late up, but not by much as the birds still woke us. It was still raining and continued till about 2pm! So translating in the morning then in the afternoon a joint effort cleaning up around and under the two bird aviaries, removing all the dropped motacu nuts they feed on, straightening up the anti- predator barriers (mainly against snakes, so far I haven't seen any), and replacing the rain screens made of palm leaf thatch. All looks much neater now and the birds should keep drier too.
Wednesday we finally met the centre manager Jose (should be an accent on the e...) who had been on holiday in Spain. He's very enthusiastic and can inspire you with his ideas, so I think will be good to work with which is lucky. He has already given us projects to work on in any moments we have no alotted tasks, so our time will be better used from now on. And our roles are now clearer, with explanation of all the projects the centre is engaged with and we will be working on, exciting! He's taking me on a 3 day field trip, camping this Saturday, on horseback,which should be really interesting, and good fun if not too wet!
Today I had my day off, so went to Trinidad to stock up on wine and have a restaurant meal, a treat of fish in an almond cream sauce - delicious! I'm getting to know the taxi drivers on the Sachajere road quite well now, and get asked lots of questions about the work with the macaws, good publicity for them! Nice swim on my return before the rain started again, time for a glass of wine...
Saturday I started on translating a paper written by staff at the centre into Spanish - quite a task given my Spanish is far from fluent! But google translate came to my rescue and made it feasible and enjoyable, plus learning more about the blue throated macaw's problems in the wild. It took me several days to do, in fact still not completed the tables of data yet.
The left over bananas needed using so I cooked a banana cake, which went down well with everyone too. I do a fair bit of the cooking, often using fruit to make ice cream or fruit fool - yum! Also had time to enjoy the hammock, definitely a good investment!
Saturday night the locals were celebrating the fiesta, which lasts several days in Trinidad. The music went on for most of the night, stopping at about 4 am but restarting about 20 minutes later. Then the morning bird chorus took over so not much sleep. Have seen several new birds over the week end including red headed cardinals, and red and yellow headed wood peckers, plus a third one with green speckles. The red one wakes us us most mornings tapping on a nearby tree! It's been raining on and off most days recently, heavy rain Sunday afternoon sent us all indoors, but the stallion roaming near our cabin sheltered right up against the cabin to keep out of the wind and wet, poor thing.
Monday we were nest checking again, and I helped take my first blood sample from one chick, for genetic checks later. An interesting experience! Feathers are also important to collect from nests for genetic checks of parentage from year to year. On the way back, Rafa stopped for a coke, and I was offered a local fruit drink made from a fruit similar to peach (durazno?) Which was delicious and far preferable to coke! Curried vegetables for dinner with rice, very tasty. Rained heavily from 8pm.
Tues neither Nic's nor my alarms went off so we both were late up, but not by much as the birds still woke us. It was still raining and continued till about 2pm! So translating in the morning then in the afternoon a joint effort cleaning up around and under the two bird aviaries, removing all the dropped motacu nuts they feed on, straightening up the anti- predator barriers (mainly against snakes, so far I haven't seen any), and replacing the rain screens made of palm leaf thatch. All looks much neater now and the birds should keep drier too.
Wednesday we finally met the centre manager Jose (should be an accent on the e...) who had been on holiday in Spain. He's very enthusiastic and can inspire you with his ideas, so I think will be good to work with which is lucky. He has already given us projects to work on in any moments we have no alotted tasks, so our time will be better used from now on. And our roles are now clearer, with explanation of all the projects the centre is engaged with and we will be working on, exciting! He's taking me on a 3 day field trip, camping this Saturday, on horseback,which should be really interesting, and good fun if not too wet!
Today I had my day off, so went to Trinidad to stock up on wine and have a restaurant meal, a treat of fish in an almond cream sauce - delicious! I'm getting to know the taxi drivers on the Sachajere road quite well now, and get asked lots of questions about the work with the macaws, good publicity for them! Nice swim on my return before the rain started again, time for a glass of wine...
Saturday 14 February 2015
Sat 14/2
So, back to Wed and our shopping trip to Trinidad, this week in the Mitsubishi Pajero with Rafa, which copes well with the muddy unmade road. We left at 8.30, with Nick in charge of the birds and homestead. After a stop at the mechanics to sort out a loose wire in the vehicle causing some light on the dashboard to come on, Rafa took me to the veg shop, then the fruit market, and finally the supermarket (the size of a corner shop back home) to which in future I shall be doing the rounds on moto taxi and returning with it all by car taxi. Could be interesting with about 10kg fruit and veg for us and 7 dozen bananas for us and the macaws, before you start on the dried and tinned food! At least it was in the car this week though.
Rafa then took me to meet the owner of the land who he needed to talk to, who is very nice and friendly, and we had a drink, then lunch in his restaurant. They specialise in caiman so I had to try it - very tasty! It started raining over lunch, then pouring, quickly flooding the streets and leaving many motorbikes (very numerous locally) up to their axles in water. Despite the deep gullies each side of the road the rain was so heavy they couldn't cope, and in places the pavements were flooded too, no doubt somererties too. Small wonder most people wear flip flops, then no worries about your feet at least!
Once all the tasks were complete we headed back, hoping our road to Sachajere would be open, as rain often causes the police to close it. We we're in luck, they let us through, to relieve Nick of his responsibilities. Quote a tropical rainstorm, but it eventually stopped around 4pm and the evening was pleasant.
Rafa and Nick then set off nest checking, I started getting concerned when they were not back by dark, but guessed Rafa had stopped off for a drink with friends- they eventually returned about 8pm, 3h late! Apparently they phoned but didn't get through.
Thursday it dawned fine, so I decided to risk going into
Trinidad by taxi for my day off. I managed to get one after only waiting by our gate for 20mins (reading a book to pass the time!)
Not having done much excercise recently I decided to enjoy exploring the town on foot, first heading to the market, and then on to a local park which used to be a zoo. They still had a few animals, large tortoises and turtles, caiman and collared peccaries, and lots of wild waterfowl on the lakes which made it quite interesting, and a pleasant walk. Then back into town to find almuerzo at a recommended restaurant - good soup followed by chicken leg with rice and really nice mixed veg, so VG. By then it was raining but fortunately only for about an hour so out came my book, then more exploring on foot.
I finished back at the market to purchase the hammock and the mugs (both lacking at the centre) that I had spied in the morning. Plus another bottle of wine...Then to the taxi stop which hardly looks like one - a delapidated estate car or two, waiting with boot open ( they take goods without passengers too). And a table with fruit drinks and some big log seats and a bench to wait on. Usually a group of men sitting around chatting with the taxi driver who's next to go out and this time one guy, Raul, had a guitar and they were all singing songs. I chatted to him about my work and he was amazed about the dedication for saving the macaws when mostly the locals don't understand the need or the consequences of not preserving the habitat. He wanted to ensure we spread the word, embarrassed that it took foreigners to ome to save their endemic species!
You have to wait until there are enough passengers to fill the car, at least 6 in the 4 seats (luckily most Bolivians are small). I had a long wait this time but shared their bottle(s) of red wine with ice and their sing song, so time passed very pleasantly!
Once on route the car stopped, a breakdown? No, just a change of gas bottle - the fuel they use! Shame they can't harness the methane from all the cows locally, as ranching is the main commercial activity and the major cause of habitat loss for the macaws!! A good day out and with lots of new friends at the taxi rank for my next trip ...
Rafa then took me to meet the owner of the land who he needed to talk to, who is very nice and friendly, and we had a drink, then lunch in his restaurant. They specialise in caiman so I had to try it - very tasty! It started raining over lunch, then pouring, quickly flooding the streets and leaving many motorbikes (very numerous locally) up to their axles in water. Despite the deep gullies each side of the road the rain was so heavy they couldn't cope, and in places the pavements were flooded too, no doubt somererties too. Small wonder most people wear flip flops, then no worries about your feet at least!
Once all the tasks were complete we headed back, hoping our road to Sachajere would be open, as rain often causes the police to close it. We we're in luck, they let us through, to relieve Nick of his responsibilities. Quote a tropical rainstorm, but it eventually stopped around 4pm and the evening was pleasant.
Rafa and Nick then set off nest checking, I started getting concerned when they were not back by dark, but guessed Rafa had stopped off for a drink with friends- they eventually returned about 8pm, 3h late! Apparently they phoned but didn't get through.
Thursday it dawned fine, so I decided to risk going into
Trinidad by taxi for my day off. I managed to get one after only waiting by our gate for 20mins (reading a book to pass the time!)
Not having done much excercise recently I decided to enjoy exploring the town on foot, first heading to the market, and then on to a local park which used to be a zoo. They still had a few animals, large tortoises and turtles, caiman and collared peccaries, and lots of wild waterfowl on the lakes which made it quite interesting, and a pleasant walk. Then back into town to find almuerzo at a recommended restaurant - good soup followed by chicken leg with rice and really nice mixed veg, so VG. By then it was raining but fortunately only for about an hour so out came my book, then more exploring on foot.
I finished back at the market to purchase the hammock and the mugs (both lacking at the centre) that I had spied in the morning. Plus another bottle of wine...Then to the taxi stop which hardly looks like one - a delapidated estate car or two, waiting with boot open ( they take goods without passengers too). And a table with fruit drinks and some big log seats and a bench to wait on. Usually a group of men sitting around chatting with the taxi driver who's next to go out and this time one guy, Raul, had a guitar and they were all singing songs. I chatted to him about my work and he was amazed about the dedication for saving the macaws when mostly the locals don't understand the need or the consequences of not preserving the habitat. He wanted to ensure we spread the word, embarrassed that it took foreigners to ome to save their endemic species!
You have to wait until there are enough passengers to fill the car, at least 6 in the 4 seats (luckily most Bolivians are small). I had a long wait this time but shared their bottle(s) of red wine with ice and their sing song, so time passed very pleasantly!
Once on route the car stopped, a breakdown? No, just a change of gas bottle - the fuel they use! Shame they can't harness the methane from all the cows locally, as ranching is the main commercial activity and the major cause of habitat loss for the macaws!! A good day out and with lots of new friends at the taxi rank for my next trip ...
Tuesday 10 February 2015
Tues 10th
Now have internet back - we reached the download limit it seems, though I didn't use much personally. Life continues peacefully here, lots of birdwatching, apart from the macaws. There are always lots of different and often very beautiful species, from red headed cardinals, to bright yellow tanagers, or blue ones. There are turtles plopping around in the lakes, and gigantic water snails, which mostly we see the empty shells after the egrets have had their fill. The ever present jacanas with their elegant long legs, black and rufous feathers, then bright yellow on the wings when they fly are lovely to watch around the edges of the lakes.
There is one lake which we can swim in - usually in our afternoon break when it is often too hot to work much. I now take a dip regularly, it gives me some exercise too. Yesterday I spotted a blue tailed iguana in the grass from my viewpoint in the pool, and watched him for some time. There are even more frogs and toads than in Galan with baby ones even in the toilet bowl, which leap clear when you flush (usually!) And an adult pale green one, totally unafraid, that climbs our shower curtain and apparently has a diet of bats - another regular visitor to our dorm!
So far no snakes near our cabins. I heard something in the forest nearby squealing that might have been peccaries recently, but as it was dusk couldn't see anything apart from movements in the grass. The 4 calves belonging to the land owner graze around the cabins every day, joining their mothers in the coral at night. They often leave a fertile offering on or near our terrace to avoid treading in! Our neighbour's puppy sometimes comes over and wants to play but her sharp teeth are not so welcome. She also pulls our freshly washed sheets off the washing line, little pest!
Rafa, the acting manager while Jose is on holiday ( I haven't met Jose yet) was helping me dig a new veg/herb patch, and managed to cut through through the water pipe to the cabins a couple of days ago. He did a temporary fix but it was still leaking so flooded the area and caused loss of pressure I had very dirty water for the start of one shower but fortunately it cleared after a minute or so. It has now been fixed - just needs good protection to prevent recurrence if the veg patch remains at its current site as it is less than 1 spade depth down.
I enjoy the bike trips out to collect food for the macaws - usually motacu nuts from a type of palm here, their main natural food in the wild as it is in season all year round. We also give them banana slices and Brazil's, they particularly love the latter. Other wild fruits can be uses in season too, like totai. We have to search for trees with ripe nuts, then knock them on to a groundsheet so they are clean. Often we talk to locals to ask permission to collect them, giving opportunities to talk about the work we are doing and why the birds are endangered
Yesterday the new volunteer, Nick, from Canada arrived. He is acclimatising having come from their winter, fortunately it has been cooler and cloudier the last few days. He is doing a 5 year environmental studies degree, with 3 or 4 months secondment into the field every year - what an opportunity for getting experience in conservation! He seems very nice and certainly keen to become involved.
Tomorrow is weekly shopping for food so I think I'm going to learn the ropes so I can take over that job since I speak enough Spanish to cope with the markets in Trinidad. Their fresh produce comes on Wednesdays, so I guess it will be a busy day there.
Rafa managed to remember my request for a bottle of red wine yesterday, so it was a treat to have a glass, and share it of course. Some left for tonight too... The local village sells beer, bread and eggs, plus free some meat and home made delicious ice cream, but everything else is only from Trinidad.
Time to go and crush some motacus for the macaws - they can't crush the stone it is so hard, we have trouble with the mallet! But they have useful trace elements so it's worth doing a few each day.
Thursday is my first day off, so no doubt will go to
Trinidad and explore a bit more there, plus have a good meal that I haven't cooked. Rafa has cooked for me twice, and often makes fruit smoothies too but my cooking skills, and desire to eat well means I'm happy to do much of the cooking.
Look forward to hearing news from my friends too.. All for now, but back soon.
There is one lake which we can swim in - usually in our afternoon break when it is often too hot to work much. I now take a dip regularly, it gives me some exercise too. Yesterday I spotted a blue tailed iguana in the grass from my viewpoint in the pool, and watched him for some time. There are even more frogs and toads than in Galan with baby ones even in the toilet bowl, which leap clear when you flush (usually!) And an adult pale green one, totally unafraid, that climbs our shower curtain and apparently has a diet of bats - another regular visitor to our dorm!
So far no snakes near our cabins. I heard something in the forest nearby squealing that might have been peccaries recently, but as it was dusk couldn't see anything apart from movements in the grass. The 4 calves belonging to the land owner graze around the cabins every day, joining their mothers in the coral at night. They often leave a fertile offering on or near our terrace to avoid treading in! Our neighbour's puppy sometimes comes over and wants to play but her sharp teeth are not so welcome. She also pulls our freshly washed sheets off the washing line, little pest!
Rafa, the acting manager while Jose is on holiday ( I haven't met Jose yet) was helping me dig a new veg/herb patch, and managed to cut through through the water pipe to the cabins a couple of days ago. He did a temporary fix but it was still leaking so flooded the area and caused loss of pressure I had very dirty water for the start of one shower but fortunately it cleared after a minute or so. It has now been fixed - just needs good protection to prevent recurrence if the veg patch remains at its current site as it is less than 1 spade depth down.
I enjoy the bike trips out to collect food for the macaws - usually motacu nuts from a type of palm here, their main natural food in the wild as it is in season all year round. We also give them banana slices and Brazil's, they particularly love the latter. Other wild fruits can be uses in season too, like totai. We have to search for trees with ripe nuts, then knock them on to a groundsheet so they are clean. Often we talk to locals to ask permission to collect them, giving opportunities to talk about the work we are doing and why the birds are endangered
Yesterday the new volunteer, Nick, from Canada arrived. He is acclimatising having come from their winter, fortunately it has been cooler and cloudier the last few days. He is doing a 5 year environmental studies degree, with 3 or 4 months secondment into the field every year - what an opportunity for getting experience in conservation! He seems very nice and certainly keen to become involved.
Tomorrow is weekly shopping for food so I think I'm going to learn the ropes so I can take over that job since I speak enough Spanish to cope with the markets in Trinidad. Their fresh produce comes on Wednesdays, so I guess it will be a busy day there.
Rafa managed to remember my request for a bottle of red wine yesterday, so it was a treat to have a glass, and share it of course. Some left for tonight too... The local village sells beer, bread and eggs, plus free some meat and home made delicious ice cream, but everything else is only from Trinidad.
Time to go and crush some motacus for the macaws - they can't crush the stone it is so hard, we have trouble with the mallet! But they have useful trace elements so it's worth doing a few each day.
Thursday is my first day off, so no doubt will go to
Trinidad and explore a bit more there, plus have a good meal that I haven't cooked. Rafa has cooked for me twice, and often makes fruit smoothies too but my cooking skills, and desire to eat well means I'm happy to do much of the cooking.
Look forward to hearing news from my friends too.. All for now, but back soon.
Friday 6 February 2015
Wed 3/2/15
So a little about the Conservation Centre, which I am gradually beginning to learn more about. The land is owned by an local man with an interest in ecology. our neighbour works for him and looks after the cows and calves, plus 3 horses (future riding opportunity?. So during the day the calves and horses wander around our cabins and the 4 man made ponds, some of which contain fish, and one we are able to swim in (the horses do too!!). They also have children and 2 dogs which all appear from time to time.
There are 2 aviaries with 4 male macaws in one, and a pair in the other. Volunteer 1's main task is to feed them twice a day, check their health, and collect food from the forest for them - motacu nuts from a local palm tree mainly at present. They also have sliced banana and ready shelled Brazils. Guano (poo) are checked regularly for signs of parasites or disease. We also collect branches for enrichment of their surroundings so they have plenty to chew and generally destroy. They love removing their food trays from their shelf and distributing them around the aviary! They are very vociferous and loudly so!
One of the research projects we are doing involves checking the nests of any macaws of different species in the locality, and the progress of eggs/chicks in them. Since mostly they nest in dead hollow palm trees it is not too difficult to access the nests. Some are close enough to walk or cycle to, with the camera on a stick, plus remote control to view and photograph inside the nest. My first experience with Sophie used this technique, showing 2 eggs. The mosquitoes appear in droves in the forest so it's long trousers, long sleeves and lots of repellent! We wear wellingtons as the whole area is wetland, and as it is the wet season here they are very necessary. It also protects against creatures such as snakes, scorpions and poisonous spiders to some extent.
There are blue and yellow macaws (Ara ararauna), and chestnut fronted macaws (Ara Severus) nests mainly and often the parents are circling around nearby, sometimes quite disturbed by our approach. If there are chicks, they get weighed weekly, and at some point a blood sample taken for ID. Unfortunately there is quite a high rate of predation, both natural, and by humans taking chicks for pets, or killing parents for their feathers. As macaws are generally easily disturbed they are among the first species to disappear or become rare when pressure on the environment increases. The blue throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis) that is most at risk has a very small range, endemic only in the Beni department of Bolivia. Here more land is being cleared for cattle, the main livelihood. Also many dead trees are removed, reducing nest sites. Education can help to reverse this to some extent, and Bolivia has asked the world for help to prevent further destruction of the Amazon rain forest, but it seems the rest of the world is deaf......
I have also spotted scarlet macaws and green winged macaw's, along with many different parakeets and other bird species. The frog chorus in the evenings is almost as loud as at home, and frogs appear in the toilet (tiny ones) in the shower (big ones) and one in amongst the kitchen tools hanging on their rack. So far 2 bats in the dormitory, a wasp's nest on the terrace that needs dealing with but nothing too scary.
On 3/5 we visited a series of nests by car - the centre has 4 wheel drive vehicle, which has just been repaired so hopefully will not break down. I climbed the ladder to see the chick in one nest which we removed and weighed and generally checked. It was just getting some colour on its first feathers, so was quite sweet. Let's hope it fledges without any problem.
Volunteer 2 has cleaning duties, different each day. We have a rota, with 1 day off each week. Spare time is taken up with other projects, scientific paper translation, research etc, and of course making lots of fruit smoothies, cooking meals and doing your own washing. Wed is the best day to get fresh produce from the markets in Trinidad, so that is the weekly shopping day. As I speak Spanish well enough that is likely to be one of my tasks in future.
More later -must go and collect all the bird's dishes and clean them before it gets dark. Then dinner...
There are 2 aviaries with 4 male macaws in one, and a pair in the other. Volunteer 1's main task is to feed them twice a day, check their health, and collect food from the forest for them - motacu nuts from a local palm tree mainly at present. They also have sliced banana and ready shelled Brazils. Guano (poo) are checked regularly for signs of parasites or disease. We also collect branches for enrichment of their surroundings so they have plenty to chew and generally destroy. They love removing their food trays from their shelf and distributing them around the aviary! They are very vociferous and loudly so!
One of the research projects we are doing involves checking the nests of any macaws of different species in the locality, and the progress of eggs/chicks in them. Since mostly they nest in dead hollow palm trees it is not too difficult to access the nests. Some are close enough to walk or cycle to, with the camera on a stick, plus remote control to view and photograph inside the nest. My first experience with Sophie used this technique, showing 2 eggs. The mosquitoes appear in droves in the forest so it's long trousers, long sleeves and lots of repellent! We wear wellingtons as the whole area is wetland, and as it is the wet season here they are very necessary. It also protects against creatures such as snakes, scorpions and poisonous spiders to some extent.
There are blue and yellow macaws (Ara ararauna), and chestnut fronted macaws (Ara Severus) nests mainly and often the parents are circling around nearby, sometimes quite disturbed by our approach. If there are chicks, they get weighed weekly, and at some point a blood sample taken for ID. Unfortunately there is quite a high rate of predation, both natural, and by humans taking chicks for pets, or killing parents for their feathers. As macaws are generally easily disturbed they are among the first species to disappear or become rare when pressure on the environment increases. The blue throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis) that is most at risk has a very small range, endemic only in the Beni department of Bolivia. Here more land is being cleared for cattle, the main livelihood. Also many dead trees are removed, reducing nest sites. Education can help to reverse this to some extent, and Bolivia has asked the world for help to prevent further destruction of the Amazon rain forest, but it seems the rest of the world is deaf......
I have also spotted scarlet macaws and green winged macaw's, along with many different parakeets and other bird species. The frog chorus in the evenings is almost as loud as at home, and frogs appear in the toilet (tiny ones) in the shower (big ones) and one in amongst the kitchen tools hanging on their rack. So far 2 bats in the dormitory, a wasp's nest on the terrace that needs dealing with but nothing too scary.
On 3/5 we visited a series of nests by car - the centre has 4 wheel drive vehicle, which has just been repaired so hopefully will not break down. I climbed the ladder to see the chick in one nest which we removed and weighed and generally checked. It was just getting some colour on its first feathers, so was quite sweet. Let's hope it fledges without any problem.
Volunteer 2 has cleaning duties, different each day. We have a rota, with 1 day off each week. Spare time is taken up with other projects, scientific paper translation, research etc, and of course making lots of fruit smoothies, cooking meals and doing your own washing. Wed is the best day to get fresh produce from the markets in Trinidad, so that is the weekly shopping day. As I speak Spanish well enough that is likely to be one of my tasks in future.
More later -must go and collect all the bird's dishes and clean them before it gets dark. Then dinner...
Start at the Blue throated Macaw Centre
After a taxi ride of about half an hour, in the back of a very old estate car (no inner door panels, seat belts, pieces born carpet to bung up the gaps at the bottom of the doors against dust...) with 5 children and their mother also in the back, along dirt roads, I was droppednoff at the entrance with my 2 backpacks at about midday. You have to wait until the taxi is full before they leave (6 passengers min), which can be a while!
Sophie, a volunteer from Germany spotted the taxi and came to meet me. I'm currently sharing the dormitory block (4 beds, shower room and dressing/clothes storage area, with outdoor covered patio with table and chairs) with her and Kate, from Gloucestershire, both very nice and in their 20's. So I dumped my stuff and went to meet Rafael, a Bolivian biology student who is currently in charge of the centre, having previously been a volunteer for some months. The manager, Jose Antonio is currently on holiday in Spain for the next couple of weeks.
Rafa's girlfriend Camila makes up the final member of the current group but this will change as all 3 girls are due to leave at the week end, with a male volunteer arriving on Sunday. So I have to learn the routines fast! Making some lunch was of greatest initial interest, a joint effort of vegetables and then local fruits.
Monday was meant to be a rest day for me, but I joined Sophie on a nest check visit, taking the bikes for the short distance up the road. We had to use the stick camera, on a telescopic pole to view inside the dead palm tree where the macaws were nesting - it was exciting to see the 2 eggs there in the nest. At the second nest we checked the parent birds, Blue and Yellow macaws, were watching us warily from a nearby tree and vocalising their annoyance! Again eggs which we noted in the book , no predation losses so far.
The bikes, I might mention are fairly ancient, have no brakes at all, and are rusted at every point except the parts that have to move to use them. So no chance of changing saddle height for example! But they do get us places, and fortunately it's fairly flat here in the Beni department wetlands, so I just have to remember to slow down in time to stop.
Back to base to finish settling in, unpacking, shower (welcome cold water!) And change before another concoction for dinner. Lots of introduction manuals to read through re safety, snakes, emergency contacts etc to finish the day.
Tuesday those of us with enough Spanish were invited to Trinidad to celebrate the International Wetlands day, at the dept of Botany at the University, which meant getting a taxi at 7am. So quick breakfast of porridge and fruit, then off to wait for a taxi to pass by.... In fact a police pick up offered us a
Lift, so we travelled into town in the back, not a service I have from the police before! I spotted a 4m anaconda crossing the road, a dark greeny colour, and also a pair of smaller macaws, probably severe macaws flew across our path.
We walked the final bit into town stopping for an empanada (pasty) en route as Kate and Camila hadn't had breakfast. Then it was 3 mototaxis to the hotel to meet up with Rafa, as he had business in town so was staying there. And again out to the University - a fun way to travel and appreciate the cool breeze, also only 30p or so a trip.
The display boards about the wetlands were very informative and brought back to mind quite a bit of vocabulary I had forgotten, also some good boards about our project and birds which also consolidated my information about their life in the wild a bit. The presentations didn't add much, and as the only refreshments were coca cola and fanta orange ( no water even) I was glad we had some water with us.
Back by taxi again to the centre, where I helped Kate with the afternoon feeding of the 6 captive Blue throated macaws, which originally came from Cornwall, Paradise Centre, where they were captive bred! Beautiful birds, hopefully worth my time and effort.
Sophie, a volunteer from Germany spotted the taxi and came to meet me. I'm currently sharing the dormitory block (4 beds, shower room and dressing/clothes storage area, with outdoor covered patio with table and chairs) with her and Kate, from Gloucestershire, both very nice and in their 20's. So I dumped my stuff and went to meet Rafael, a Bolivian biology student who is currently in charge of the centre, having previously been a volunteer for some months. The manager, Jose Antonio is currently on holiday in Spain for the next couple of weeks.
Rafa's girlfriend Camila makes up the final member of the current group but this will change as all 3 girls are due to leave at the week end, with a male volunteer arriving on Sunday. So I have to learn the routines fast! Making some lunch was of greatest initial interest, a joint effort of vegetables and then local fruits.
Monday was meant to be a rest day for me, but I joined Sophie on a nest check visit, taking the bikes for the short distance up the road. We had to use the stick camera, on a telescopic pole to view inside the dead palm tree where the macaws were nesting - it was exciting to see the 2 eggs there in the nest. At the second nest we checked the parent birds, Blue and Yellow macaws, were watching us warily from a nearby tree and vocalising their annoyance! Again eggs which we noted in the book , no predation losses so far.
The bikes, I might mention are fairly ancient, have no brakes at all, and are rusted at every point except the parts that have to move to use them. So no chance of changing saddle height for example! But they do get us places, and fortunately it's fairly flat here in the Beni department wetlands, so I just have to remember to slow down in time to stop.
Back to base to finish settling in, unpacking, shower (welcome cold water!) And change before another concoction for dinner. Lots of introduction manuals to read through re safety, snakes, emergency contacts etc to finish the day.
Tuesday those of us with enough Spanish were invited to Trinidad to celebrate the International Wetlands day, at the dept of Botany at the University, which meant getting a taxi at 7am. So quick breakfast of porridge and fruit, then off to wait for a taxi to pass by.... In fact a police pick up offered us a
Lift, so we travelled into town in the back, not a service I have from the police before! I spotted a 4m anaconda crossing the road, a dark greeny colour, and also a pair of smaller macaws, probably severe macaws flew across our path.
We walked the final bit into town stopping for an empanada (pasty) en route as Kate and Camila hadn't had breakfast. Then it was 3 mototaxis to the hotel to meet up with Rafa, as he had business in town so was staying there. And again out to the University - a fun way to travel and appreciate the cool breeze, also only 30p or so a trip.
The display boards about the wetlands were very informative and brought back to mind quite a bit of vocabulary I had forgotten, also some good boards about our project and birds which also consolidated my information about their life in the wild a bit. The presentations didn't add much, and as the only refreshments were coca cola and fanta orange ( no water even) I was glad we had some water with us.
Back by taxi again to the centre, where I helped Kate with the afternoon feeding of the 6 captive Blue throated macaws, which originally came from Cornwall, Paradise Centre, where they were captive bred! Beautiful birds, hopefully worth my time and effort.
Friday 30 January 2015
Lake Titicaca
First day back in La Paz I had a fairly relaxed day, with a look around a series of small museums in the beautifully preserved Calle Jaen giving some of the history of the city and the battle for independence, complete with costumes and a tour of the house of one of the first martyrs for the cause, with a lovely courtyard and much original furniture, and personal effects making it bring the time alive.
The following day the start of a 2 day trip to Laguna Titicaca with the first stop Cocacabana ( the original one apparently). Though in fact there was a stop when we had to cross the Tiquina straights from San Pablo to San Pedro. This is only 700m, a narrow neck between the large and small lakes of Titicaca. The bus crossed on a barge and the passengers have to cross in small boats, the 2 bolivianos fee per person (20p) no doubt keeps the 2 villages solvent.
It is the largest high altitude lake (3808m) in the world at 8400km2 area, set between Peru where the floating reed islands are, and Bolivia. The sight is mesmerising with the reflections of the cordillera real of the Andes divided around both sides of the lake and reflected in the clear Andean light in its waters. Small wonder that the inhabitants from probably as far back as 6000BC ascribed mystical powers to the lake and believed the sun had arisen from it, the Incas believing it to be the birthplace of their civilisation.
Cocacabana, meaning lake view in Aymara, the language and name of the local peoples, has long been a place of pilgrimage with stories attributed to the carving of the wooden Dark Virgin of the lake by the priest Francisco Tito Yupanqui, and the miracles which occurred following her installation in the cathedral of Cocacabana. The cathedral has beautifully carved wooden door, and murals depicting the entire story in addition to the original carving in her niche above the altar.
The town is a haven for tourists with the main base for boat trips to the sacred island of the Sun ' Isla del Sol'. We took the boat over after an excellent almuerzo of truncha del logo, or lake trout as the main dish- very tasty! 1.5h on the roof of the launch on the calm waters in the sun, with views across to Peru and the snow covered peaks of the Andes was very relaxing. The original name of the island was Titi Kharka, or Rock of the Puma (small indigenous puma or tiger like animal), and it is from this that the lake takes its name.
Arrival at the island is a lovely garden and waterfall leading to the escalera de las Incas (staircase). This climbs over 200m in about 1km, a test for the lungs at that altitude! We climbed over 400 steps to reach the fountain of youth, which gave a feeling of the sacredness in which it was held by those who built them. The fountain has never run dry and the water is beautifully pure - I filled my water bottle and it's delicious - though its source remains a mystery. The three outlets, from an Inca proverb represent Ama sua, Ama llulla, and Ama khella, or don't lie, don't steal, don't be lazy. The locals were filling their water containers to take home by donkey as this is the only source of water on the island. Electricity arrived about 10 years ago though the next Island of the Moon does not have any. We continued on the zig zag path above the fountain towards our hostel, still a tough climb of another 200m taking us to just over 4000m. But the 360 degree views over the lake to Peru and the Bolivian Cordillera were fantastic!
Our hostel was on the ridge, with trapezoidal windows I noticed in many of the local buildings, an Inca tradition. A welcome cup of tea on arrival and a private room with terrace to enjoy the views in the remaining sunlight - what more could you ask...
I walked up to the mirador at the peak just before sunset to get the ultimate view and see the ruins at the top, with no backpack a pleasant walk through the local houses with donkeys strolling around, a few llamas grazing, dogs, people trying to sell their handicrafts even there at the top of the hill. And a few other walkers, though none of my group. I didn't stay for the sunset as it had clouded over covering the sun completely.
My group included Bernadita and James, from Chile, with Bernie's cousin Luciano who were very friendly and as Bernie is an English teacher she was delighted to be able to practice with me. New friends and an invitation to Chile (also reciprocal for them to come to France) and good for my Spanish over meal times with our excellent guide Jodi, where we had some very interesting discussions.
At night the temperature dropped to around freezing, with no heating and little insulation, luckily plenty of blankets so once in bed it was fine. As this is summer I'm not sure how cold it is in winter! It rained during the night and was still raining at breakfast, fortunately only very slightly as we started our descent to the Inca temple of the puma. We walked through terraces of potatoes and broad beans, with wild flowers and lake views. The temple itself with its trapezoidal openings was originally Two storey but either heavy snow or deliberate destruction leaves only a single vaulted storey now. The east side is aligned to allow the entry of the equinoctial sun and the southern side is aligned for the moon, which the Incas also worshipped along with Pachamama or Mother Earth. There was an atmosphere of reverence at the site, and peace.
We continued down to the coast to catch our return launch, by which time the sun was starting to pierce the clouds so by the time we reached Cocacobana again it was quite warm for our visit to the cathedral, followed by almuerzo in a different local restaurant, another opportunity to enjoy the local trout. I passed the return coach trip chatting to Bernie about our respective lives and homes, very interesting.
The following day, Friday, we were all on the same trip to Chacaltaya, or cold peak. At 5405m it deserves its name, it was the highest ski resort, now closed, with an astronomical physics lab as its main activity, manned by US, Russian and Japanese scientists. The Minibus took us up the dirt track with views back to La Paz and El Alto, and over myriad lakes on the climb, as well as the higher snow covered peak of Potosi at 6800m.
We climbed the last 200m to the summit, slowly as altitude saps the energy very fast! It was in mist with snow patches and eerie remain of ski lift mechanics around, but felt an achievement to reach 5405m, the highest I've been. Only 2 degrees so we needed our warmest clothes, but warmed up on the descent. The ski season would have started in February as in winter there is no precipitation so no snow.
We then continued by descending 2000m to the valley of the moon just south of La Paz, and much warmer at around 15 degrees! A real lunar landscape with a 45 min trail through the tall conical peaks with deep wells between, definitely out of this world.
On our return I had to say goodbye to my Chilean friends who head home tomorrow. I noted to visit the hairdressers to get a haircut before I fly down to Trinidad on Sunday to tart my volunteer work at the Blue-throated Macaw Conservation Centre. My story will continue from there...
The following day the start of a 2 day trip to Laguna Titicaca with the first stop Cocacabana ( the original one apparently). Though in fact there was a stop when we had to cross the Tiquina straights from San Pablo to San Pedro. This is only 700m, a narrow neck between the large and small lakes of Titicaca. The bus crossed on a barge and the passengers have to cross in small boats, the 2 bolivianos fee per person (20p) no doubt keeps the 2 villages solvent.
It is the largest high altitude lake (3808m) in the world at 8400km2 area, set between Peru where the floating reed islands are, and Bolivia. The sight is mesmerising with the reflections of the cordillera real of the Andes divided around both sides of the lake and reflected in the clear Andean light in its waters. Small wonder that the inhabitants from probably as far back as 6000BC ascribed mystical powers to the lake and believed the sun had arisen from it, the Incas believing it to be the birthplace of their civilisation.
Cocacabana, meaning lake view in Aymara, the language and name of the local peoples, has long been a place of pilgrimage with stories attributed to the carving of the wooden Dark Virgin of the lake by the priest Francisco Tito Yupanqui, and the miracles which occurred following her installation in the cathedral of Cocacabana. The cathedral has beautifully carved wooden door, and murals depicting the entire story in addition to the original carving in her niche above the altar.
The town is a haven for tourists with the main base for boat trips to the sacred island of the Sun ' Isla del Sol'. We took the boat over after an excellent almuerzo of truncha del logo, or lake trout as the main dish- very tasty! 1.5h on the roof of the launch on the calm waters in the sun, with views across to Peru and the snow covered peaks of the Andes was very relaxing. The original name of the island was Titi Kharka, or Rock of the Puma (small indigenous puma or tiger like animal), and it is from this that the lake takes its name.
Arrival at the island is a lovely garden and waterfall leading to the escalera de las Incas (staircase). This climbs over 200m in about 1km, a test for the lungs at that altitude! We climbed over 400 steps to reach the fountain of youth, which gave a feeling of the sacredness in which it was held by those who built them. The fountain has never run dry and the water is beautifully pure - I filled my water bottle and it's delicious - though its source remains a mystery. The three outlets, from an Inca proverb represent Ama sua, Ama llulla, and Ama khella, or don't lie, don't steal, don't be lazy. The locals were filling their water containers to take home by donkey as this is the only source of water on the island. Electricity arrived about 10 years ago though the next Island of the Moon does not have any. We continued on the zig zag path above the fountain towards our hostel, still a tough climb of another 200m taking us to just over 4000m. But the 360 degree views over the lake to Peru and the Bolivian Cordillera were fantastic!
Our hostel was on the ridge, with trapezoidal windows I noticed in many of the local buildings, an Inca tradition. A welcome cup of tea on arrival and a private room with terrace to enjoy the views in the remaining sunlight - what more could you ask...
I walked up to the mirador at the peak just before sunset to get the ultimate view and see the ruins at the top, with no backpack a pleasant walk through the local houses with donkeys strolling around, a few llamas grazing, dogs, people trying to sell their handicrafts even there at the top of the hill. And a few other walkers, though none of my group. I didn't stay for the sunset as it had clouded over covering the sun completely.
My group included Bernadita and James, from Chile, with Bernie's cousin Luciano who were very friendly and as Bernie is an English teacher she was delighted to be able to practice with me. New friends and an invitation to Chile (also reciprocal for them to come to France) and good for my Spanish over meal times with our excellent guide Jodi, where we had some very interesting discussions.
At night the temperature dropped to around freezing, with no heating and little insulation, luckily plenty of blankets so once in bed it was fine. As this is summer I'm not sure how cold it is in winter! It rained during the night and was still raining at breakfast, fortunately only very slightly as we started our descent to the Inca temple of the puma. We walked through terraces of potatoes and broad beans, with wild flowers and lake views. The temple itself with its trapezoidal openings was originally Two storey but either heavy snow or deliberate destruction leaves only a single vaulted storey now. The east side is aligned to allow the entry of the equinoctial sun and the southern side is aligned for the moon, which the Incas also worshipped along with Pachamama or Mother Earth. There was an atmosphere of reverence at the site, and peace.
We continued down to the coast to catch our return launch, by which time the sun was starting to pierce the clouds so by the time we reached Cocacobana again it was quite warm for our visit to the cathedral, followed by almuerzo in a different local restaurant, another opportunity to enjoy the local trout. I passed the return coach trip chatting to Bernie about our respective lives and homes, very interesting.
The following day, Friday, we were all on the same trip to Chacaltaya, or cold peak. At 5405m it deserves its name, it was the highest ski resort, now closed, with an astronomical physics lab as its main activity, manned by US, Russian and Japanese scientists. The Minibus took us up the dirt track with views back to La Paz and El Alto, and over myriad lakes on the climb, as well as the higher snow covered peak of Potosi at 6800m.
We climbed the last 200m to the summit, slowly as altitude saps the energy very fast! It was in mist with snow patches and eerie remain of ski lift mechanics around, but felt an achievement to reach 5405m, the highest I've been. Only 2 degrees so we needed our warmest clothes, but warmed up on the descent. The ski season would have started in February as in winter there is no precipitation so no snow.
We then continued by descending 2000m to the valley of the moon just south of La Paz, and much warmer at around 15 degrees! A real lunar landscape with a 45 min trail through the tall conical peaks with deep wells between, definitely out of this world.
On our return I had to say goodbye to my Chilean friends who head home tomorrow. I noted to visit the hairdressers to get a haircut before I fly down to Trinidad on Sunday to tart my volunteer work at the Blue-throated Macaw Conservation Centre. My story will continue from there...
Thursday 29 January 2015
I'm sitting in the hostal bar in La Paz, with a Pina Colada and a freshly prepared bowl of wok fried veg and chicken to eat, ready to continue my writings.
So the visit to the mines in Potosi, once the richest town of South America when the Spanish discovered the silver and other minerals in the rocks there. After independence of Bolivia in 1825 the government ran the mines, installing equipment still in use today. But as the seams grew less profitable they turned the mines over to cooperatives of the miners themselves. Today therefore the miners have to buy their own tools from the miners' shop, and every man works for one of the many co-ops, paid by the amount of ore they extract each day. We visited the shop and learned the history and the current, pretty horrendous conditions the miners work under, particularly related to poor heath and diseases such as silicosis, shortening their lives. We were able to buy supplies as gifts to the miners - dynamite and fuses, coca leaves and other goods which give a little relief and enable tourist visits to be accepted by most miners.
Then we visited the area where the crushed rock is brought in order to pulverise it further and extract the silver or other mineral. The mechanisms, mainly wooden were fascinating, with series of cogs, riddles and filters enhanced with toxic chemicals such as mercury ( also greatly reducing life expectancy) and settling tanks. Finally our minibus took us to the top of the mountain (nearly 4000m altitude) to the main mine entrance . There we could see the tunnel with a railway track and trucks hand pushed full of broken rocks being brought out by teams usually of 3 men. Often the truck derailed as the lines were old and in places broken, then a huge effort was require to put them back. We entered the tunnels, fully equipped with jackets, trousers, miners hats and lamps, with instructions to move off the tracks to make way for any trucks.
And the speed they move on the slight downhills was impressive, you wouldn't want to be in the path. Returning empty trucks also had to give way and were tipped sideways off the tracks, not without some effort to put back after, hard work when done at the rate of 10 truck loads per shift.
We then were able to climb up a steep shaft to where one team of father and son, 17yr were drilling holes for dynamiting - very narrow confined space for working. We saw the explosives and fuses in place then retired to safe distance to experience the explosion reverberating through the rock- quite intimidating! We spoke to the miner and found his son had great respect for the work his father did but it had shown him the value of studying and he intended to leave to continue his studies. Overall we were 2 h underground, doing little but walk which took enough effort, yet they have to exert themselves hard for long shifts, even if the pay is more than they can get elsewhere. Think of this when you next put on some silver jewellery!
I then caught the afternoon bus on to the political capital
Sucre, a 3 h journey through some fascinating geology, with rocks of many forms and colours in the steep hills between. Sucre is lower down, and not so steep though still fairly hilly, so I shared a taxi with Danny an Isobel up from the bus station, who were again on the same bus, though I opted for a different hostel. For £9 a night I had a complete suite of rooms with kitchen so finally I could make myself tea and coffee ad lib! And cook myself some vegetables for supper too!
Sucre ( not sugar in Spanish, that is azucar!) is now protected as a world heritage site due to its beautiful architecture, mainly in white, so current building is in keeping with the older buildings - a definite benefit, and a picturesque city. I spent one day exploring the city and visiting some churches and museums of ethnic culture and took a tour to the Sunday market at Tarabuca, a small town about 1.5 h by bus where the people still live by the old traditions, with some tourism thrown in. Their costumes were so varied, with many different hats, skirts and shawls and also a variety of different musical instruments, which form an important part of their traditions. The markets were interesting to browse, with wandering donkeys in the side streets, children playing around the stalls or helping sell the wares, and a typically Bolivian almuerzo (lunch) of quinoa soup, then saice - meat and potato in a spicy sauce. Given this is the home of the potato - there are over 3000 varieties for every occasion - they are good!
I left that evening on the overnight bus for Cochabamba, again a sleeper bus. Cochabamba grew with Potosi's increase in size by pricing the food it needed as Cochabamba has fertile fields at much lower altitude 2553m, and bcae the country's bread basket. Now it is declining as Potosi produces less too.
But 9km from arrival in the morning we stopped. Apparently following the death of a taxi driver the police had failed to act and the taxi drivers were on strike, blocking the roads into and throughout the city. So talking to the other passengers, we decided we should start walking, so I teamed up with a French couple and a Dutch girl and after about 1km we managed to get a mini bus to the edge of town. In the end I found the trek I hoped to do wasn't available and the chaos of the blockages made much visiting impossible so I made my way to the bus station by taxi and took the next bus back to La Paz.
Having carried my large and small backpacks around for much of the day my shoulders were glad to arrive at my hostel and take a hot shower. That's when the Strawberry Daiquiri and the chicken and vegetable wok first caught my eye on the bar menu so I indulged myself, as wine by the bottle is not too convenient when travelling and the beer comes in huge bottles I can't drink on my own. A good night's sleep followed...
So the visit to the mines in Potosi, once the richest town of South America when the Spanish discovered the silver and other minerals in the rocks there. After independence of Bolivia in 1825 the government ran the mines, installing equipment still in use today. But as the seams grew less profitable they turned the mines over to cooperatives of the miners themselves. Today therefore the miners have to buy their own tools from the miners' shop, and every man works for one of the many co-ops, paid by the amount of ore they extract each day. We visited the shop and learned the history and the current, pretty horrendous conditions the miners work under, particularly related to poor heath and diseases such as silicosis, shortening their lives. We were able to buy supplies as gifts to the miners - dynamite and fuses, coca leaves and other goods which give a little relief and enable tourist visits to be accepted by most miners.
Then we visited the area where the crushed rock is brought in order to pulverise it further and extract the silver or other mineral. The mechanisms, mainly wooden were fascinating, with series of cogs, riddles and filters enhanced with toxic chemicals such as mercury ( also greatly reducing life expectancy) and settling tanks. Finally our minibus took us to the top of the mountain (nearly 4000m altitude) to the main mine entrance . There we could see the tunnel with a railway track and trucks hand pushed full of broken rocks being brought out by teams usually of 3 men. Often the truck derailed as the lines were old and in places broken, then a huge effort was require to put them back. We entered the tunnels, fully equipped with jackets, trousers, miners hats and lamps, with instructions to move off the tracks to make way for any trucks.
And the speed they move on the slight downhills was impressive, you wouldn't want to be in the path. Returning empty trucks also had to give way and were tipped sideways off the tracks, not without some effort to put back after, hard work when done at the rate of 10 truck loads per shift.
We then were able to climb up a steep shaft to where one team of father and son, 17yr were drilling holes for dynamiting - very narrow confined space for working. We saw the explosives and fuses in place then retired to safe distance to experience the explosion reverberating through the rock- quite intimidating! We spoke to the miner and found his son had great respect for the work his father did but it had shown him the value of studying and he intended to leave to continue his studies. Overall we were 2 h underground, doing little but walk which took enough effort, yet they have to exert themselves hard for long shifts, even if the pay is more than they can get elsewhere. Think of this when you next put on some silver jewellery!
I then caught the afternoon bus on to the political capital
Sucre, a 3 h journey through some fascinating geology, with rocks of many forms and colours in the steep hills between. Sucre is lower down, and not so steep though still fairly hilly, so I shared a taxi with Danny an Isobel up from the bus station, who were again on the same bus, though I opted for a different hostel. For £9 a night I had a complete suite of rooms with kitchen so finally I could make myself tea and coffee ad lib! And cook myself some vegetables for supper too!
Sucre ( not sugar in Spanish, that is azucar!) is now protected as a world heritage site due to its beautiful architecture, mainly in white, so current building is in keeping with the older buildings - a definite benefit, and a picturesque city. I spent one day exploring the city and visiting some churches and museums of ethnic culture and took a tour to the Sunday market at Tarabuca, a small town about 1.5 h by bus where the people still live by the old traditions, with some tourism thrown in. Their costumes were so varied, with many different hats, skirts and shawls and also a variety of different musical instruments, which form an important part of their traditions. The markets were interesting to browse, with wandering donkeys in the side streets, children playing around the stalls or helping sell the wares, and a typically Bolivian almuerzo (lunch) of quinoa soup, then saice - meat and potato in a spicy sauce. Given this is the home of the potato - there are over 3000 varieties for every occasion - they are good!
I left that evening on the overnight bus for Cochabamba, again a sleeper bus. Cochabamba grew with Potosi's increase in size by pricing the food it needed as Cochabamba has fertile fields at much lower altitude 2553m, and bcae the country's bread basket. Now it is declining as Potosi produces less too.
But 9km from arrival in the morning we stopped. Apparently following the death of a taxi driver the police had failed to act and the taxi drivers were on strike, blocking the roads into and throughout the city. So talking to the other passengers, we decided we should start walking, so I teamed up with a French couple and a Dutch girl and after about 1km we managed to get a mini bus to the edge of town. In the end I found the trek I hoped to do wasn't available and the chaos of the blockages made much visiting impossible so I made my way to the bus station by taxi and took the next bus back to La Paz.
Having carried my large and small backpacks around for much of the day my shoulders were glad to arrive at my hostel and take a hot shower. That's when the Strawberry Daiquiri and the chicken and vegetable wok first caught my eye on the bar menu so I indulged myself, as wine by the bottle is not too convenient when travelling and the beer comes in huge bottles I can't drink on my own. A good night's sleep followed...
Tuesday 27 January 2015
Uyuni to Potosi and Sucre
The overnight bus was reasonably comfortable though the road surface deteriorated as we moved further from La Paz (it is the financial capital so has better roads, though Sucre is the political capital). Uyuni, in contrast, is stuck up on the Altiplano in the middle of a huge salt lake/salt flats depending on the time of year - a virtual desert! Arrived on time at 7am, so went to look for some breakfast at the comedor (dining hall) of the local market where llama stew was on offer - very tasty after the journey! Then went to find the agency organising the tour which didn't open till 9am. There was some confusion as the other bus from La Paz, containing the guide and one client, had broken down en route 3 times and didn't arrive till 11am, so we were late leaving. But the guide Paul was great and the others in the group - Isobel and Danny from Australia, CJ from Canada and Andy from Switzerland (Italian) - were all good fun too.
We first visited the train cemetery, where steam trains and rail cars dating back to 18th century sit decaying and graffiti- ised. Uyuni used to have a rail car factory. The wind was cold, temps often reach -15 at night but they were an impressive sight and fun to climb on. Then on to the Salar de Uyuni which was covered with about 5cm of water - a vast area 12,106 km2 and the world's largest salt flat, at altitude 3653m. The surface perfectly reflects the clouds, we walked through barefoot and climbed the piles of salt made by locals for selling when dried out, nearly 20,000 tons per year. They also extract lithium, which should fuel their economy for the next 100 years (and our computers, iPods, phones etc) Other areas were dry and pure white, with cracks in hexagonal patterns formed as the water evaporated, others there were long lines or completely flat, quite eerie to drive across for miles. The Daakar rally passes here and they have made a monument to it all from salt blocks. The nearby restaurant where we ate was also made from salt blocks, the floor of loose salt and salt in the cracks - amazing construction but comfortable, even if not too well insulated at night!
Our meals were simple chicken and salad, with fruit and fizzy drinks (mmm, water for me!) and it took the rest of the day to cross the flats as you can't go fast through the water or the 4x4 s don't last the season. In fact the one we were in with owner/driver was from 1997 and since imported from USA was automatic - not brilliant on the steep dirt roads but no choice as
European vehicles cost more to import.
Our posada (rest house) was also made of salt and very nice, with welcome cup of tea and biscuits and dorm room for our group. Had to queue for the showers as only one was working for around 60 guests! I got in just before dinner thankfully, especially having spent the previous night on the bus! Very good meal of chicken and chips ( a lot of chicken over here) then lights out at 10pm as generator turned off.
Up early at 6am for breakfast, disappointed with poor bread and jam plus coca tea ( excellent for altitude sickness! ). Then off again through slightly more fertile zones with fields of quinoa, sparse, but about the only crop at that altitude. On the hills it was mainly cactus, tall and sometimes branched, with some low scrubby bushes. On to the Laguna Colorado and other lakes where the highlight is the flamingoes. There were pink, James' and Bolivian species, along with llama, black headed seagulls (so far from the sea), a variety of ducks and other bird species. We also saw groups of wild vicuna along the way, protected so not too shy though apparently extremely fast when those with licences want to catch and shear them!!
An interesting set of rock formations including one called the petrified tree was the signal for my camera battery to run out so no photos... But worth seeing
The posada for the second night offered us a room that stank of diesel so we decided after a short 15 minute walk around the lake shores with its huge natural heaps of white borax (like ice or snow banks) around the rims, that we would continue to another hotel. But Danny had taken a longer walk and we only managed to retrieve him an hour later, so our choice was limited to the next closest one, a bit basic but OK. Spaghetti for dinner and fruit so not bad, washed down with Argentinian wine provided by the guide VG and some Bolivian wine we bought. Some people had a real night of it!! The bathrooms in the morning showed the evidence...
Even earlier start, with breakfast at 5.30am (pancakes, cereal and yoghurt!) And on the road to see the geysers of Sol de Manana (morning sun). You could put your hand in one, or run through it as it spouted 4m or more up into the air. But most of them and the boiling hot mud pools were far too hot to approach that closely - impressive though and a good walk. Next stop the thermal waters, where despite being only just above freezing in the air, the springs were beautifully hot, like a bath that doesn't cool down. A delight after deciding not to chance the showers the previous evening on the basis of this dip! There was a flock of llamas that crossed the lake just nearnthensring pool, and flamingoes further up, magnificent setting. We looked for the local Bolivian rhea or Yandu, but no sightings so far.
Through the canyon of Vischachos ( Bolivian chinchilla like creature, very cute, and just sitting out on edges you could get very close) and on to Laguna Verde which was blue, not green and Laguna blanca, which had some white. A quick diversion to the Chilean border to drop off CJ who was getting a bus from there before heading back towards Uyuni, via the other side of the laguna Verde (slightly greener in the afternoon light). We stopped at another group of rock formations including one said to be like Homer Simpson or the Bolivian Presidente Evo Morales (?) I thought there was a brilliant vulture one. And finally two sightings of Yandu - quite small, perhaps 1m tall, in comparison to the rhea but great to see them in the wild. A family of partridge crossed the road too, very sweet, and we also saw a fox which stopped by our vehicle, obviously looked for food. It must be hard surviving out in that desert, with the cold and so little growing. The 7 coloured peak we saw covered with snow, quite unusual apparently, so missed most of its colour. Various volcanoes but cloud prevented us seeing the only active one.
Safe arrival back in Uyuni after such a wealth of sights, thanks to our excellent driver Franz, who didn't drink I'm glad to say. And then to the bus station in the company of Danny and Isobel to get the 6pm bus to Potosi (4h). Fascinating geology on the route, plus interesting signs like llamas crossing, and Yandu crossing, till darkness fell at around 7 pm.
We arrived and took a taxi together to the hostel Koala Den, which fortunately had space, was brilliant, booked us on a
Silver Mine tour for the morning, and provided free breakfast (including scrambled eggs!) All for £5!!!!! And good internet and charging facilities too. A good night's sleep after a lovely hot shower, mmmm!
We first visited the train cemetery, where steam trains and rail cars dating back to 18th century sit decaying and graffiti- ised. Uyuni used to have a rail car factory. The wind was cold, temps often reach -15 at night but they were an impressive sight and fun to climb on. Then on to the Salar de Uyuni which was covered with about 5cm of water - a vast area 12,106 km2 and the world's largest salt flat, at altitude 3653m. The surface perfectly reflects the clouds, we walked through barefoot and climbed the piles of salt made by locals for selling when dried out, nearly 20,000 tons per year. They also extract lithium, which should fuel their economy for the next 100 years (and our computers, iPods, phones etc) Other areas were dry and pure white, with cracks in hexagonal patterns formed as the water evaporated, others there were long lines or completely flat, quite eerie to drive across for miles. The Daakar rally passes here and they have made a monument to it all from salt blocks. The nearby restaurant where we ate was also made from salt blocks, the floor of loose salt and salt in the cracks - amazing construction but comfortable, even if not too well insulated at night!
Our meals were simple chicken and salad, with fruit and fizzy drinks (mmm, water for me!) and it took the rest of the day to cross the flats as you can't go fast through the water or the 4x4 s don't last the season. In fact the one we were in with owner/driver was from 1997 and since imported from USA was automatic - not brilliant on the steep dirt roads but no choice as
European vehicles cost more to import.
Our posada (rest house) was also made of salt and very nice, with welcome cup of tea and biscuits and dorm room for our group. Had to queue for the showers as only one was working for around 60 guests! I got in just before dinner thankfully, especially having spent the previous night on the bus! Very good meal of chicken and chips ( a lot of chicken over here) then lights out at 10pm as generator turned off.
Up early at 6am for breakfast, disappointed with poor bread and jam plus coca tea ( excellent for altitude sickness! ). Then off again through slightly more fertile zones with fields of quinoa, sparse, but about the only crop at that altitude. On the hills it was mainly cactus, tall and sometimes branched, with some low scrubby bushes. On to the Laguna Colorado and other lakes where the highlight is the flamingoes. There were pink, James' and Bolivian species, along with llama, black headed seagulls (so far from the sea), a variety of ducks and other bird species. We also saw groups of wild vicuna along the way, protected so not too shy though apparently extremely fast when those with licences want to catch and shear them!!
An interesting set of rock formations including one called the petrified tree was the signal for my camera battery to run out so no photos... But worth seeing
The posada for the second night offered us a room that stank of diesel so we decided after a short 15 minute walk around the lake shores with its huge natural heaps of white borax (like ice or snow banks) around the rims, that we would continue to another hotel. But Danny had taken a longer walk and we only managed to retrieve him an hour later, so our choice was limited to the next closest one, a bit basic but OK. Spaghetti for dinner and fruit so not bad, washed down with Argentinian wine provided by the guide VG and some Bolivian wine we bought. Some people had a real night of it!! The bathrooms in the morning showed the evidence...
Even earlier start, with breakfast at 5.30am (pancakes, cereal and yoghurt!) And on the road to see the geysers of Sol de Manana (morning sun). You could put your hand in one, or run through it as it spouted 4m or more up into the air. But most of them and the boiling hot mud pools were far too hot to approach that closely - impressive though and a good walk. Next stop the thermal waters, where despite being only just above freezing in the air, the springs were beautifully hot, like a bath that doesn't cool down. A delight after deciding not to chance the showers the previous evening on the basis of this dip! There was a flock of llamas that crossed the lake just nearnthensring pool, and flamingoes further up, magnificent setting. We looked for the local Bolivian rhea or Yandu, but no sightings so far.
Through the canyon of Vischachos ( Bolivian chinchilla like creature, very cute, and just sitting out on edges you could get very close) and on to Laguna Verde which was blue, not green and Laguna blanca, which had some white. A quick diversion to the Chilean border to drop off CJ who was getting a bus from there before heading back towards Uyuni, via the other side of the laguna Verde (slightly greener in the afternoon light). We stopped at another group of rock formations including one said to be like Homer Simpson or the Bolivian Presidente Evo Morales (?) I thought there was a brilliant vulture one. And finally two sightings of Yandu - quite small, perhaps 1m tall, in comparison to the rhea but great to see them in the wild. A family of partridge crossed the road too, very sweet, and we also saw a fox which stopped by our vehicle, obviously looked for food. It must be hard surviving out in that desert, with the cold and so little growing. The 7 coloured peak we saw covered with snow, quite unusual apparently, so missed most of its colour. Various volcanoes but cloud prevented us seeing the only active one.
Safe arrival back in Uyuni after such a wealth of sights, thanks to our excellent driver Franz, who didn't drink I'm glad to say. And then to the bus station in the company of Danny and Isobel to get the 6pm bus to Potosi (4h). Fascinating geology on the route, plus interesting signs like llamas crossing, and Yandu crossing, till darkness fell at around 7 pm.
We arrived and took a taxi together to the hostel Koala Den, which fortunately had space, was brilliant, booked us on a
Silver Mine tour for the morning, and provided free breakfast (including scrambled eggs!) All for £5!!!!! And good internet and charging facilities too. A good night's sleep after a lovely hot shower, mmmm!
15 Jan Lima, Peru
My first time blogging so it may take a while to get up to speed! After flight from Heathrow to Madrid, then 12h wait, my next plane to Lima was delayed by 3.5h till 3am. So the 12.5 h flight arrived just as my connecting flight to La Paz left!!
There were 5 of us who then had to wait till the next day for a flight to La Paz. So I had 24h at a very pleasant hotel, with good food, temperature of 25 degrees and time to take a long walk in the sun along the coast through the lovely gardens of the Miraflores region of Lima with Carine ( who runs a bakery and restaurant on lake Annecy). So it could have been worse and the exercise was very welcome!
Coming into La Paz is amazing having flown over the Andes (spectacular in scale and beauty) to land at nearly 4000m where the air is so thin special tyres and longer runways are needed. And you really feel the lack of oxygen, every step I take an effort, especially with baggage. I shared a taxi to my hotel with Anselm from Berlin ( he cycles tourists around in a rickshaw, when not on cycle or other amazing foreign trips), he wanted to rest before going to meet his friend.
The hotel was very pleasant, private room with shared shower facilities, breakfast included for £10 a night. Lots of hostels are cheaper and food is not expensive either so you can live quite cheaply. Anselm and I explored La Paz on foot - quite slowly as the streets are vertigenous everywhere, it sits in a very steep sided valley with lots of steps. At 3660m it takes a while to acclimatise. We visited the Plaza San Francisco with its beautiful church and museum, in a little park we came across what appeared to be a demonstration with a group of men playing local instruments ( very interesting to stop and listen to) in local costume, the ladies nearby chatting and collecting signatures.
The street markets included loads of shop and stalls selling local crafts, the typical hats, llama wool clothing, and woven shale, belts etc - very beautiful and good value, but I have little room in my luggage... Many of the older ladies wear traditional dress with the top hats (black or Brown and not held on, just balanced!) Carrying goods on their backs in brightly coloured woven squares, or babies using the same techniques.
What about the weather? It's tropical, and their 'summer' though they call it winter as it is the wet season (Jan to April). Mostly it is dry in the mornings, clouding more in the afternoon with some showers, with temperatures dropping around zero overnight and rising to 12-14 degrees by midday - considering the altitude, very pleasant! One shower that first day...
Anselm and I had our evening meal together at a typical little restaurant close to the hotel, steak with rice and vegetables, washed down with local paceno beer, which comes in large bottles, OK if there are 2 of you! The people of La Paz are also called Paceno ( should have the ny sound but can't find the way to do special characters on my tablet). Since then I have found the Potosi beer is called Potosino too)
Anselm left the next morning to get the bus to his friend's house 3 h away. I visited the Ethnography and Folklore musem which was very interesting, giving an insight into all the different tribes in Bolivia, their culture and dress and customs, music and festivals. Their ability to live in close proximity without waging war is a good lesson to modern dominator cultures like our own. I had an almuerzo (3 course set lunch) in a lovely little restaurant - noodle soup, chicken with potatoes and salad, and opted for a coffee instead of the dessert.
Some rain in the afternoon, but not long lasting, so went to organise a trip to Tiwanaku for Sunday
I was collected from my hotel at 8.30am by Patti, our guide, for the 1.5h minibus trip to the site, where there is a village and church largely built from stones from the ruins. The gold was looted by the Spanish, and most of the pottery and other artefacts spread to the four corners of the world. Little is known about the people who constructed the ceremonial centre on the eastern shores of lake Titicaca, but it is at the geographic centre of the peoples of the Altiplano (high pail between the cordilleras of the Andes) from what is now part of Peru to Argentina, and would have been very important 1000 years ago. Its construction would have well under way by 700AD but by 1200AD was declining, and eventually became part of the Inca empire. The museum had an incredible collection of ceramics, jewellery, and information about in the way of life of the peoples there. There was also the stone museum, which included the 7.3m Monolitho Bennett Pachamama and various other statues.
The ruins of the Akapana pyramid showed 7 platform levels each of 3m with stones held together by metal staples, though only partially excavated with impressive monolithic stone gateways and ditches. The Kalasasaya 130 x 120m ritual platform with carved stone walls, drainage systems and corners aligning with gateways to mark the solstices and the equinoxes had an altar still used by the locals today . There were 5 different Tiwanaku periods, each with its own architectural achievements. They also made advances in maths and astronomy well before the Inca period, reaching a population of 20,000.
The final site we visited as the clouds loomed darkly was Puma Punku or temple of the puma with megaliths of over 130 tons. Here the hail started to fall as we ll raced for the minibus and thence to the restaurant, where the noise of the hail on the tin roof was deafening. But the meal was excellent with llama steak on the menu - very tasty!
Monday I left the hotel who kindly looked after my big back pack till the evening. I enjoyed a walk to and through the park Raul Salmon de La Barra in southern La Paz, with good views of the city, took some photos, but so far cannot find a way to transfer them to my tablet so can't put them on this blog. I booked on the overnight semi-cama (reclining seats) bus to Uyuni for the start of a 3 day tour of the Uyuni salt flats and surrounding area, so had an early dinner and made my way to the bus station for the 7pm bus. A temporary goodbye to La Paz...
There were 5 of us who then had to wait till the next day for a flight to La Paz. So I had 24h at a very pleasant hotel, with good food, temperature of 25 degrees and time to take a long walk in the sun along the coast through the lovely gardens of the Miraflores region of Lima with Carine ( who runs a bakery and restaurant on lake Annecy). So it could have been worse and the exercise was very welcome!
Coming into La Paz is amazing having flown over the Andes (spectacular in scale and beauty) to land at nearly 4000m where the air is so thin special tyres and longer runways are needed. And you really feel the lack of oxygen, every step I take an effort, especially with baggage. I shared a taxi to my hotel with Anselm from Berlin ( he cycles tourists around in a rickshaw, when not on cycle or other amazing foreign trips), he wanted to rest before going to meet his friend.
The hotel was very pleasant, private room with shared shower facilities, breakfast included for £10 a night. Lots of hostels are cheaper and food is not expensive either so you can live quite cheaply. Anselm and I explored La Paz on foot - quite slowly as the streets are vertigenous everywhere, it sits in a very steep sided valley with lots of steps. At 3660m it takes a while to acclimatise. We visited the Plaza San Francisco with its beautiful church and museum, in a little park we came across what appeared to be a demonstration with a group of men playing local instruments ( very interesting to stop and listen to) in local costume, the ladies nearby chatting and collecting signatures.
The street markets included loads of shop and stalls selling local crafts, the typical hats, llama wool clothing, and woven shale, belts etc - very beautiful and good value, but I have little room in my luggage... Many of the older ladies wear traditional dress with the top hats (black or Brown and not held on, just balanced!) Carrying goods on their backs in brightly coloured woven squares, or babies using the same techniques.
What about the weather? It's tropical, and their 'summer' though they call it winter as it is the wet season (Jan to April). Mostly it is dry in the mornings, clouding more in the afternoon with some showers, with temperatures dropping around zero overnight and rising to 12-14 degrees by midday - considering the altitude, very pleasant! One shower that first day...
Anselm and I had our evening meal together at a typical little restaurant close to the hotel, steak with rice and vegetables, washed down with local paceno beer, which comes in large bottles, OK if there are 2 of you! The people of La Paz are also called Paceno ( should have the ny sound but can't find the way to do special characters on my tablet). Since then I have found the Potosi beer is called Potosino too)
Anselm left the next morning to get the bus to his friend's house 3 h away. I visited the Ethnography and Folklore musem which was very interesting, giving an insight into all the different tribes in Bolivia, their culture and dress and customs, music and festivals. Their ability to live in close proximity without waging war is a good lesson to modern dominator cultures like our own. I had an almuerzo (3 course set lunch) in a lovely little restaurant - noodle soup, chicken with potatoes and salad, and opted for a coffee instead of the dessert.
Some rain in the afternoon, but not long lasting, so went to organise a trip to Tiwanaku for Sunday
I was collected from my hotel at 8.30am by Patti, our guide, for the 1.5h minibus trip to the site, where there is a village and church largely built from stones from the ruins. The gold was looted by the Spanish, and most of the pottery and other artefacts spread to the four corners of the world. Little is known about the people who constructed the ceremonial centre on the eastern shores of lake Titicaca, but it is at the geographic centre of the peoples of the Altiplano (high pail between the cordilleras of the Andes) from what is now part of Peru to Argentina, and would have been very important 1000 years ago. Its construction would have well under way by 700AD but by 1200AD was declining, and eventually became part of the Inca empire. The museum had an incredible collection of ceramics, jewellery, and information about in the way of life of the peoples there. There was also the stone museum, which included the 7.3m Monolitho Bennett Pachamama and various other statues.
The ruins of the Akapana pyramid showed 7 platform levels each of 3m with stones held together by metal staples, though only partially excavated with impressive monolithic stone gateways and ditches. The Kalasasaya 130 x 120m ritual platform with carved stone walls, drainage systems and corners aligning with gateways to mark the solstices and the equinoxes had an altar still used by the locals today . There were 5 different Tiwanaku periods, each with its own architectural achievements. They also made advances in maths and astronomy well before the Inca period, reaching a population of 20,000.
The final site we visited as the clouds loomed darkly was Puma Punku or temple of the puma with megaliths of over 130 tons. Here the hail started to fall as we ll raced for the minibus and thence to the restaurant, where the noise of the hail on the tin roof was deafening. But the meal was excellent with llama steak on the menu - very tasty!
Monday I left the hotel who kindly looked after my big back pack till the evening. I enjoyed a walk to and through the park Raul Salmon de La Barra in southern La Paz, with good views of the city, took some photos, but so far cannot find a way to transfer them to my tablet so can't put them on this blog. I booked on the overnight semi-cama (reclining seats) bus to Uyuni for the start of a 3 day tour of the Uyuni salt flats and surrounding area, so had an early dinner and made my way to the bus station for the 7pm bus. A temporary goodbye to La Paz...
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