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Floating in a tropical river, Day 5 of 6: Wild macaws

Before we leave in the morning, Ruben tells me to have my camera ready.  There will be macaws.  Not too far later, we come to a place where there is a high cliff by the water.  At the top there is a big flock of macaws on the trees.  They have beautiful colours, blue on the back and orange in the belly.  The way they fly is beautiful and elegant.

Ruben notices that a tube is leaking.  We land on the beach to repair it.  There is an indigenous person living nearby.  After fixing the tube, Ruben goes to chat with him.  They make a deal to barter:  The indigenous person gives Ruben a big portion of fish, half way sun-dried.  In exchange, Ruben gives him 4 bun breads, some coca leaves, some cigarettes, and a half cup of whisky.  Ruben tells me that indigenous people love whisky very much.

We then take a hike into the jungle.  It's not so impressive though, except that we see the head of a dead warthog.  It was hunted by indigenous people.  The body was taken away, only the head and gut was left in the jungle.

The hike is about one and a half hours.  Ruben wants to cook lunch on the raft while we continue to float, in order to save time.  So we switch positions.  I go to the front to navigate and paddle, he goes to the back to cook.  It goes well until we get a flat tube.  At that time both of us are eating, our raft runs into a hidden stick in the water.  The previously leaking tube is punched.  Ruben has to rearrange the tubes to keep the balance of the whole raft.

Later in the afternoon, we meet a motor boat heading upstream.  Ruben barters again.  This time he gets back almost the same things he previously gave to the indigenous person: 4 buns, coca leaves and cigarettes.  What he gives away is the bunch of plantains he cut 2 days ago.

At night, I finally have a chance to take pictures of the night sky.  With 30 seconds of exposure time, we are able to see the milky way in a picture.  Do you notice that each star appears to be a very short line?  That's because the earth has rotated a little bit during the 30 seconds!

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Replies, comments and Discussions:

  • Floating in a tropical river, Day 1 of 6: Adventure on the road +6
    • I don't know if I would travel this way myself +3

      It seems very interesting and kind of sketchy. I don’t think it’s the kind of travel for normal ordinary people, it takes a lot of gut… But good for you for being so brave.

      I think it’s better to know more about Spanish if you really want to travel in South America though… and good writing by the way :)

      • It takes some time and experience to feel comfortable to travel in a backpacking way. Along my trips I've met numerous young backpackers. Many of them just finished high school.
    • Floating in a tropical river, Day 2 of 6: River trip starts +1
    • Floating in a tropical river, Day 3 of 6: Fishing in the river +1
    • Floating in a tropical river, Day 4: Catching fish +1
      • Ruben rocks!
        • For catching fish with bare hands? :)
          • For being a good guide and a handyman. :)
    • Floating in a tropical river, Day 5 of 6: Wild macaws +1
    • Floating in a tropical river, Day 6 of 6: It rains finally. +1
    • Just found that my American friend Kim, who I met in my Ecuador trip, also took the same adventure!

      Here's what Kim wrote:

      It was the best thing I did in Bolivia! Too bad more people don’t know about it... or maybe it’s a good thing!

      I was at the same check point waiting for the bus to come...only I didn’t have a plate number. The police were freaked out that I was sitting there for hours. I didn’t speak Spanish either. The bus ended up coming 7 hours late due to a flat tire that happened before I got on. Luckily I have 3 other gringos that were on the bus who knew to look for me and I woke them up when I got on the bus to see if they were expecting another gringo. We arrived at our destination at 2:30 am and Ruban wasn’t there. Luckily, I was the only one with a phone and was able to call him otherwise we wouldn’t have known what to do. In the end Ruban was awesome and the trip was well worth it! 
       

    • Some of the best memories in life are from traveling. +2
      • Exactly! Read a thousand books, travel a thousand miles...
        • Should be 10 thousands.
          • You read more and go further. :D
    • Thanks for sharing. I think it's an interesting but scary experience! It's an adventure but not tourism. Did you feel comfortable and peaceful to float on the river for 6 days (not a short time) , +1
      especially when you were having language issues and equipped simply?
      • Hello new friends, it's my first time to visit the Rolia english version. Please feel free to let me know the errors and mistakes in my english writing. Thanks! +1
        • Welcome! Your writing is amazing. No need to worry about mistakes, if there is any. It's like the way we use Chinese: there might be errors but we are not concerned.
          • Thanks!
      • I was expecting to have a group of guests. So when I confirmed that I was the only one, I was quite disappointed. But I felt peaceful. It was not a comfortable trip though. Very primitive. :)
        • Perhaps your name, Prince Sailor, makes you brave to face that type of adventures, doesn't it? 😁😁
          • It's just not as comfy as staying in a 5-star resort. But throughout the trip I was like a prince: no need to work, someone cooked for me... isn't it amazing? :D
            • Yes, that real 1:1 small group services of both guide and hospitality. +1
        • Perhaps you have had lots of experience and skills of living near and on the sea?
          • Not really. :p I don't know how to sail, how to fish using a net, etc...
        • Could I know how much (roughly) did you pay for the guide or the travel agency? Please don't be offended. I have no intention to dig your privacy numbers,
          but just want to learn the local economic conditions and estimate the possible public safety issues for travellers. Thanks for your understanding.
          • I paid the agency. Around USD $320. It's an expensive one according to Bolivia standard. Regarding safety, Latin American countries are not so good on this issue, especially in big cities. Avoid going out after sunset.
            • 6 days' adventure for $320. The cost is low. It's a good deal as long as no robbery or other safety issues.
              • The service is minimum though... :D Among the several Latin American countries I've been too, Bolivia is safer, especially in the countryside.
                • Thanks for sharing your adventure experience!