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A Walk On The Wild Side

From the bars of La Paz to the sand bars of the River Beni, welcome to the Bolivian Amazon! Resting on the lip of thousands of hecters of unruly jungle, swampy marsh, and endless grasslands, Rurrenabaque provides the perfect jump off point for unlimited Amazonian exploration. The only problem, is getting there...

Suffering through a topsy turvy 20 to 26 hour bus ride (depending on weather), over and around some of Bolivia's most treacherous mountain roads, is one option. Another, requires breaking the travel piggy bank and purchasing a flight aboard a rickety, 10 seater plane, setting you down literally, in the middle of a cow pasture. Or, there is just one more option. The not so well known 3 day boat trip through Medidi National Park, stealing a rare glimpse at one of the most bio-diverse regions on earth.

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Our boat, nothing more then a few pieces of wood slapped together. The campsites, sandier then your usual choices. And the wildlife, inescapable! With thousands of bird species, insects, and large game, this park can honestly claim the status of, "WILD". Having coexisted and subsisted within the jungle for hundreds of years, the only human inhabitants, that of the indigenous tribes, are just as much apart of the jungle as their animal neighbors. In an attempt to truly preserve their ancient ways of life, large scale tour companies are not permitted to enter this portion of her magical canopy. The only way in, is with a local...and a machete. Meet Pedro. First order of business, dinner! A hunt for wild boar! As mentioned before, Medidi is a protected National Park and hunting is strictly forbidden, that is, unless you are a local tribesman. Maybe that's why Pedro refused to give up the hunt. He wasn't out to impress us, he was just bloody hungry. The ability to remain quiet is imperative, but with 10 pairs of feet crunching through the freshly fallen foliage, we couldn't have caught a sloth. Pedro decided it best to split up, choosing only a lucky few to join him in the hunt for his coveted pork. Bathed in a cologne of feces, these little beasts could attract predators from countries away with their stench alone. The loud snorts of over 500 boars only aided in the pursuit, along with a peculiar clucking sound that melodically followed the herd. What I thought were boars snapping and grinding their teeth, was actually a different animal all together...birds. With a "birds-eye" view, these air born lifesavers would cluck strange warning calls to the boars, warning them of nearing predators. A warning that I would have happily accepted, had I known they were not only trying to warn the pigs of predators, but also us. As we neared the pack, I got the 'stinking' feeling that we were not the only one's hunting. My fears were soon solidified with one, snarling roar! WIth his eye on the prize, Pedro must have failed to mention another jungle inhabitant...jaguars. Guess we were not the only one's out for pork that day. Luckily, the jaguars found pork more appetizing then human, and just as we reached the herd, so did they, sending the boars running once again. Sorry Pedro, looks like only rice for dinner.

As night fell, a very different jungle came alive. Reliance on our flashlights was an initial comfort but, as Pedro said, to truly experience Medidi wildlife, you have to become Medidid wildlife. One by one, we reluctantly clicked off our lights, until the last beam of console was extinguished. Complete Darkness. I suppose it's a bit like being blind or deaf. When one sense is taken

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I suppose it's a bit like being blind or deaf. When one sense is taken away, the other's are dramatically hightened. But for the first time, I could smell the jungle. Not just the overall sultryness, but individual smells. The sweet aromas of newly blossomed flowers, the spoiled smell of wet moss lining the rocks, and the stale humidity trapped witin her leafy shelter. I could also, for the first time, truly hear the wildlife around me. As if the jungle orchestra had returned from intermission, taking up their instruments and resuming the concert. The light breeze overtop the canopy provided a soft musical undertone, while the swaying branches and grasshopper wines created the tempo. Monkey calls formed a beat, while the occassional rustle of dry leaves initiated the percussion. Birds completed the song with a harmonic chorus, including solo's, duets and, of course, that one singer that just can't seem to catch a tune. It was easy to lose yourself in the intoxicating performance, but it only took one loud and inharmonious crunch, to bring us back to reality. The reality of predator versus prey. Suddenly, the charming melody was gone, replaced by wild screeches and angry squaks. The animals had gone mad, seducing us into their harmonious trap, just waiting for the right moment to attack. The agonizing racket escalated into a full blown assault on our eardrums until, just when I thought the entire jungle was about to come down on our gringo feast, a light went on. For 30 minutes we stood in the darkness of the jungle, and for 30 minutes exhileration, wonderment, and trepidation simultaneously danced with my senses. For three days, I experienced a small slice of what is left of the "untamed" jungle. With the closest village miles away, and the closest outlet to civilization, even further, Medidi National Park harbored an unforgetable, "walk on the wild side".

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