What a trip! We set out from CUBE just before noon on Friday. We had worked the previous Saturday so we thought it would be reasonable to take off a couple of hours early to catch our bus to Villa Tunari, a much needed tropical retreat. After our names were called at the trufi taxi station for Chapare Region we paid our $25 Bolivianos and loaded in the van. Fortunately we had the middle section all to ourselves but the children sitting in the back were continually leaning up, putting an elbow on my hair, and burping in our ears which made the trip a bit less comfortable. As soon as we left the city we hit rain and it continued to rain and be extremely misty on our whole trip but we imagined that it would let up once we arrived in Tunari. Our driver passed every large truck and other taxi on the winding mountain roads that he possibly could and I mean EVERY one possible. There were more than a few times that we had no idea how we would cut in front of the other cars before the oncoming vehicles smashed into us and sometimes we even had to slide back into our previous position when there wasn't enough room. It was a bit hectic to say the least but despite the eradic driving and unstable zones that weren't paved we were all enjoying the change of scenery. Visibility was very limited due to the fog and the rain but what we could see was an incredible transition from dry grasses to lush large leafed tropical vegetation. Around each corner we saw new darker more tropical plants and before we knew it we were deep in the Selva, surrounded by the jungle.
After the three hour rollercoaster ride we arrived in Tunari, a strip of dumpy tourist spots alongside the roadside and our driver dropped us off a the taxi station so we could get a ride to our hotel. A few kilometers of bumpy cobblestones, dirt paths, and mudholes later we arrived at the incredibly secluded Hotel Selva El Puente. Upon check-in we learned that we would be the only guests in this lovely little place. It seems that the cold front that would be around for roughly a week kept anybody in their right mind out of town. Despite our disappointment with the weather we decided to make the best of it enjoy having the property all to ourselves. It didn't look like we would be swimming in the pozas or the pool like we had envisioned, but at least we could have a nice drink and a decent meal, right?
After putting our things down it was time to explore and as Betsy wasn't feeling too well in the stomach, Lise and I decided to take the path down to the pozas ourselves and do some exploring. We made it down the slippery path down the mountain fairly easily and when we arrived at the bottom it was again not quite what we had envisioned but pleasant none the less. Essentially it was just a river coming through the woods with a rather deep and calm part; not much for where I come from but apparently a lovely destination for Bolivia. I played with the rocks and just sat by the river with Lise for a while before we went back up to the top. In exploring the property we saw lovely plants and trees and even spotted a crazy electronic sounding bird that only chirps once it sticks its hindfeathers up in the air.
Soon enough we were back in the room checking on the increasingly sickly companera and getting ready for dinner. We went up to the restaurant and ordered a drink and got a fire started for us in the chimney while we looked over the menu. The food was rather pricy for Bolivia but we figured it would be pretty nice. Apparently the staff had to go out to kill the cow, and catch the fish for our dinner because it took an impressively long time for dinner to be prepared. Meanwhile we were warming up and getting hungry but at least one of the maids had taken some warmer blankets to our room.
Once the food finally arrived it was again quite different than what we had hoped for. Lise's garlic Surubi was mediocre at best and my meat and cheese sandwich reminded me of street vendor food here in the city but the greasy french fries weren't too bad, and somehow had less grease on them than the fried yucca. I guess I can't complain too much because poor sick Betsy had asked for some spaghetti pomodoro with the sauce on the side and when it arrived not only was it on top of the pasta, but it was a pomodoro sauce with chunks of meat, not really the best for a vegetarian. We ate for a bit and tried to find some humor in the experience and make the most of the private lodge type atmosphere right by the fire but soon it was just too much for Betsy and she was back in the room. Lise and I turned ourselves toward the fire and sat our feet right on the edge of the chiminea to warm our toes and actually had a really nice conversation about life experiences and we were just really starting to talk about Kids4Peace when we were interrupted by an old man from the hotel who told us he would be leaving us for a soccer game. He hadn't been gone for a minute before he came back and began serenading us with his guitar songs, leaving for a couple of minutes and then returning with another song. After a few Bolivian songs, and even one he had written about his home in the Yungas his soccer game must have started...thankfully.
We hung around for a a few minutes longer as the fire died down and then made it back to the room with a piece of bread and a bottle of water for Betsy. Unfortunately when we got there all of our thoughts were confirmed and she was far beyond having a stomach ache, it was clearly what I came down with a couple of weeks ago. We did what we could to make her comfortable and then began to plan our getaway for the next day. It was also at this time that another worry of mine appeared to be confirmed. I checked my funds and it looked like I was missing a couple hundred Bolivianos and I am pretty sure that the lady who brought our blankets took the liberty of going through our things and found our money. I of course questioned myself and thought maybe I was wrong but as I am writing this we have pretty much figured it all out.
The night was long and the music from some drunken party that the staff was having was loud but we survived. Our breakfast on the patio was actually quite nice and I even had some watermelon in honor of the fourth of July coming up. Soon enough we were packing our things and had a taxi called to get us out of there. Getting a trufi taxi from the bus station was easy and we were packed in and headed on another rollercoaster exursion within minutes. I think our prayers and concerns were much more on Betsy and getting her back in one piece than the crazy ride, and in some ways it was nice to be back as quickly as possible. The view was actually much better on the way back because the fog had lifted in some areas and we could see the incredible tropical mountains and the lush vegetation.
Three hours and a handful of near misses later we were back in the city and jumping into a cab to Chilimarca. We made it back and walked straight into the clinic but unfortunately could only get some Ibuprofen for Betsy until tomorrow when Teo comes back in. We came up and got Betsy into bed and then I went to make a tomato sandwich for lunch, buy some powerade, and borrow some movies and now I am just relaxing, not at all upset about leaving Tunari early.
Final report- highlight=chatting with Lise by the fire, sitting by the river, and the vegetation. Lowlight=being robbed, but at least I don't have parasites anymore.
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