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The main issue with Rurrenabaque, in the Bolivan amazon is not whether or not to go, but how to get there. I was perfectly happy to endue the 22 hour bus journey, until a couple of friends in La Paz told me that it was the scariest thing they´d ever done in their lives. With the only other option being a flight, at about 15 times the price of the bus I decided just to go ahead with the cheap option (being assured by my friends that I´d end up flying back!) It turned out to be a great decision- the scenery as we travelled down ´the world´s most dangerous road´ out of La Paz and on into the jungle was simply incredible. And apart from one or two moments when I honestly thought I was going to die (one where we were reversing so close to the edge of the cliff, that looking out of the window all we could see was a sheer, 100ft drop) it wasn´t too bad. Arriving in Rurre in the early morning, I went along with a couple of people I´d met on the bus to book a pampas (which means plains) tour. We managed to get on one leaving in an hour, and set off in a jeep with four other people. After a few hours drive we swapped the jeep for a boat, and set off along one of the many peaceful tributaries of the Amazon river. Along the way we saw caiman (small crocodiles) and turtles. After arriving at the lodge, a wooden building right alongside the river, we settled in and spent the afternoon relaxing in the hammocks outside. Later that evening we went to watch the sunrise before dinner, and then for a night-time boat ride, when the crocodiles are easier to see. The next day was an early start to go anaconda hunting. After a short boat ride we arrived in a large, open plain and set off in all directions to try and find the snakes (or, in my case, to try and avoid finding a snake!) To my relief I didn´t cross paths with any, but a couple of others in the group did and the guides picked them up and let us stroke them until one of them managed to bite our guide´s hand quite badly). That afternoon we set off in the boats again, this time to go swimming with pink dolphins- a rare breed that only exist in this part of the Amazon basin. Everyone was a little nervous about swimming in the crocodile and pirhana infested waters, but our guide assured us that as long as there were dolphins around we´d be safe- apparently they scare off the other animals. Even so, we were pretty happy to get back in the boat after we spotted a crocdile watching us from the bank. After our swim we headed back to the lodge, and spent another evening swinging in the hammocks and listening to the sounds of the Amazon. The next morning was another early start to go pirhana fishing. Our guide brought along a hook on a string for each of us, and a little bag of raw meat. To my surprise I actually quite enjoyed the fishing, it wasn´t as boring as I expected, especially after I caught my first pirhana. Then we returned to the lodge to eat what we´d caught for lunch, then get the boat and jeep back to Rurrenabaque. We spent that night in the town; a nice place, but one that exists entirely for tourists before getting the dreaded bus back to La Paz at eleven the following morning.
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