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Do one thing a day that scares you!
So far on this trip some of those scary things include jumping out of a plane, scuba diving in a tank full of sharks and stingrays, crawling through tunnels used in the Vietnam war, eaten strange things and many more but none even compare to the most horrifying experience yet, the Bolivian bus ride!
We headed from the capital to a place called Rurranabaque in the Amazon basin a simple 20 hour bus journey away taking a road called the 'new' road which had replaced the 'old' road alos known as the Death Road. What we didnt realise is the roads joined up after a few hours and became a dirt track just a few metres wide (too narrow for the bus we were on) and so followed a white knuckle 16 hour experience staring down sheer drops of at least 500m. At 4.30am I decided it was safe to sleep (as my being awake all night had obviously ensured the safety of the bus!) and we were in the Amazon basin on flat ground.
A three day trip into the Bolivan Pampas (wetlands) followed and as we cruised down the river we saw hundreds of caymans, monkeys, wierd birds and insects. That night we took our torches and went looking for the crocs whose eyes glow red (and managed to find a tarantula too). Day two and the search for the giant anacondas began, we were unlucky as it was a little too cold for them to be out. That afternoon we went fishing for pirhanas, despite the infestation proved very tricky to catch but they ate more meat of the hooks that you can imagine.
The last day and we went to look for the pink Amazonian dolphins, which we found and every bit of sensibility I had left me as I jumped into the water to swim with them under the wacthful eyes of the 3m long crocs sat on the bank. (also the same water we had fished for piranhas in). On the way back to camp we also found a rattlesnake!
So, it was time to head back to La Paz, the prospect of another 20 hours on a bus didnt appeal so we flew, a 20 hour bus journey in just 40 minutes!!!!! Back in La Paz it was my birthday and we celebrated in style thanks to Emma with JD, the Worlds Hottest Highest Curry for lunch and a giant pizza for tea (the box was over a metre square). Next stop Copocabana and Lake Titikaka.
Do one thing a day that scares you!!! Im off to check my bank balance.
Love lots
Rich and Em x
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