Samaipata!

6/8-6/11

Last weekend I wasn’t able to go to Machu Picchu or the Salar because I had to work on Monday, but I did get the chance to go to Santa Cruz and Samaipata. Entering the bus station was complete chaos. "La Paz, Santa Cruz treinta bolivianos semi-cama, full cama!" From all directions people shouted asking where we were going, telling us to go with them not the other guy’s bus. Luckily I was traveling with a sassy Spanish woman, from“pais vasco,” who helped us find a good price, 30 bolivianos ($4) for full cama (bed). We were off, only 12 hours to Santa Cruz. Full cama does not mean you get a bed to sleep in on the overnight bus ride, but your chair reclines and you have a foot rest, more comfortable than any cattle car seat on a plane. However, my chair refused to stay in the reclined position, which posed quite a problem for even me, master sleeper. However after 12 hours of attempting to sleep, as my chair would slowly rise to above upright position, through the bus window, I saw one of the most beautiful sunrises ever over the vast, barren lowland plains in the Santa Cruz area. No sleep, but I was content.

Santa Cruz is one of the largest cities in Bolivia, and it is also the wealthiest and most modern, which was an interesting contrast to the more industrial Cochabamba. I also found out that people from Santa Cruz are very different from Cochabambinos they even have different accents. They say “Santa Cru” and a taxi driver informed me there are also many different words and expressions, and food of course. We spent the morning walking around the city center where we saw the main plaza and Cathedral.

Then we went to the zoo, which featured all local Bolivian animals, which was interesting but also kind of depressing, because many of the cages were quite small.

Local Bolivian animal?

Then we took a Trufi, which is a large van that serves as a shared taxi, to Samaipata. Our first stop at the gas station, everyone had to exit the van, because apparently if you put gas in while people are inside the vehicle, the tank will explode, that’s safe..On the way we passed through many small towns situated along the road with small stands selling fruit and pollo, amidst packs of stray dogs and chickens. As we ascended into the mountains, the towns were replaced by lush green jungle all around. We had entered the cloud forest, or the jungle in the moutains, the view was incredible as our Trufi climbed the narrow winding road.

Everyone had told me, you’re going to the jungle it’s going to be hot! But when we arrived in Samaipata, a tiny backpacker town situated in the jungle foothills, I thought my feet were going to freeze off. We ran into a friendly woman who brought us to her hostel, only 25bs (less than $3 a night!). The residents in the hostel were artesanos, basically people who make bracelets and such, to travel. It was quite the cliché hostel scene drum playing, bracelet making, dread wearing…but it was interesting to talk with them, the artesano life, more on that later..

The next day we traveled to “El Fuerte” an ancient sacred religious site and now rock ruin, dating back to pre-Columbian times. It is said to have been built by the Chané people, a pre-Incan tribe. During their militaristic expansion, the Incans invaded the temple and built a city nearby. During the colonization, the Spanish also built villages surrounding this site. It was very interesting to see the progression of history within the different ruins. Additionally the site, situated at the top of a mountain, offered stunning views!

The next day we walked through the countryside in Samaipata to a nearby “Refugio” or wild animal rescue center. There were many different types of animals, mostly local monkies who were able to be free throughout the grounds.

Making new friends!

While at the Refugio we met several Bolivian tourists who were friendly and took us out to lunch to eat one of Bolivia’s most famous dishes, “El Pique Macho.” This dish consists of French fries, chopped peppers, sausages, beef, hot dogs, and egg, (they should serve it in American bars..) but it was actually quite delicious!

New friends&food!

With our bellies quite full, we packed our bags said good-bye to our artesano friends and perritos, and accompanied our new Bolivian friends to “Las Cuevas,” which means caves, but we actually went to waterfalls.

After another 12 hour bus ride we were home, back in Cochabamba, 7 am just as the market stands were opening. I had my first day of work at 9 am…