Accounts of my travels through Bolivia.

Goodbye Lowlands

July 7, 2006
Day 282

Today I took the long bus ride to La Paz. It was another nice bus on a paved road, but the windows didn't open and the driver wouldn't turn the air on, so it was like riding in a portable sauna. I was sweating nonstop in the tropical heat.… Read More »

Vegetarian Again

July 6, 2006
Day 281

I decided to break up my trip a bit and stay in Santa Cruz for a day. I was here a few months ago, so Veronica asked if I knew of any good restaurants. In fact, Craig and I ate at a vegetarian place, and since Veronica is a… Read More »

Another Streak Broken

July 5, 2006
Day 280

It was time to leave today and I decided that I didn't want to deal with riding all day in the back of a pickup truck down a bumpy gravel road with twelve of my best friends. The only other option was to fly. I hadn't flown since beginning… Read More »

At The Worst Possible Moment

July 4, 2006
Day 279

The big event of the day was the World Cup semifinal between Germany and Italy. Ax was especially interested in seeing the game. In fact, the only reason he stuck around Santa Ana today was to watch it. We found a restaurant near the hotel with a TV set… Read More »

Time To Sell The Canoes

July 3, 2006
Day 278

Patricia only had a few days before she had to head home, so she flew to Trinidad this morning. Craig and Louise decided to take the only other option, the “camioneta," a pickup truck that loads twelve lucky passengers in the bed and takes anywhere from six to twelve… Read More »

Mamoré Canoe Trip Day 9

July 2, 2006
Day 277

The boat continued to Santa Ana today. Shortly after leaving, it got stuck in the shallow river. Thus began the long process of turning around, going upstream, trying to push off the banks, measuring the water's depth with a high-tech bamboo stick, and throwing one's arms… Read More »

Mamoré Canoe Trip Day 8

July 01, 2006
Day 276

A boat finally came downstream today. We flagged it down, tied the canoes to it, and jumped aboard. Originally, just Craig, Louise, and Patricia were going to leave, but after we were all on the boat, everyone agreed to take the ride. We were told we'd… Read More »

Mamoré Canoe Trip Day 7

June 30, 2006
Day 275

Nothing significant happened during the day today. We saw lots of birds, including our first macaws of the trip. We also stopped for some swimming a few times in the relentless Amazon heat.

This afternoon, we stopped a little early… Read More »

Mamoré Canoe Trip Day 6

June 29, 2006
Day 274

Craig has been sick for awhile, and he decided that he needs to try to get a blood test this morning. Maybe it's nothing serious, but he could have dengue fever, malaria, or any other number of terrible diseases that exist in this region. He'll try to jump on… Read More »

Mamoré Canoe Trip Day 5

June 28, 2006
Day 273

There were lots of active dolphins on our trip today. They seemed to jump completely out of the water around us all day. We also passed a large group of storks and several capybaras. We found another great campsite in the afternoon with… Read More »