228 CultureShock! Bolivia
the banks of the town, climb a steep hill for a magnifi cent
view of the Beni lowlands, and then bathe in El Chorro, an
exotic pool and luxuriant waterfall only 1 km (0.6 miles)
from the town.
For most people, this would make a fi ne vacation. But for
some, the easy way is not enough. To discover ‘the hidden
secrets’ of the mysterious Amazon basin there are customised
adventure tours up the River Beni to the Tuichi River.
Instead of sleeping Fremen style in a comfortable river
boat with bathrooms and a dining room, the adventurer must
spend the night in a sleeping bag in order to keep the local
wildlife from joining.
For some seasoned travellers, the Bolivian Amazon is more
interesting than its Brazilian counterpart because the rivers
are narrower and the population less dense, thus one can
better observe the exotic wildlife.
Typical trips begin with motorised canoes, with your
guide’s machete clearing the way. On the river bank one
sleeps beneath an individual mosquito net. Net or no,
mosquito repellent is indispensable.
Dinner consists of fi sh that the guides and tourists manage
to catch. Dessert is crocodile watching under torch light.
This tour may involve a trek through the jungle, drinking
fresh water from the vine-like medicinal Uña de Gato. Clients
learn the art of medicinal plants by chewing on pain-killing
leaves. The day’s diet is limited to local vegetation, which
may include almonds, bananas and the sap from a tree
nicknamed the ‘garlic tree.’ Hours later, the travellers emerge
from the thickets covered with insect bites and bathe it off
in the cool river.
That would be enough for most of us, but the more intrepid
endure a third day of penance, building their own rafts and
then travelling over the violent Tuichi River. The penance
topped off with a steep mountain climb to visit a colony
of macaws.
An optional fourth day includes the ‘ethno’ segment of
such tours: a visit with the Chimane villagers, all of whom
are impervious to the mosquitos. The visitors have a choice.
Insult their Chimane hosts or eat the superpungent tortoise