The Hum of Pachamama

THE ROAD TO RURRENABAQUE

We are immersed in the authentic Bolivian experience – chaos in the Andes. We navigate our way to a rundown, panel-beaten, charcoal-exhaling, yellow bus on a street corner and board the unknown – our ticket to Rurrenabaque, the gateway to the Bolivian Amazon. Embarking on an adventure riddled with the forces of nature to come, we buckle up for a night under the full moon – ascending altitudes of 5000m, crossing cliffside cascades and descending dark, rutted roads.

As midnight strikes and the moon howls, we reach a standstill on a mountain edge. A landslide has caused a leg of the upholstered road to collapse, leaving everyone stranded and vehicles begin to bank up on either side of the landslide. The night breathes on with nervous, restless energy around us, however the journey is in letting go.

We awaken to the hazy, morning glow of the sub tropics, its reviving humidity and a plethora of butterflies floating in every direction.

Time has paused.

Some men wash their dirty laundry in the running water by the roadside, while others find rocks to sit and play cards. Some children rejoice and splash playfully, while others run around selling snacks and chocolate bars. Some women go picking for wild fruits, while others initiate a kitchen in the boot of their wagon and begin selling breakfast to the hungry herd of humans. Foreigners are left to explore nature’s creation and destruction in mutual flow.

The excavators arrive to the scene to lift everyone’s hopes and a gallery of onlookers assemble on each side of the fallen road to observe the theatre of the mission. Each time tumbled debris is cleared by the excavators and optimism rises in the air, more land collapses off the mountain face to sink hearts. Through persistence and 8 hours of intense operation, enough of the mountain cliff is paved and flattened to create a one-way passage across the landslide. Festive cheers roar as each vehicle crosses the landslide - trucks caging cattle, double-decker buses commuting villagers and motorcycles with families aboard.

As adrenaline withers away and relief sets in, we venture on through the vibrant jungle plains to reach Rurrenabaque, welcomed by a fiery sunset.

LAS PAMPAS

A charismatic Indigenous local, Juan Carlos, greets us under the tropical sun, blessing us with the warmth of co-existence and the caution of unpredictability.

Playful macaws spread their wings, inviting us into Las Pampas – a vast, wetland savanna known for its rich wildlife. Drifting through the jungle canals, monkeys eagerly allure us to play with them and paradise birds enchant us with their majestic, feathery crowns. Deep in the ancient wetlands, we find refuge in a tranquil eco-lodge elevated on the Amazonian waters. Around us, turtles loaf in harmony whilst caimans lurk in the shadows. Sunset paints a sky brushed by romance, river vines sparkle with gold, and birds gather to sing the melodies of Pachamama. As night falls and stars ignite, a monsoon storm comes alive, with lightning striking purple and thunder roaring red.

Time for rest, sheltered by a mosquito net.

The morning brings a humbled softness in the ecosystem, as we set out with an eye for toucans amidst the pink clouds and amber moon reflected in the sunrise. Tropical fruits replenish us ahead of a day of adventure. Letting go to the day, we find ourselves swimming with pink dolphins, fishing for piranhas, searching for anacondas and sunbathing with capybaras.

Our time in Las Pampas extended for some days swinging in a hammock, being lost in playful imagination, being immersed in sonic bliss and being soothed by the silent earth mirrored in the sacred waters.

MADIDI JUNGLE

If you ask any Bolivian local where is their most exhilarating experience in the Amazon wilderness, they whisper Madidi. The mythical, Madidi jungle reverberates with an immense aura, drawing in adventurers who are prepared to travel inward and be a student of the ultimate force.

To begin our quest, we ride upstream along the banks of the raging Benn River, passing the green mountains where the jaguars retreat for monsoon season. Our motorised canoe steers through tree logs and rampant currents to arrive at our jungle camp. Here, we pluck bananas and coco seeds to prepare our own freshly roasted and whisked ‘crema de coco’ to coat the bananas.

An inquisitiveness to explore with a native, Jimmi, leads us on a wild trek, using a machete to help find our path through wild plants, tumbled tree logs, insect trails, rocky boulders and running creeks. Our destination: a secluded waterfall cascade nestled deep in the rainforest. Along the way, Jimmi warns us of venomous plants he identifies on our path and also finds us a jungle fruit to taste – a nutty, sweet mango flavour. The final climb to reach the infinity pool on top of the waterfall is a barefoot challenge to crawl under spider webs and then canyon upstream. The bath happens to be as rewarding as it is refreshing, as thrilling as it is healing. Upon returning, we collect bamboo cane to freshly squeeze the juice with a tribal mill to quench our thirst, served in a coconut shell with fresh lime.

As twilight emerges, the insects sound the earthly frequencies of a symphony orchestra. Constellations glitter on a dark canvas.

Our days in Madidi had us captivated by the infinite scope of nature’s play, an awakening which can only be sustained through resourcefulness, harmonised through balance as well as a sense of humility to forever be her child.

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