After waking up at our hostel and grabbing some yummy breakfast of fresh bread, fruit, and coffee, we met our guide Javier who was taking us to the cloud forest. Although we had just one additional companion, a German high school biology teacher stationed in Boliva, we decided to forgo the back seat jumped into the bed of Javier´s truck, which was equipped with padded benches, but no seat belts. The dirt road was filled with deep ruts and we had to cross several creeks, which required us to stand and brace ourselves on several occasions, lest we be thrown from the truck.
Our guide Javier was much more than just a driver. He pointed out the various flora and fauna of the Bolivian cloud forest, named for this ecosystem that was in a relatively high altitude. During our 5 hour hike, we saw giant one hundred year old ferns, many medicinal plants that could cure everything from foot pain to upset stomachs, and a species of parrot that was one of the most beautiful in the area.
We also came across a giant brown slug that oozed poisonous green goo when prodded with a stick. We ate lunch on a rock outcropping that gave us great views of the green mountain and valleys around us. We didn’t see any other hikers though we did see some non·native cows that had wandered into the park looking for better grazing.
The 2 hour ride back to Samaipata was uneventful except for great conversation about Ben’s experience with the Peace Corps in Bolivia.
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