< Bolivia is a very diverse country. It has mountain ranges over 20,000 feet above the sea, deep narrow valleys, open wide valleys, high plains, low plains, forest, and jungles. You can go skiing at 17,000 feet or swim in rivers and lakes in the tropics at near sea level. La Paz is located on the altiplano in a canyon at 12,600 feet above the sea. The city is almost 1,000,000 people and the elevation ranges from the airport, at 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) ASL to the residential area, where I work, at 10,200 feet. And, yes, people do live to a ripe old age here.

I've returned to biking as of April 2001. A good 15% of the teachers here ride bikes and it is a real blast. City streets are cobblestones mixed with some smoother but broken asphalt and concrete or concrete blocks. Getting out onto the dirt/rock roads is a real challenge. That is unless you have a vehicle since La Paz is on the way down or up depending where you start. You go up several hundred meters or down several hundred meters then you have to go back up to go home. My home is 2 miles from my office and about 300 feet higher. Getting to work is quick and almost all down hill. The work out is the return.

One has to realize this is in the Andes and some roads are above 15,000 feet. Try peddling up hill and breathing. Going down is a real rush and involves some risk. Some of my friends are off road or single track types. They have some real thrills. Me, I like the roads, well most of the times.

I've been hiking at elevations over 4,700 meters and down to 200 meters in this country. I've had snowball fights at 4570 meter (15,000 foot) passes, swam with crocodiles and fresh water dolphins (grays and pinks) close by in the same water, ate piranhas, and other great tasting fish, devoured the flesh of javalina, washia, a small spike point deer, and camped in mountain passes at 4200 meters and in the jungle. I've loved every moment. The only good thing about cities is leaving them.

This is great!!--- Mamoré River 1996--- All wet but happy about Oct 1996 on the Mamore River in the Beni. Classroom Without walls trip. Great bird watching. This is a list of migratory birds from North America. Birdlist.

Madidi National Park
Chalalan

Madidi is a priviately owned land of about 2,000,000 hectares. that is close to 1/2 million acres. The owners are a group of Tacana people. They are into Eco-tourisum and have an eco lodge. The village is another 3 hours up the Tuwichi River. Chalalan is the center and the major source of income for the village.

Mididi web sites go to eco lodges Chalalan..
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The trip to Madidi National park starts in Rurrenabaque on the Beni River. The air strip was cut out of the forest.
This was a Classroom without walls trip. The entent is to have the students learn about the people and country of Bolivia.

Twenty years ago Rurrenabaque!

Looking from the Beni River to town, Tere is in the road.


intersection looking at the Beni.

This was the C-130 we flew in on.

PRESENT AS IN 2004

F27 from TAM in which we flew in to Rurrenabaque.	This view is of Air Amozona and the old landing strip. The new strip is 90 degrees and at the end of the old strip.
Days gone buy flew in to Rurrenabaque.	This view is of Air Amozona fully restored and the crew is dressed in the 1950's uniforms.
Down town Rurrnebaque Paved streets This place has changed a lot.	Looking the other direction. First time in this town the streets were sand. John caught a walking catfish going from puddle to puddle. No telephones no telephone, Electricity was cut at 10:00PM to save fuel.
Half of the students stayed at this place. $10.00 U.S. per night add $2.00 for breakfast.	We left Rurre early and in the rain.
Lush vegation and a lot of egrets, the white dot.	The rains caused a lot of waterfall like this one.
This is some of our freshman in front of the eating hall.	A shot of the teachers eating.
Inside the main dinning hall. Food was buffet service and very good.	One of the dinning cabins.
This is one of the cabins.	Lake for cooling off swimming with crocodills.
TOILETS like this aren't camping	Cabin I was in.
Bushmaster a big rattlesnake. Up to 8 feet long and as big around as a weight lifters bicept. They can download enough venom to kill a horse in minutes.	looking for monkeys. The guide put the canoe under the branches and the monkeys pissed on the kids.
Three of out guides.

SAN JOSE de UCHUPIAMONAS

The San Jose camping area in the morning fog.	This is the showers and toilet. Boys one side girls on the other.
This is a closer look at the sleeping cabins,	We visited the school. The profits from Chalalan has brought improvements. The school is now through 10th grade and every year a grade will be added. The school before stopped at middle school and if kids wanted to go to high school or college they left the village and a lot of them never came back. One of the guides left 25 years ago spent 12 in La Paz then 13 in Santa Cruz. Returned to the village because it is where his roots were and their was work with the village corporation. With The Eco-Lodge the community has created a bit of a better life for the people, the kids will be staying longer. The people now have running or piped water in their homes, a sewer system is next.
We visited the homes and work shops of some of the villege artisans.	Wood sculptures. Animals and masks.
Coconuts in your back yard.	This is a belt making loom. All natural fibers and colors.
Lovely flowering tree.	Our water taxi taking us back to Chalalan.
A stop along the river to take imprints of foot prints. Deer, tapir, javalina.
Running even	This place is named ballas ( bullet) becaues the ridge looks like a canon ball went through it.

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