Day 23 Madidi

Today was our last day in Madidi and we were both very, very sad to go.  After packing everything up and bidding farewell to camp, we set off for the last time.  It was a sad morning, but then we reminded ourselves that we still had another awesome hike to look forward to.  That made us happy.  Then Jesus told us that we would be able to dunk our stank ass selves in the river when we got to it.  That cheered us right up.  If you could've smelled us, you'd understand.  We was nasty.

We set off  midmorning.  Jo has an uncanny ability to spot the tiniest little critters.  He found what must be the most charming momma bug in the whole wide world.  I didn't know that buggies had maternal instincts, but this one sure did.  She was making sure to guard her babies from all the dangers that a big jungle has to offer.  Look how sweet!

We would be hiking to the base of the cliffs that we had stood on the evening before as we watched the macaws flying home.  It was so interesting to be able to see the cliffs from a different vantage point.  When we got to the base, most of the macaws had already flown out to the jungle for the day.  There was, however, one noisy pair who had stayed behind.  Jesus told us that at least one pair stayed behind to guard the cliffs, and the guard pair would trade off as other pairs came back.

The cliff nests were impressive.  The macaws carved each of the holes out with their massive beaks.  Really, really incredible.

We said goodbye and continued on.  We had a river to get to.

Finally, we made it!  We had both had an amazing time in the jungle, but we were also super happy to see a large body of flowing water again.  We both reeked with three days worth of sweat buildup, but before we jumped into the river, we had some important business to attend to.

Face painting!!!  Back in the jungle, Jesus had collected some leaves off of a tree and had sequestered them away.  When we had asked him what they were for, he had told us that we would soon find out.  Turns out that our knowledgeable guide had found a type of leaf that oozed a reddish-purple ink when crushed.  It was the coolest thing.  We rolled the leaves between our hands and added water and voila!  Instant war paint!  Jesus got to work painting a masterpiece:

And then it was Jo's turn...

Of course we had to have a photoshoot with our awesome war paint.  Jesus provided the lovely nails.

And then it was time to get back to business.  Earlier in the day, Jesus had given us the option of walking back to the Machequipe camp or rafting.  Of course we chose the rafting option.  But what we didn't quite understand was what raft we were going to use.  Turns out, Jesus was planning to build one.  There was a pile of balsam wood next to the river.  Jesus used vines from the jungle to lash some of the logs together.  Jo and I helped, but our incredible guide did most of the work.  A boat met us and took our packs for us so we didn't have to worry about them while on the raft. 

It turned out to be the most perfect way imaginable to end the trip.  After three days of hiking around a got jungle and having no way to wash off the sweat, we both reeked.  The river was cool and refreshing and we ended up spending more time in the water than on the raft.  We floated most of the way back; it was ridiculously fun.  I will never forget how it felt to be floating along on my back, looking up at the trees and cliffs that surrounded me.  Occassionaly the water got shallow and you could feel the rocks and gravel as your legs bounced along the bottom.  When it got really deep, we clambered back on the raft and would jump off and do cannonballs.  It was so awesome. 

We could have stayed on the river for the rest of the day, but the current wouldn't slow down for us, no matter how much we begged.  We eventually made it back to the camp, where we took advantage of the hammocks as an excellent way to dry off after our dunk.

We had some time to kill before departing.  We had an awesome lunch, packed our bags, then we were able to hang out and take it easy.  We started chatting with a sweet girl from England named Holly who had stayed in the lodges while we were in the jungle.  The guides were off making crafts for us out of nuts we had found in the forests.  We talked, we laughed, and we soaked up the jungle as much as we could.  We had had an amazing time with Jesus and Arciela, and we didn't want to go. 

Oh, and a word to the wise: maybe three people on a flimsy bench is too many.  Just sayin'

It was the afternoon at this point and the guides were ready to go, so we rounded everything up and walked down to the river for the boatride back to Rurre.  Here's our trusty raft, which he had so much fun with.

We both want to return to Madidi one day, and would definitley go with Mashaquipe again.  Especially if Jesus is our guide.

Getting ready to go.

It was a clear, hot day for the boat ride back.  Neither Jo nor I had worn sunscreen, so of course we both ended up getting burned.  Oh well.  It was worth it.

The Crew: Jo, Me, Jesus, and Arciela.  We couldn't have asked for better people to spend four days in the jungle with.

And then...back in Rurre.  We decided to make the best of it and splurge on our last hostel of our trip.  We collected our bags and took the short walk to a hostel we had stumbled across earlier, when I used their bathroom.  It was just across from Rurre's plaza and was absolutely lovely.

Naval base?  In Bolivia?

I don't know what's with dogs in streets.  This little guy evoked fond memories of Tardo.  I hope Tardo's doing well, wherever he is.  Or, should I say: in whatever road he's laying in the middle of.

Rurre's plaza.

We took pictures of these shrubs because we couldn't figure out what it said.  I still have no idea.

The best part of the new hostel?  The hammocks, of course:

We eventually rolled ourselves out of the hammocks to get something to eat.  I picked up a young coconut on the way.  Jo wasn't a fan, but I love coconut water and it's supposed to be really good for you.

I ordered papas huancayna again, to compare it to the same dish I had had earlier.  Still very good, although not as good as at Locot's.

Jo ordered some shich-kebab thing.

After dinner, we continued the splure with an ice cream sunday from the place across the street, which also just happened to have some pretty sweet murals:

And then we returned to our swanky hostel to go to bed.