samaipata

we left corumbá and went on to quijarró to take the fancier train monday night, we slept through most of it although the first hour was filled with strange music videos from mexican superstar who has a tendency of putting water faucets and candles on her bras. must be another one of their fetishes to add to "sola la puntita".

we got into santa cruz around 8:30, i went to pick up el monstro and then kyhe saw me off in a cab as i sped towards the 3rd ring road to get my bus and she went back to the bimodal terminal to scratch her non existant balls a couple hours waiting for her bus back to bsas.

i was lucky enough to arrive just as a collectivo to samaipata was pulling up, a mere 15 bolivanos (2.50$) later and 3 hours of muddy mountain roads later i was dropped off in the middle of the mountain. i walked the 2 km uphill between the road and the main plaza and i was there - samaipata.

it doesn´t look like much at first, a few streets and chickens and horses walking around, but when you get to know it it´s incredible.

i found a hostel and wanted to wander off to the market for some cheap food when an israeli backpacker interpelled me and asked if i wanted to share a cab to el fuerte, a ruin from the chané aazonian tribe, then the incas, and then the spaish colonialists. i decided i might as well get some culture in me so i followed. it was interesting but the misty mountain climat made it hard to see all the ruins.

came back to town and had a large yet overpriced dinner and a few beers with the israelis, when i heard "Hey Frenchy!" and saw pablo the crazy uruguayo artesano i met in santa cruz, we spoke for a bit and then i went back to my hostel to read a bit, wondering what the hell i coudl find to do here which wasn´t overpriced.. see i had originally come here to go to amboró, but no buses go there and it is a 25$ taxi ride to get there, or a 6 hour walk up the mountain.

a knock on the door announcing that sergio, the even crazier argentine artesano met in santa cruz with pablo was downstairs waiting for me, a big elfish grin proclaiming "Frenchy! you made it!".


samaipata is a little town lodged in between many beautiful parks and natural wonders, waterfalls and the like, where it would appear the only inabitants are children, taxi drivers, israeli backpackers and artesanos who don´t seem to be selling much.
it´s a really beautiful place, very magical, with tropical flowers and fruits and vegetables, everything is grown locally and 100% natural, no GMO or greenhouse labs around here. it´s the kind of place where you throw a seed into the grass and a year later you come back to find a plant growing there.

a large terrain here costs about 500$, with mountain views and everything, i can´t think of a better place to buy a farm to survive 2012 (damn you aprille. damn you.)

i met a wonderful girl from ile maurice who grew up in england, came here and stayed 3 years in bolivia. she still hasn´t gone home and isn´t thinking of going back anytime soon. she broke her foot in the winter and so has stayed in samaipata for 6 months, living in a delightful little house that she rents for 100$ a month, on the mountain with a large garden for her 3 dogs to play in.

this place is so wonderful, i love it, it´s full of little things that make me happy, like dirt roads and snot faced children waddling through the mud, waking up in candela´s garden to see a crazy columbiano doing telas from the tree overtop my tent, seeing all the artesanos work and all the animals, the horses, chickens, ducks, dogs, etc. i really like the countryside, and it´s doing me a world of good. especially living where i am, it´s like a big commune with childrena nd animals and artists. i love it.

yesterday sergio and i sat on the plaza drinking maté and conversing with the few like minded souls, he says i brought him luck yesterday, ahah.
it´s nice being somewhere were there´s nothing to do but look at the wind ruffling the leaves and the colours of the mountain changing with the sun.

i agreed to travel with sergio for a bit before going onto peru, he said he feels like we both have similar personalities and we get along well, he´s an elfish little thing and i´m " la cosita ", neither artisan nor juggler nor hippie, just a strange thing that exists and travels and cohabitates with everyone peacefully, apparently. we´re going to try and find a dog, and he says he´ll hold onto it for me when i leave.

our plan is to heard towards vallegrande, but we might go to trinidad in the jungle instead, who knows anyway.

i´m off to go eat a large segundo in the market for 80 cents and find the elf.