Non-government funded "Inti Wara Yassi" animal sanctuary, bordering the hot, humid jungles of Parque Machia south of Cochabamba, is Bolivia´s only refuge for abused wild animals and relies solely on volunteer efforts or private donations to exist. Its name apparently means "sun, star and moon" in the local Indian languages of Quechua, Aymara and Guarani; the principal Bolivian cultures.
Started in 1997 by a local named ´Juan Carlos Antezana´, the sanctuary specialises in the ongoing care and rehabilitation for over 1000 animals including monkeys, birds, tortoises, coatis, sloths, snakes and cats; most were illegally poached, living in disgusting conditions within private homes, hotels and circuses beforehand.
Believing this to be a potentially unique experience whilst wanting to stop and rest in one place, I returned from Peru to small ´Villa Tunari´ (just 5 hours south from Cochabamba) with the intention of offering my volunteering services. With the exception of ´more dodgy bus journeys´ to get there, I knew little of what to expect apart from knowing that they housed a few large South American cats.
During a quick introductory tour, it was explained that once volunteers were assigned to certain animals it was forbidden to visit other animals without prior permission AND that photography was forbidden during the 1st week. Perhaps worse (or better depending on how you look at it), I was offered to work with "Roy", a 5 year old Puma in his prime reputed as the largest and most active male in the park who runs his excercise trails all day, frequently to the result of sprained joints or broken bones of his carers. *gulp*
Concerned about my prior knee injury yet finding the idea of walking a Puma quite an opportunity, I decided to give the latter option a go whilst clearly admitting my concerns to park coordinators in the event I needed a swap into the monkey or bird areas instead. Although my knee certainly didnt feel quite right when walking with weight on it (ie. a full backpack), I had not really tested it for months and my next blog entry may perhaps surprise you as to the results :)
Somewhere between Arequipa and Lima on the west coast, lies "Hauchachina", an oasis town surrounded by countless 'mountain sized' sand dunes, of which can only be described as a ´sandboarders´ paradise; and that's exactly what many travelling gringos visit for.
Having done a fair bit of snowboarding in the past, I was keen to try out this newer extreme sport, however had been warned that 'sand' was much harder to lean into to make turns whilst heading downhill, and nothing prepared me for the 60+ meter sized dune slopes out there in the desert.
How did I fair? Well I strapped my damaged right knee with 2 bandages and a brace before attempting this one, which worked pretty well, however my mobility was seriously impeded, so there was 'no way' I was going to look cool in any photos. As the dunes got higher and steeper (resembling those death-defying water-park slides), more people went down on their bellies instead, which I'll have to say was far scarier than standing up because there was only 2 ways to stop, and one insane Kiwi guy ended up concussed for the whole next day having experienced the worse option.
In order to get out there, 8 of us were piled into huge, noise making dune-buggies with some serious horsepower onboard. Not soon into the trip I was convinced that our driver possibly had the best job on the continent, as he continued to speed up, around, over and down the steep sloped dunes like a madman, all while his passengers screamed in delight.
I can best describe the whole experience for novice sandboarders as a serious novelty akin to some of the best rollercoasters I´ve been on, so regardless of whether people actually boarded or not, the buggy riding in itself was TOTALLY worth the experience alone.
AWESOME STUFF ;P
Stretching across over 500 kms/sq in the arid coastal strip south of Lima, Peru's "Nazca Lines", could possibly be the most mysterious of the ancient sites to be seen in all South America.
Made up of huge geometric shapes, straight lines and animal shaped murals scrawled into the stony desert, they've confounded some of the best minds in modern archaeological science for over half a century as to who created them and for what purpose.
Although alien visitation theories exist, stronger evidence suggests the culprits as a local pre-Inca people known as "Nazca" of which the nearby settlement, nowadays offering flights to visitors over the lines, owes it´s name. Similar geometrical designs have been since found on preserved pottery in nearby Nazca burial sites, alongside the unearthly looking skeletons of such a people who literally elongated their youths skulls through pressure casts in an effort to show reverence to their Andean mountain gods.
Although a pre-Inca civilisation, the Nazca continued to exist under the Inca empire´s rule until being sadly wiped out by European-introduced disease soon after, yet not before leaving traces of amazing cultural innovation such as networks of water-carrying underground tunnels leading from nearby mountaintops to the vast coastal desert they called home. Locals still use these tunnels for fresh water today, although scientists recently discovered that an extended drought existed in the Peruvian Andes around the time the Nazca Lines were created, which has lead to theories concerning a call in desperation to their gods for life-giving water.
Also some animals in the murals, such as monkeys, are found closer to jungle environments, which has linked the origin of the lines to possibly the visual results of "shaman flying"; a known practice still used today by some Amazonian communities involving the consumption of natural hallucinogenic substances by local jungle witchdoctors.
Causing colourful hallucinations and occasionally extended trances, shamans are assumed to be making direct contact with their gods in spirit form, which coupled with the desperate need for water has provided science with a solid origin theory behind the mysterious Nazca Lines; although actual evidence may possibly never be available to verify such claims, unless of course the aliens DO finally land there again :)
Non-government funded "Inti Wara Yassi" animal sanctuary, bordering the hot, humid jungles of Parque Machia south of Cochabamba, is Bolivia´s only refuge for abused wild animals and relies solely on volunteer efforts or private donations to exist. Its name apparently means "sun, star and moon" in the local Indian languages of Quechua, Aymara and Guarani; the principal Bolivian cultures.
Started in 1997 by a local named ´Juan Carlos Antezana´, the sanctuary specialises in the ongoing care and rehabilitation for over 1000 animals including monkeys, birds, tortoises, coatis, sloths, snakes and cats; most were illegally poached, living in disgusting conditions within private homes, hotels and circuses beforehand.
Believing this to be a potentially unique experience whilst wanting to stop and rest in one place, I returned from Peru to small ´Villa Tunari´ (just 5 hours south from Cochabamba) with the intention of offering my volunteering services. With the exception of ´more dodgy bus journeys´ to get there, I knew little of what to expect apart from knowing that they housed a few large South American cats.
During a quick introductory tour, it was explained that once volunteers were assigned to certain animals it was forbidden to visit other animals without prior permission AND that photography was forbidden during the 1st week. Perhaps worse (or better depending on how you look at it), I was offered to work with "Roy", a 5 year old Puma in his prime reputed as the largest and most active male in the park who runs his excercise trails all day, frequently to the result of sprained joints or broken bones of his carers. *gulp*
Concerned about my prior knee injury yet finding the idea of walking a Puma quite an opportunity, I decided to give the latter option a go whilst clearly admitting my concerns to park coordinators in the event I needed a swap into the monkey or bird areas instead. Although my knee certainly didnt feel quite right when walking with weight on it (ie. a full backpack), I had not really tested it for months and my next blog entry may perhaps surprise you as to the results :)
