It is the dinosaur footprints and affectionate monkeys, and not the torturous three day bus journey from La Paz back to Cuenca, that I will try to keep in my heart when I look back at the end of my days in Bolivia. Glass half full, as they say.
Indeed, my final two destinations in Bolivia, offered many entertaining sites and adventures, and were well worth the continued travels. The quaint white washed town of Sucre, for example, was also home to the world’s most extensive exhibit of natural fossilized dinosaur footprints, which appealed to the child-like fascination of the multi-national cast of eager visitors, regardless of age.
Cocha
bamba too, my last stop in Bolivia, was a beautiful town east of the imposing Andes Mountain range. Its lower elevation made for welcoming bone-thawing temperatures, and its perennially sunny skies have earned it the nickname “city of eternal spring.” Just three hours further east of the city proper was the rugged dramatic jungle—home to the growingly famous Inti Wara Yassi Nature reserve. The views on the drive to the park alone, though at times death-defying on the curving, dubiously constructed roads, were worth the pilgrimage. Exiting the arid sunny environs of Cochabamba, the landscape turned abruptly verdantly green—with flourishing ferns and blossoming begonias bordering the snaky low-lying misty rivers below the mountain perched highway.
The area is prime territory for the cultivation of coca plants, and each Bolivian family is legally allowed to grow a couple hectares. Outside of every humble home along the highway lay e
xpansive sheets covered in delicate green leaves which were drying in the harsh mid-day sun. The coca leaves are used from everything from traditional medicine, to tea, to candies, to even garlic bread (the latter of which was a bit green and hard for my liking… two fine adjectives to describe evergreen trees, or leprechaun boots, but not, in my opinion, carbohydrate appetizers).
Popular T-shirts sold in La Paz proudly proclaim “¡La hoja no es una droga!” (“The leaf isn’t a drug!”) And indeed, Bolivian president Evo Morales, himself an ex-coca leaf farmer, agrees. The United States government, however, does not. And USAID development money has been contingent upon strict, controversial stipulations of total coca plant eradication. Thus, the coca farmers unions in the region have recently, respectfully, simply asked USAID to leave. “Villa Tunari--USAID free territory!" proclaimed a proud billboard outside the Inti Wara Yassi park entrance. Well done! Some one had spray painted below in congratulations to the farmers union’s efforts.
The Inti Wara Yassi Reserve itself was a kind of rehabilitation center of sorts for wild animals that had been captured from the jungle to serve as pets, or sideshow attractions until their owners lost interest and stopped caring for them. Earnest volunteers come from all over the world to stay at the park for month long stints, helping to tend to the monkeys, walk the pumas, and feed the bears, among other duties. The spider monkeys were especially affectionate with the care takers they’d grown to love, and would unexpectedly leap on their backs in unabashed pleas for affection and hugs.
Due to the apes’ gregarious, uninhibited temperament, coupled with their mischievous curiosity, however, tourists must guard their possessions carefully. Visitors are warned not to carry any extraneous objects, and to keep a close hold on their cameras. One girl learned this lesson the hard way when a thirsty monkey swung down from a near
by branch and snatched her loosely held water bottle from her hand. After a brief bout of frustration, he quickly mastered the pop-top drinking nozzle, and drained the bottle of its contents.
As an animal lover, and ex-militant vegetarian, the spirit of the park appealed to me. Attractions such as Sucre’s dino fossils and Inti Wara Yassi leave me feeling perplexed and conflicted about resource allocation in developing countries where the human need is so profound as well. Bolivia has the dubious distinction of being South America’s poorest country, and the increased levels of poverty and lack of infrastructure were startling apparent, even in comparison to nearby Peru and Ecuador.
To preserve
the dinosaur footprints in Sucre for example, there is a proposed plan underway which would cost 190 million dollars, involving an elaborate re-fortification of the hillside to prevent erosion, and an eventual silicon covering of the fossilized imprints. The Bolivian government obviously lacks the funds to pay for such an undertaking out right. Luckily, there are many foreign parties interested in pitching into the effort. Apparently “preserving the world’s most extensive site of evidence of dinosaur life” has a sexier grant application title than “general alleviation of peasant hunger and destitution”—a Bolivian cause which could also use an extra 190 million.
Maintaining cultural and historical gems, unique in the world, has obvious value. By properly caring for these sites of interest, not only will future generations be able to enjoy and learn from them, but international visitors will continue to visit and thus stimulate the local economy. So long term, I understand. But as always, the allocation of limited funds, especially when need is so great, is a delicate and morally thorny process. It is hard to walk the streets of Bolivia’s many poverty stricken barrios, void of schools and hospitals, but full of starving children, and concretely decide which effort needs the most immediate attention.
Indeed, my final two destinations in Bolivia, offered many entertaining sites and adventures, and were well worth the continued travels. The quaint white washed town of Sucre, for example, was also home to the world’s most extensive exhibit of natural fossilized dinosaur footprints, which appealed to the child-like fascination of the multi-national cast of eager visitors, regardless of age.
Cocha
bamba too, my last stop in Bolivia, was a beautiful town east of the imposing Andes Mountain range. Its lower elevation made for welcoming bone-thawing temperatures, and its perennially sunny skies have earned it the nickname “city of eternal spring.” Just three hours further east of the city proper was the rugged dramatic jungle—home to the growingly famous Inti Wara Yassi Nature reserve. The views on the drive to the park alone, though at times death-defying on the curving, dubiously constructed roads, were worth the pilgrimage. Exiting the arid sunny environs of Cochabamba, the landscape turned abruptly verdantly green—with flourishing ferns and blossoming begonias bordering the snaky low-lying misty rivers below the mountain perched highway.The area is prime territory for the cultivation of coca plants, and each Bolivian family is legally allowed to grow a couple hectares. Outside of every humble home along the highway lay e
xpansive sheets covered in delicate green leaves which were drying in the harsh mid-day sun. The coca leaves are used from everything from traditional medicine, to tea, to candies, to even garlic bread (the latter of which was a bit green and hard for my liking… two fine adjectives to describe evergreen trees, or leprechaun boots, but not, in my opinion, carbohydrate appetizers).Popular T-shirts sold in La Paz proudly proclaim “¡La hoja no es una droga!” (“The leaf isn’t a drug!”) And indeed, Bolivian president Evo Morales, himself an ex-coca leaf farmer, agrees. The United States government, however, does not. And USAID development money has been contingent upon strict, controversial stipulations of total coca plant eradication. Thus, the coca farmers unions in the region have recently, respectfully, simply asked USAID to leave. “Villa Tunari--USAID free territory!" proclaimed a proud billboard outside the Inti Wara Yassi park entrance. Well done! Some one had spray painted below in congratulations to the farmers union’s efforts.
The Inti Wara Yassi Reserve itself was a kind of rehabilitation center of sorts for wild animals that had been captured from the jungle to serve as pets, or sideshow attractions until their owners lost interest and stopped caring for them. Earnest volunteers come from all over the world to stay at the park for month long stints, helping to tend to the monkeys, walk the pumas, and feed the bears, among other duties. The spider monkeys were especially affectionate with the care takers they’d grown to love, and would unexpectedly leap on their backs in unabashed pleas for affection and hugs.
Due to the apes’ gregarious, uninhibited temperament, coupled with their mischievous curiosity, however, tourists must guard their possessions carefully. Visitors are warned not to carry any extraneous objects, and to keep a close hold on their cameras. One girl learned this lesson the hard way when a thirsty monkey swung down from a near
by branch and snatched her loosely held water bottle from her hand. After a brief bout of frustration, he quickly mastered the pop-top drinking nozzle, and drained the bottle of its contents.As an animal lover, and ex-militant vegetarian, the spirit of the park appealed to me. Attractions such as Sucre’s dino fossils and Inti Wara Yassi leave me feeling perplexed and conflicted about resource allocation in developing countries where the human need is so profound as well. Bolivia has the dubious distinction of being South America’s poorest country, and the increased levels of poverty and lack of infrastructure were startling apparent, even in comparison to nearby Peru and Ecuador.
To preserve
the dinosaur footprints in Sucre for example, there is a proposed plan underway which would cost 190 million dollars, involving an elaborate re-fortification of the hillside to prevent erosion, and an eventual silicon covering of the fossilized imprints. The Bolivian government obviously lacks the funds to pay for such an undertaking out right. Luckily, there are many foreign parties interested in pitching into the effort. Apparently “preserving the world’s most extensive site of evidence of dinosaur life” has a sexier grant application title than “general alleviation of peasant hunger and destitution”—a Bolivian cause which could also use an extra 190 million.Maintaining cultural and historical gems, unique in the world, has obvious value. By properly caring for these sites of interest, not only will future generations be able to enjoy and learn from them, but international visitors will continue to visit and thus stimulate the local economy. So long term, I understand. But as always, the allocation of limited funds, especially when need is so great, is a delicate and morally thorny process. It is hard to walk the streets of Bolivia’s many poverty stricken barrios, void of schools and hospitals, but full of starving children, and concretely decide which effort needs the most immediate attention.
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