Saturday, June 25

No, fuck me. Those weren’t chiggers. I woke up in the middle of the night clawing at my armpits. Those were no insect bites. I had hives everywhere except my face.

Why do I do such stupid things? I was smart enough to ask whether the milk was pasteurized, but not smart enough not to drink it. I had a milk allergy as a child and this crossed my mind when I was offered the milkshake. But, I have not been allergic to milk for nearly 30 years. Well, it turns out I have not been allergic to pasteurized and homogenized milk for nearly 30 years. The natural stuff—not so much.

Also, my ear is clogged. Terribly clogged. I think it happened on the bus ride down because I wore headphones going from La Cumbre to Chulumani. More stupidity. Well, whatever it is, I can’t really hear from my left ear.

So, to summarize, I am leaking from the back end. I am covered in hives. I can’t hear. If I typed this into Google, would leprosy come up?

I still hiked around the grounds for a little bit in the morning, finally getting a picture of Blue-and white swallow and a better picture of Red-billed Parrot. Along with the ubiquitous Marble-faced Bristle-tyrant, I also found a female Antshrike.

While I was stomping about, a man was supposed to be purchasing my ticket and returning to the lodge to pick up for the bus ride back to La Paz. He was late. Very late and it was looking like I would miss my bus. In fact, he was still in town. The lodge quickly called a car to pick me up. The driver attempted to make time by sliding through every corner and switchback on the dirt road to town. I would have preferred to miss my bus, frankly. But, I made it because the guy charged with buying the ticket basically stood in front of the bus to prevent them from leaving without me. 

Friday, June 24

A breakfast of French toast was ready at 6:15am and I was birding by 7. I walked the road towards Apa-Apa Reserve, casually birding along the way. I was told the walk would be 45 minutes, but as with all birding, it probably took closer to 2 hours. The road netted Crested and Dusky-green Oropendola, Purplish Jay and Sparkling Violetear. Reaching the trail just after a wooden sign post, this section was mostly open, yielding Streak-throated Flycatcher, Blue-capped Tanager, Slate-throated Whitestart, Strong-billed Woodcreeper, and Marble-faced Bristle Tyrant. Moving into the forest proper produced Yungas Manakin, Grass-green Tanager, Bolivian Brush-Finch (previously conspecific with Rufous-naped Brush-Finch), Cinnamon Flycatcher, Three-striped Warbler, Tropical Parula and Azara's Spinetail.

The trail descended into the valley, eventually crossing the river. This was just an amazingly beautiful spot, which if dry and mosquito-free, I would have gladly sat and enjoyed for hours. As it was, I found a Spotted Barbtail. The walk back yielded many of the same species, but a Short-tailed Hawk passed overhead and a flock of Plumbeous Pigeon filled the tops of one tree.

Taking my boots and socks off, I noticed little red bumps along my ankles. Chiggers, I thought. I had heard they lived in the high grass that you tramp through in spots along the trail. I know there are chiggers in Texas who will bury into your skin, usually in areas that are dark, wet and pressed by clothing. I had largely avoided their nuisance back home, but seemed to be striking both along my sock lines and around my waist. I was given some rubbing alcohol to put on the bites

Dinner was marred by an obnoxious Canadian who showed up with two bird guides (actually people, not books). At one point he may have been an independent traveler who generally roughed it. Now, he is a douche. He asked, “Don’t you find that the 300mm just isn’t enough sometimes. I feel like it just isn’t enough. My 600mm is really what brings me close to the birds.” For those not aware, his 600mm lens costs in the neighborhood of $8000. Fuck him. Also, he spoke no Spanish and seemed to revel in that ignorance. Fuck him again.

Bird Tally: 12 new, 12 lifers

Thursday, June 23

I woke up early to finishing packing my bags and grab breakfast before heading up to Villa Fatima for the bus to Chulamani (Bs20). Again, I will neither bike nor drive the Death Road while here, but the South Yungas Road is its cousin. It took an hour just to get out of La Paz for reasons I do not quite understand. We finally finished getting gas and the remaining ride to the turnoff was uneventful. There was no traffic in the opposite direction, so the narrow descent with its hairpin turns, switchbacks and and blind corners seemed far from treacherous. Then we hit a road block for construction. Busses, trucks and cars were stalled for half-an-hour, generating an accordion of traffic once the way reopened. Our driver was particularly eager to save himself three minutes of travel, honking incessantly at any bus or truck that he managed to catch until they let him pass at full speed. By now, traffic was also coming from Chulamani, but the road was not wide enough for two vehicles. Downhill apparently has right-of-way. In addition to the amazing scenery and typical Bolivian shenanigans, the most lasting impression of the ride was the dachshund-basset mix that found his was under my seat and eventually into my lap. This scene is memorialized on several Bolivan cameras.

Arriving in the main square of Chulamani just after 2pm, I located a phone center to call the Portugal Hacienda to see if there was space. I was told to head on up and lunch would be waiting. Even the cab ride (Bs25) was not without issue as there was road construction blocking the road to the Hacienda, leaving me to walk the last half mile.

The hacienda is a full menagerie with Green-and-blue and Green-and-red Macaws, something that looks like a javelina, a giant terrapin, cows, chickens and a Great Dane roughly the size of my Pontiac Vibe.

I ate a very late lunch, settled my bags into the small room I would call home for two nights and strolled around the grounds and surrounding roads. This little stroll netted Bananaquit, Crested Oropendola, Sayaca Tanager, Palm Tanager, Olivaceous Siskin, White-tipped Dove, Purplish Jay, Yellow-olive Flatbill, and Green-and-Olive Woodpecker.

Dinner was simple, but tasty: a red pepper stuffed with rice and ground beef. I also had my first glass of unpasteurized milk blended with strawberries.

Bird tally: 3 new, 2 lifers