That thing called Wanderlust

So the last few days have been intense, full moon, eclipse, blood moon and the deep desire to flee or hide or even jump off a bridge. Somehow the "normality" of it all strikes you when you stop for a minute and observe the routine I have so quickly slipped into once again.
The mind is constantly rearranging , making sense , finding ways to safely categorize everything but not this time. This time the filing system seems to be a little messy, not sure where things need to go, which need to be safely filed away , addressed or completely be deleted.
Dongzhimen bridge is too low - I will seriously damage a car and then have to fork out a vast amount of RMB on top of a hospital bill.
For those of you that don't know me , I do occasionally suffer from deep futility - from what is the point ? What am I doing , and why am Im doing it here.
If I could keep traveling I would, but I need respite , rest , a cupboard , a bed and a cat - what for others is their day to day  lives is for me a sweet moment in time where I can dream once more of leaving.

So two days confined to my laptop , an empty apartment ( one flat mate is in Italy , the other well who knows where Little Fish is lurking) and I'm barely breathing under the severity of the travel bug .
Sharp and starving there is nothing to feed him , no endless exploration online can even for a moment appease the hunger . Starving the bug to death is impossible - this will kill us both .
And in the moments of searching Japan, Mongolia for  few scraps to feed the bug I stumble across and ex - work mate here from China and read his blog - I know I am not alone.
Somehow even though so many I know live with this same way of looking at the world I still know we feel alone in our quest for meaning . Don't get me wrong - it is a curse as well as a blessing.
Happiness is long found - it's the stare out the train window in Vietnam , eating Pho Ba for the first time in the streets of Saigon , the sunrise at Angkor wat , the deep orange of monk robes against the grey stone , the morning solstice mist at Macchu Picchu , the hot volcanic sand of Santorini, the devotional air of Varanasi , the cobbles stoned streets of Prague , the sweet smell of heather and  rain in the Scottish highlands  - this is my happiness.
China , Beijing right now you need to feed this bug - keep it happy , keep it alive - till we both head off for new adventures.
But will I have to slow down , stop -  feed the bug one cuisine - plans to relocate to Peru feel right , to build a home -stop - but will it be enough ?

Amazon basin - I love the smell of DEET in the morning !

Rurrenabaque is the portal here into the Bolvian Amazon - many tours operate from here and the town is whizzing with motorbikes , locals eating, eating and eating and foreigners waiting for their trips to begin !
Its hot, humid and rainy ! Don't forget a cheap B$ 5 rain coat - just in case ! I opted for the pampas instead of the jungle eco lodge tour as I was told Id be guaranteed more animals and less mosquitoes !
Well ------- ! Its also not rainy season yet - so lucky for me - more wildlife attracted to the river and less mosquitoes - but so so many other flying -into-your-hair bugs !
The ride from Rurrenabaque is bumpy - 3 hours of bumpy ! , our jeep was worse for wear - twice we had to stop as there was strange noises coming from the carriage of the car - which was ignored after a brief kick we were on the road again.
We had a basic lunch in Santa Rosa before we headed out on our boat - another 3 hours - far more interesting and comfortable than the jeep ride. Slather on the sunblock and then the DEET mosquito repellent - the beginning of a 3 day ritual !

This is definately the highlight - being on the river - getting up close and personal with the wildlife . Hundreds of crocodiles , entire families of  capybara ( giant semi-aquatic rodents - yes ---- The worlds largest rat ! with webbed feet ) , sunbathing chilling- out turtles on logs - little yellow squirrel monkeys chattering away , we saw one Toucan at our camp and a multitude of birds - herons, kingfishers,egrets,hawks, eagles,hoatzin(paradise birds) - all just going about their daily business at the riverside. Anacondas in the lake and piranha fishing in the river -quite an itinerary !
The dolphins came on day two - so elusive to capture on camera - greyish, pinkish dolphins , swimming and playing in the river. Beauty ! Swimming with the dolphins is recommended - really ? I see a black caiman croc over there and didn't we just fish here yesterday for piranhas ! And besides having studied Microbiology who knows what parasites abound here in these waters - I'm brave but not that brave !

The camp site - lodge was very basic but ok - riverside with good views to watch the animals . We all share in wooden huts with mosquito nets - a cook on hand to feed us - hammocks for relaxing , a generator for awhile at night to provide some electricity to charge all those damn phones and cameras! Giant I mean giant frogs - be careful where you walk . I had the privilege of   a small jumping frog in the shower- nearly made me  jump out of my skin ! The second night the bugs came - in full force - Stephen King like movie proportions - I itch now just thinking of it ! Luckily after a long days walk - I pass out no time to think of what is crawling about in the darkness outside. But just for a moment before I fall asleep I listen and hear a million sounds - beauty !

In the early evening we would take the boat up to the view point to watch the sunset - drink a beer - some travellers playing volleyball and soccer and most of us just lounging - taking the day in.
Tired , sunburnt but happy - a great experience -much seen and learnt - dark star filled skies and the coolness of the night air. Making memories !

 The Camp

 Finally at the river!

Anacondas and Psychedelic Mushrooms - all in a mornings walk

 NO ANACONDAS WERE HARMED - Six km's in wet, smelly pampas - knee deep in mud, toppling over , through shoulder high reeds - hiding at least 23 species of snake - we go off to " hunt " the Anaconda. The locals  talk about a 9 meter long snake - I shudder - But knowing that ours will be a touristy event - so no fear needed !
The walk is gruelling once the sun is high and the wellies are hot and sticky against your leg.
To no avail , we search one lake after the other , find a shady spot to rest and then continue.
One dead anaconda and we nearly give up - but still a 1km to walk back to camp.
We encounter crabs, huge snails, a small black snake , birds of all sorts and mushrooms - toxic - hallucinogenic mushrooms the guide explains. No one is up for it ! Damn !

Anyway soon , we hear another guide shout and there it is - Baby anaconda - damn you Hollywood ! ruining it for us ! One and a half meters of Anaconda - hmmmmm - back to the lake with you !

A shower and siesta in the camp before we hit the river for our night trip !

Those pesky Piranhas ! Eat them before they eat you.

This afternoon we went piranha fishing not something I quite thought to be on my bucket list- but alas - tick tis done ! The river here is filled with them - now and then you see them surface and we see two types - one with the orange belly - this one bites and can attack - usually in packs ( schools ? - packs sounds more ferocious) and the plain silver one . We fish with beef lol ! and Im even brave enough to remove the hook from the first baby Piranha I catch to put him back in the river.
The guide tells us a story of his finger being bitten to the bone is seconds by a bigger piranha and it took six weeks to heal. I try not to think of Sharknado ( cult movie and the multiple jokes of Piranado)
Even the thought of the recent piranha movie makes me feel cold, whilst the movie from my childhood is much clearer in my minds eye. All the while we fishing we are constantly watched by crocodile eyes - so well if the piranhas won't get you,if , by chance you fall into this river - those crocs are waiting - especially the black cayman crocs - vicious looking !

So in addition to dinner tonight we have piranha - taste like fish !

Dare I eat the fish ? Rurrenbaque

I finally venture from the hammock and take a stroll through the village , which after siesta has come alive again. Restaurants look inviting with low lamps - earlier I couldn't see one restaurant! The river here runs murky I suppose as most of the amazon does . I order a local dish called Dunucuabi , a white fleshed river fish - Cubed and  cooked with chilli, shallots, garlic wrapped in banana leaves over a hot BBQ! The restaurant here is owned by an Australian guy and it's fairly busy. I order a fresh watermelon juice ( my favorite ) it lives up to Thailand 's fresh juice ! Other juices on the menu are fresh peach , papaya , orange and homemade lemonade . The menu also features steaks : pepper steaks a 500 g steak at b$90. Also steak cooked in red wine , pork spare ribs and some other Bolivian meat dishes. Another feature on the menu is lasagne both featuring quinoa , creamy vegetables and one with chicken. 

It starts raining and the sound of the rain on a tin roof accompanied by bolivian music is perfect - also the smell coming from the kitchen adds to the moment. 

I'm hungry , it's humid I'm in the Amazon basin and it feels like I'm at a beach ! 

My hair looks lion like as the humidity plays havoc with it , thank God it's dark. 

The fish arrives  tightly wrapped in leaf , Smelling  sublime served with mashed potato and steamed vegetables. It's delicious ! The mashed potato rivals the ex's and the vegetables are perfectly cooked. The fish is white and chunky , flavored with garlic and chilli and juicy with a slight BBQ flavor! For the sticks it's pretty damn amazing! The owner takes time to come and show his customers the look of the fish we just ate.Weird looking and tastes nothing like a river fish ! 

Leaving La Paz

Early morning Sunday and I'm excited to get out of the city !  Flight from LaPaz is only 35 min to Rurrenabaque and yet a bus takes 24 hours. Once we in the air I realize why looking at the landscape below - not easy roads to traverse. I'm glad I chose the flight for obvious reasons but more so for the view ! 

Below La Paz lies like a twisted brown pretzel , overlooked by majestic snow capped mountains. 

The plane is small with about 20 passengers but soon I forget all the horror plane crash movies I've seen as the city scape changes to jungle , mountains and winding, snaking rivers! Wow! Incredible , the clouds feel so low as if you can reach  out and touch them . 

Before we know it we are preparing to land - there is no airport just a landing strip with two guys traffic controlling. 

The humidity hits once we out the plane , full force and we are off on a little bus to a nearby building where the luggage will be deposited. Waiting for about ten minutes ,

 I meet up with a British couple and we share a taxi into the village to our accomodation. Well I'm here, it's hot , there's a pool and a hammock - that's where I am now ! 

A little luxury before we head off 3 hours by boat into the jungle tomorrow - outside the comfort zone. I'm strongly armed against Mosquitos but have heard that nothing can save you ! 

Mmmmmmm something to look forward too ? I better see that damn anaconda ! 

BOLIVIA -PASTRY LINKED TO CULTURE

Carb overload - but it had to be done ! Whilst waiting in Tupiza for the 4x4 jeep journey I made my way to the small market just down the road from where I was staying. As it was Day of the dead weekend  - Todos Santos ( 31st Oct -2 Nov ) stalls were filled with wreaths made of plastic and so many different pastries !
So my conclusion is that certain pastries are linked to certain celebrations and time of the year . This time of the year the most famous is the Tantawawas - meaning Breadbaby - these are baked as an essential element of the spirit of the deceased. They are mainly baked in the shape of a baby and some are baked in the shape of a ladder - symbolising the ascension to heaven of a soul.
I also saw meringue babies ! Egg white coloured various garish colours to symbolise the deceased.

I tried a range of pastries - some were sweet , some not sweet at all  - my favourite ones being - two crispy cookies filled with strawberry jam and then rolled in coconut. Another favourite was soft meringue wedged together with dulce de leche - A caramel.

Passankallas is also everywhere - white puffed corn in various forms - due to the high altitude corn puffs beautifully ! 

BOLIVIA - FOOD AND MORE FOOD !

 Llama chorizo sandwich with a salty cheese (almost like feta) ,mustard and salad - La Paz

 Tucuman - Thin , flaky pastry stuffed full with potato, chicken, beef,vegetables and egg -La Paz - so filling - not my favourite as the filling can be a little stodgy !

 Quinoa Beer - Delcious - Bolivia being the largest quinoa producer in the world

Saltena - The story of the saltena is that a woman from Salta , Argentina introduced the empanada to Bolivia - The saltena is a crispy pastry , Fried - unlike empanadas which are baked - filled with either meat ( carne) Chicken (pollo) or Vegetables- the sauce you smother them in has a nice bite alongside some fresh onion and tomato- Delciious ! Off the streets many little shops and street vendors are selling these - mostly around breakfast time !