The Jungle Diaries: Week 1

Hola Amigos!

I am in the middle of Bolivia volunteering at an animal sanctuary. It´s going well, the toughest part is making friends with the humans! Haha.

Facilities

It´s just like Summer Camp. Think basic facilities (eg. compost toilets) all covered in mud and insects.Thankfully I can handle it.

Sleeping

I have a top bunk. The matress is made of straw! I have a hole ridden mosquito net. Some nights it lets mosquitos in (ouch!) others it doesn´t. I share with two other people. We all like sleeping so it is a quite hut.

Food

It´s fab! When left to my own devices I only eat bread and cheese, crisps and ice cream. My healthiest meals are on organised trips. They always provide lots of vegetables and fruit. He we have 3 meals a day. Except for breakfast, they are diverse meals of vegetables and beans. Breakfast is just bread, so most people buy their own cereal or spreads.

Animals

When I first arrived I was met by a nasua. My mouth dropped open. I would have hugged it but apparently it had been swimming in the loos! Next I saw wild pigs and lots of birds – Tucans, Mecaws (blue and red) and Emus. There are other animals (Pumas, Jaguars, Taipers, Ocelots etc) on site but you can only see them if you work with them.

My animals

I work with 4 baby Howler Monkeys in the morning and a Geoffry´s Cat in the afternoon. The Howler Monkeys are amazing. I just can´t beieve I get to be so close to them. One of them likes hugging so you can study her features, like her ears and feet up close. It´s also amazing just watching the monkeys in the tree.

The Geoffry´s Cat is adorable too. He likes walking and climbing trees. For his size (think domestic cat) he eats a lot of meat! There are also lots of other animals I see such as gorgeous butterflies, bugs, lizards, frogs and other small mammels.

Uniform

We all look like second hand safari rangers; wearing hand-me-downs from past volunteers. It´s bloody hot here but you have to be covered head-to-toe in thick layers because of mosquitos. Literally head-to-toe. I am about to purchase a mosquito net hat as I have to keep hitting my face otherwise!

Warning

Never touch a red ant tree. Their bites hurt more than mosquito bites.

Health

So far I have accumulated the following injuries:

1 Howler Moneky bite
Countless mosquito bites
1 Red Ant bite
1 scrath from falling over

Weather

The weather is hot and humid most of the time. However, the rainy season is starting and sometimes we get afternoons of rain. I am not looking forward to the rainy season as the land floods. I already have to go through almost knee deep water along parts of the path to the Geoffry´s Cat. Apparently, it can go waist deep! Not fun without wadders.

Note : The mosquitos even visit the internet cafe! I´m currently sitting with my feet inside my backpack so they don´t get bitten any more.

Ciao,

Lettice

@LetticeTravels