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WEEK 29 : 17th May - 23rd May 2002 |
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| Trip Distance (km) | Quote of the Week | Country | ||
| 24,956 |
Martin:"Is this stick for helping to catch an Anaconda when we find one? "
Guide: "No, for scaring the Alligators back into the swamp." - This said as the guide passed Martin a stick he had just cut as we waded through knee deep water on the swamps edge. |
Bolivia Rurrenabaque - Pampas Tour - Coroico - La Paz  Map |
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Memorable Moment For those who don't know Steve Irwin - The Crocodile Hunter, let's just say he is a mate of the Goneriden crew. While many normal people go to the pub or maybe to catch a movie on a Saturday night, not us, after finishing dinner we jumped into an overgrown wooden canoe and went out to catch some alligators. After spying numerous eyes which glowed red in the torch light, we approached a target, the cook from the tour then dangled a stick and rope over the head of the target, got him. Into the boat he came. After some photos, back to the water he went. Not happy with the size of this one we pressed on, some thrashing about by the next specimen, along with his size, meant that taking this one to the bank was a much better option. Standing on the bank in the long grass, we examined him closely, but where were all his mates. Enough for tonight, back to camp we went. After waking Sunday morning we decided that some Anaconda catching would be a good follow up from the night before. We took the boat downstream, got out, and walked through the long grass as the water started to get deeper around our legs. We made it to a swamp/lake and followed the guide around the edge as the water at times came to our waists. The alligators peered at us from less than 5m away, were they friends with the anacondas? After over an hour, and becoming a little complacent, we were brought to our toes as we pulled a 3m anaconda from the reeds. Trudging back through the swamp for 15 minutes with a snake this size and weight hanging around your neck is something else. Let's just be thankful he didn't squeeze.
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Pictures of the Week |
Competition Racing each other up the world's most dangerous road. It was a draw. 5 hours to get down on a mountain bike, 1hr 10 mins to get to the top on a KTM. |
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Highlight After jumpimg in the river to swim with the pink dolphins we were carried rapidly down stream and around the bend. As we looked at the alligator slide marks on the bank, thought about the Piranha's we had caught, remembered the anaconda's and cobra's, we thought more about the boat. It was a highlight to see it come around the bend to pick us up. |
Risk Activity Removing the hook from a Piranha's mouth, they may be small but they are very quick with razor sharp teeth. As one of our tour memebers found out when a Piranha took a bite from her finger. Risk Factor 9/10 |
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Lowlight Sitting in the back of an old Landcruiser for 3.5 hours on a hell road, to get back to town after our tour. It would have been less than an hour on our bikes, but we wouldn't have got to entertain everyone with our rendition of Walzing Matilda. |
Road Tally Jamie - 1 Bus, side swiped with pannier on the way up the world's most dangerous road. |
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