Codo de Los Andes & Cuevas
A Return to Adventure
A friend, Jacob Schnall, had been on this hike a couple of times in his two years here and insisted that we go sometime before the end of my tenure in Santa Cruz. I almost talked myself out of going when I considered the travel time, but I am grateful to have gone and to have had Jacob as a guide.
“Trufi” Ride
Trufis are essentially long distance taxis. It appears that the most common route is from Santa Cruz to Samaipata (at least in this part of the country). There are 7 seats on a Trufi which is just a large van with three rows of seats. Since there were two of us and three others already waiting, we had to wait around 10 minutes for two others to arrive to fill up the car. Our car full of 7 would travel 3 hours together for the price of 30 Bolivianos each (around $4.25). Jacob and I would speak in English to each other for the duration of the ride while the rest of the car sat in near silence. The way out of Santa Cruz is flat and paved, the trip into the mountains is partially paved, full of potholes, and has low visibility at night due to the amount of dust on the dirt sections of the road. We arrived in Samaipata around 7:30.
Samaipata
After arriving, we would negotiate another Trufi ride back home to Santa Cruz for after the hike on Saturday. It was important to plan this now as there is no cell service at the end of the hike and we would have to resort to hitch-hiking for long, bumpy ride. We agreed to be picked up at 6:30 and gave the deposit of 50 Bs (~$7) in case that we did not show. We then walked down the street and asked for a couple of beds in a hostel. Beds were another 60 Bs each. We would get dinner and discuss the ongoing Roe v. Wade debate taking place in the US. We would cut conversation short when we realized that it was rather cold outside (something we are not used to in Santa Cruz).
We woke up around 7 to purchase food for the hike and wait for a cafe to open for coffee. We fit a few games of backgammon in which would see Jacob increasing his Backgammon debt to me by 10 Bs (from 40 to 50). After breakfast, we looked for a ride to the trailhead.
Mototaxi
In Samaipata, motorcycles are used as taxis (called “mototaxis”). Due to fairly inaccessible nature of our drop-off location, we had little other choice than the mototaxi. We agreed to 40 Bs each for a 30 minute ride to the trailhead on the backs of two different motorcycles. This would be my first time on a motorcycle which was, at first, terrifying then quite relaxing. I hope my mom never reads this.
Codo de Los Andes
Jacob and I would spend around an hour hiking up the mountain before reaching the summit. I felt refreshed early on in the hike. Being back in the mountains with a good conversationalist reminded me of some of the happiest times of my life (on the El Camino de Santiago, on one of the many backpacking trips with friends from college, or walking in the woods in Appalachia). Jacob would encourage me to use some of my free time in June to hike some of the large peaks in the Western part of Bolivia near La Paz.
On the summit, we would take in the view & silence together for a time. Jacob then meditated while I wrote in my journal. I am still proud of my journaling practice and that I could use that peaceful, beautiful time and place for something enriching. I felt somewhat disappointed in myself for having no meditation practice as I sat with Jacob. However, there is still time for that to come, and I should use him as inspiration and not a source of comparison
Hike to Cuevas
We would slide or fall often due to the slick terrain. We would run into cows, find some strange footprints, and end the hike with a kilometer or so in a shallow stream. We would talk about the successes and failures in our respective jobs. We would snack. We would climb into a frigid swimming hole, only bearable due to the strong sun and having walked so much beforehand.
Cuevas & Our Exit
Las Cuevas is a series of three different waterfalls. The first beginning its cascade at the end of our hike through the stream. We killed some time at the waterfalls as we were close to the exit of the trail but a couple hours away from our 6:30 pick up time.
We waited by the side of the road and picked 6:45 to be the time to give up and start hitch-hiking. However, we never would have to stick up our thumbs. Our ride showed up, as promised, and we rode back to Santa Cruz.
Jacob and I spent the entire trip aside from a night’s sleep and the last hour of the second Trufi ride in conversation. I needed his perspective and this trip to help think about and plan the rest of my time here before moving to Buenos Aires.
I am ready to finish my job. Some of my classes have finished AP tests and far less is required of me as a teacher this last month. I now leave work with a feeling of dispassion on most days. This lifelessness has bled into other parts of my life and has caused me to fear that I am a dispassionate person. Spending time away from the city and job allowed me to see that my life does not need to be stale after finishing up in Santa Cruz.
Ready for you to finish your job too! :P