When I first heard about the “Brother Sun, Sister Moon” Bolivia Expedition 2005, I didn’t for one second think I would be involved in it. However ,as it turns out, I couldn’t imagine the last 18 months of my life without it. After all the car washes, quiz nights, bike rides, Christmas parties, Shakespeare night, Halloween parties, dances and shopping bags packed, we finally made it to our destination and it was twenty five days I will never forget.
The first leg of our adventure began on the 23rd July 2005, 9:00pm in the quiet quarters of the Becket centre, Woodford Green. After a pleasant and peaceful mass, it was time to bid farewell to our families before heading off to bed, preparing for the long day ahead of us. It was a very emotional evening but like the others, I was prepared to say goodbye and embrace the experience. Before actually arriving in Bolivia, we spent the night in luxurious accommodation at Dallas, Texas. Alan Mair, the leader of the trip, organised for us to stay in his brother’s home. I initially wondered how the house could sleep 24 tired travellers, however, there was more than enough space for us, a swimming pool and even a basketball court.! Unfortunately, these facilities were only available to us for one day, before we travelled back to the airport to catch our next flight to Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
After 12 months of anticipation, the group were excited to finally reach Bolivia, which seemed to keep our spirits up in an otherwise cramped bus journey. At least I can be thankful that it wasn’t MY luggage that came loose, fell off the truck and skidded along the highway! Eventually, we made our way to the quiet village of Samaipata, camping in the peaceful “La Vispera”. Looking back on the journey now, this site had the best facilities of all we camped at, which was beneficial for us because it meant we weren’t thrown into the deep end too early on in the expedition. These first few days together were important in the bonding of the group. We learnt how to cope with daily problems and early hiking helped us to understand our fitness levels which prepared us for more challenging walks. While in Samaipata, we visited El Fuerte, ancient ruins carved from one single rock. Unfortunately, markings which had previously been very clear had now faded away due to the effects of weathering ,nevertheless, it was still a spectacular site to visit.
After a few days, we left Samaipata and made our way to The Amboro National Park, trekking through the forest and across the river. However, we weren’t able to carry all our luggage and so we hired mules to make the trip as well. We spent a couple of days in the new area, walking in the rainforest before making the same journey through the forest back to Samaipata. On our way back we took a detour to a waterfall close by. Here, was a chance for rest , relaxation and recuperation before the rest of the expedition. Parts of the journey like this were important for the whole group because they afforded the opportunity to reflect on what we had accomplished so far. Our stay back in “La Vispera” was a short one and we took a minibus to Santa Cruz bus station. Awaiting us was a twenty one hour bus journey to La Paz, the largest city in Bolivia. There, we would stay for a while and spend time on the project, the main purpose of the Bolivia expedition. The long and difficult ride took us to La Paz where we stayed at the Hotel Florida.
Sadly, the day we actually arrived in the city was one of the lowest in the trip. It was a shock for the whole group to leave a peaceful environment and be forced to adapt to the loud, commercial, densely populated area that is La Paz. Furthermore, the general standard of hotels in Bolivia would not be tolerated in any developed country . Eventually, we became accustomed to our surroundings and the city became our new “comfort zone”.
The next day, we started work on our project. We were such a large group, that we were split into two and worked on separate projects close to each other. Those with a creative imagination worked in the orphanage where they painted colourful pictures and images for the children on the playground walls. The rest of us worked in the deaf orphanage where we regenerated their basketball court by removing the weeds and pouring bitumen in the cracks. This was because the school was to have a basketball tournament within the next couple of weeks. I personally found the basketball court work very physically challenging but it was nice to work with the children who were enthusiastic to help. I actually found visiting the children and communicating with them was more rewarding than the actual work because they seemed to enjoy our presence and by the end of the project, they were sorry we were leaving. On the last day, we were lucky to see a parade by the children which took place on the newly regenerated basketball court, celebrating Bolivian Independence on the 6th August.
The following few days were very challenging, both physically and mentally, we began the Takesi trail. A three day hike at high altitude in the mountains where we were forced to camp in the wilderness and cook our own meals in our tent groups. The first two days were difficult because the walking was mainly uphill and the high altitude left us short of breath. When we finally reached the top, we had ascended a height of about 5000metres, higher than anywhere in Europe. We then travelled down the other side of the mountain and through the valley. On the final day, we trekked nine hours to finish the trail, ending at a small village on the side of the valley. After the long trip, we had a day of rest to organize ourselves for the ride back to La Paz.
We only spent one night in La Paz before embarking on another adventure. We were given the choice to see one of two breath-taking sites before returning home. The Salt Plains of Bolivia or Machu Pichu in Peru. My choice was Peru and I feel I made the right decision because it was an amazingly spectacular sight that I will never forget. Amazing Inca ruins built on the side of the mountains, created without any tools whatsoever and undiscovered for many years. Afterwards, we met up with the rest of the group who visited the Salt Plains , exchanged experiences and prepared to return home.
Everyone learned so much from the journey and can look back with many fond memories of the whole experience. I was able to see a whole new way of life that seemed normal for twenty five days and had twenty three great friends to share it with. It was an opportunity that I thought I would never have and it has helped me to mature and given me a greater awareness of things around me. Without the parish of St Thomas Of Canterbury ,the support of those who I attend mass with at St Stephen’s and the whole community, none of this would have been possible, so Thank You! The “Brother Sun, Sister Moon” Bolivia Project played a huge, almost an obsessive part of my life for over a year but I know that the experiences gained and lessons shared with others will be a part of me for the rest of my life.