San José de Chiquitos

For a short trip, we made our way to San José de Chiquitos (about 3.5 - 4 hours drive). We get to stay with friends. They have a nice house. Of course, it's simpler than in Germany, but it has everything you need.

Right next door, there are parrots sitting in the trees. In the morning, you can hear them well and loudly. It's fascinating to see them in freedom. They are bright green.

In the congregation, there aren't as many publishers, maybe 20. The rows of seats are made up of white garden chairs screwed together. Hard to imagine for us. In the front, there is a lectern, a table and chair, and a television to see the song lyrics or watch videos. The brothers and sisters are very friendly. I feel like I've known them for a long time! In the evening, we ate at the Plaza.

The next day, we drove to the village of Santiago and went to a mountain range. The view was gigantic. So much jungle and such amazing clouds. From up there, you could see the shadows of the clouds.

There isn't much thought given to safety precautions or safety measures here. At the top of the mountain, there is a marking on the ground that you better not exceed. Otherwise, you could fall down the cliff. Along the way, at some places, there are 'railings' (thick tube) where you can hold on. The descent was exhausting. Half climbed, half walked.

We had a well-deserved lunch in the small village of Santiago. We ate on a lady's terrace. Right behind it was her living room. Truly a tiny village. Noodles with meat and juka and a salad. I didn't eat the salad. You don't know how it was prepared. Here, as a European, you can quickly catch something with the stomach/intestines. I didn't want to take any risks. The food was really delicious! And if you think about it, we ate with 5 people and paid about 12 euros.

For the second tour, we needed a guide who showed us the way. In the village, we found someone. We had to drive a piece in the car with six people. I traveled in the trunk.

The tour was really an adventure. We fought our way through the thickest rainforest. Our guide had a machete with him. At first, it was very strange, but when he talked about mountain lions and snakes, I understood it. He told us that if we see a mountain lion, we must not run away. He usually keeps going, but we must not follow him, otherwise, he will lie in wait and attack.

It was a bit of a shame to look down at the ground so hard not to fall. So I couldn't see much of the surroundings. At one point, the ground became a little wetter, and that's where the snakes feel comfortable. We should be careful. In between, I felt a little uneasy, but nothing happened.

Our goal was a waterfall. A small waterfall, but beautiful. Down there was like a pool. Unfortunately, we didn't bring swimwear, but we put our feet in. It was very cold and crystal clear! It was incredibly beautiful! We took a break there. Then it was time to go all the way back. After that, I was pretty exhausted. We had a drink and sat on the Plaza for a moment. Under a gigantic rubber tree! The diameter of the trunk was maybe 7/8 meters, and it had a lot of aerial roots.

In the evening, we went to a dance siesta at a sister's house. When we got home afterwards, I just fell into bed.