A Journey in a
Trufi
Getting around
Bolivia’s major cities is easy. The
larger cities all have airports and regular flights between them. But if you are a little more adventurous, and
want to see the real Bolivia, you must leave your comfort zone.
On October 30th,
I was returning to Santa Cruz after two days in Samaipata. I stopped by the trufi office, Transporte el
Fuerte, on my way to the Plaza to look for something to eat. The man there said it would be a while before
they left, because I was the only passenger at that moment.
A trufi is a
group taxi. They are faster than buses
and don’t make that many, if any stops.
You have to know where the trufis are located. The one that runs from Santa Cruz to
Samaipata is close to the second ring.
In Samaipata, it is just off the Plaza.
They will not leave until they fill all the seats and kids don’t count
as passengers, because they can sit in their parent’s lap.
So being the
only one, they weren’t going to leave.
When I returned from eating, they were starting the van and about to head
out. There were no more seats
available. There was already a lady
waiting for the next trufi, so I headed back to the house, gathered my things,
and came back. I didn’t have to wait
long. As soon as I arrived a lady came
and said she and another were going if they would pick them up around the
corner. A man called and said pick him
up too. Shortly after two more ladies
arrived and now the trufi was full.
We drove around
the corner and pick up the two ladies.
Then we drove another three blocks and honked the horn for the man. He wasn’t there. A few more honks and a man came running up a
dirt side street. Now we were on our
way.
About five
minutes out of town we pass by the waterfall and fifteen minutes after that we
pass by las Cuevas, where there is a trail that leads to swimming holes and
beautiful waterfalls. I haven’t seen the
waterfall yet. A few minutes after that
we reach a beautiful house, sitting on the side of the road. The garden is beautiful, but more beautiful
are the peacocks strutting along the side of the highway. To me that is my marker that we are leaving
Samaipata.
The next hour
is twisting and turning through gorgeous valleys and precipitous cliffs. It is
a tropical paradise. There are dirt
roads that lead further into the valleys.
Dogs are sunning themselves on the road, meaning there are people in the
area. I wonder at the people that are
walking down the highway. Where do you
live? What do you do for a living? Have you ever been out of this place? It is beautiful, but I cannot imagine living
here.
After an hour
and a half, the heat hits you. Almost
immediately, the road turns a corner and we are at the Angostura, a tool
booth. Beyond begins the long,
relatively straight stretch of highway leading to Santa Cruz, but that is an
hour away. First there is the town of El
Torno, where everybody is out for the Sunday market. Another dozen towns dot the highway, all
seemingly busy. We reach La Guardia and
I can sense my home is approaching.
We hit the
outer edge of Santa Cruz, probably about the 12th ring, and the man
gets out. Not far past my school, two
ladies get out. Another two tell the
driver to drop them at the 4th ring, but when we get to the 5th
ring they say this is where they want out.
Another lady gets out at the 2nd ring where we are making a
U-turn to go to the trufi office. It is
busy and has lots of taxis, so I get out there too.
Two and a half
hours to the minute from when we left Samaipata, I walk into my apartment and
collapse. I need a day off to rest from
my weekend!
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