Guembe
Again I found myself sitting in a corner of
paradise, drinking a morning coffee, and listening to the noise of macaws and
other birds not so far away. Though it
is winter in Santa Cruz, the day is comfortable. It is cloudy with just a hint of breeze. How often it seems that I am in a beautiful
garden here in Bolivia.
I’ve wanted to return to Guembe since I first visited on a hot October day last year. It should not be so bad today. There is rain in the forecast, but just a few sprinkles. It might get to 80, but in Santa Cruz there is always a breeze.
My friend, Tim Ramsey, explained why there
is always a breeze in Santa Cruz, but if you go east, 50 miles, there is
not. If you look at the shape of the
Andes just north of Santa Cruz at the Amboro National Park, you will see they
form a form a bowl. This bowl collects
the winds and they come rushing around the corner and then sweep through Santa
Cruz. It is kinda like what happens when
you are downtown, in a city with skyscrapers.
The wind seems to whip around the corners of buildings. If you think Chicago is windy, come to Santa
Cruz.
The most prohibitive part of going to Guembe is the taxi ride. You leave the city, cross the river, and still have a bit of a drive. Because of that, taxistas generally charge 60 or 70 Bs., or about $10. Once there it is a bit expensive too, except they have a senior rate. That is one of the great things about approaching 60.
Once you are here, there is so much to
do. There are several pools that look
like postcards from Hawaii or the Caribbean. There are paddle boats, an awesome
jungle gym, and miniature golf for the kids.
There is an exhibit where you can learn about the life cycle of
butterflies, as well as see them hatch.
I started with my coffee before heading out
for my favorite exhibits. They have the
most interesting orquidarium I have ever encountered. Actually this is probably the only one I have
ever encountered. It is winter in Santa
Cruz, so there was not a lot in bloom.
They have a butterfly exhibit famous in Bolivia, but not as nice as the
one at Fair Park in Dallas. But it is
nice. There is also a monkey island,
another monkey exhibit, and a tortoise exhibit.
My favorite exhibit is the Aviary. It is three stories high and filled with
macaws, parrots, toucans, ducks, guineas, and peacocks. The sign says there are more, but I think
they must hide when people come to visit.
In the middle is a spiral staircase that leads to a lookout above the
aviary. From there, you have a view of
green and the skyline of Santa Cruz in the distance. As I was descending, a toucan scared me by landing
inches from my face. Take a look at that
guy’s beak and ask yourself if you want to tangle with that serrated beak. About the same thing happened when I sat to
write for a while on the platform.
Several macaws landed where I was.
One took a few chunks out of my notebook. I guess he aspires to be a writer too.
After an hour and a half, walking around the
tropical paradise, I was sweaty and ready to sit in a breezy place in the
shade, have lunch and write. And that is
where I am now. Jealous?
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