Pronto hará 3meses de mi llegada a Bolivia. Es por eso que, como visado de turista, se me acaba el tiempo de 90 días que tengo para residir en el país. ¿La solución? Salir a otro país y volver a entrar a Bolivia para volver a tener 90 días más de residencia. Aprovechando que estábamos de viaje con los americanos a Rurrenabaque, los 3misioneros que nos encontramos en la misma situación hemos decidido ir a la frontera con Brasil en Guayaramerin, y visitar también de está manera el otro colegio que Gospelministry tiene allí. Lo que os puedo contar de momento es el viaje en bus que ya es bastante interesante. Atravesamos la pampa (sabana de la selva) del Beni de izquierda a derecha por un recorrido que cubre 600-700km. La aventura está en que las carreteras no están asfaltadas y al estar en época de lluvias se llenan de barro fácilmente, haciendo el camino lento y a veces hasta no transitable. Un poco de todo nos ha ocurrido en este tije de 36 horas en bus, que aunque largo no se ha hecho pesado porque ha sido toda una aventura. Atravesar grandes charcos de carro con agua ya queda como lo de menos cuando uno llega a un punto donde hay varios vehículos esperando porque uno se ha quedado varado en un agujero. Entonces es cuando toca coger pico y sala (cosa que los autobuses ya llevan en previsión) para cabar, tapar o empujar el vehículo atrasado. Como se puede apreciar en las fotos, diversas veces hemos repetido está situación, hasta llegar a una última y culminante que ha costado más de 5horas en solucionar. En todo ese tiempo de espera la gente ha hecho todo tipo de cosas para aprovechar el tiempo: cocinar el almuerzo con con gas, vender bebidas y frutos secos, ducharse en uno de los charcos de agua, o marcar hojas de coca para hacer pasar el hambre (cosa que he probado sin notas ningún efecto. Para mi ha sido como marcas hojas de te verde amargo). Ha sido una experiencia muy divertida como turista, pero supongo que muy mala para el ciudadano boliviano que tenía que sufrir estos percances de viaje a menudo. Eso sí, al menos el tije en bus sale barato (130Bs = 13€) frente a la avioneta (700Bs).

Last week from march I had the opportunity to travel, with a group of american teenagers from Miraclemeadows school (USA), to the orphanage "Familia feliz" that works under the gospelministry's umbrella. We were 18 persons and 1week with the purpose to build the foundations of the 3 classes that are used to teach the children from the orphanage as well as external children that come with the school from the community to use the infrastructure from the school. The orphanage is located 13km away from the beautiful and touristic town of Rurrenabaque, in the road to La Paz. Rurrenabaque is the most beautiful town I've ever seen in Bolivia. It's located between the jungle and the mountains, and the streets are rustically decorated with stoned roads and wood indications. There you can meet a lot of tourists there, specially from Israel because of a best seller book based on the true adventure of a group of tourists who went into an expedition to the jungle to find an old civilization of indians. / The orphanage was grounded not long before than a year, and has been improved a lot in this little time. This american school was last year as well helping to build the main building. Now the infrastructure is 3 classes for the school, the main building were children some children sleep and the new kitchen will be located (until this moment, the kitchen was located in a little wood house and tiny should book with fire. Since some months they enjoy as well from running water that is not threated but come from a river up in the mountains. 2 cabins more are used as the dormitory for the older boys and girls and 3 houses are under construction (but already in use) for 3 families that help in the campus work. / We worked on the construction for 3 days, diggin holes, putting cement on the floor and making the walls. / But between all there working days, we had as well the opportunity to make a 1day safary and see river dolphins, feed monkeys and alligators and much other flora and fauna from the Rampas nature. / It was a beautiful experience to visit new places, make new friends and help improving the community. / For the Bogianers: I'm glad to tell you that I met somebody near to Bogenhofen in this trip: Maria Deijnhardt, the sister from Judith, that came with the group of americans, as she works there as Heimleiterin:P

PD: Rurrenabaque is a very tourist place, specially since Ghinsberg wrote a thrilling book about his adventure called "Back From Tuichi." that was a huge seller in Israel. Some of the most fascinating passages from this book describe the improvised jungle craft that allowed the intrepid Ghinsberg to prevail against hunger and injury, leeches and fire ants, jaguars and wild boars, high water and thunderstorms. And yet Ghinsberg's bravery and ingenuity are not the only secrets of his survival.