Ginger´s Paradise ain´t no paradise! Samiapata, Bolivia

3 February - 6 February
    I had seen some advertisements pasted around Santa Cruz and Samaipata for a place called ´Ginger´s Paradise`, and thought it sounded like a really interesting place to visit. The advertisements and the website claimed that you could help out on this farm, with things like making soya milk, cheese and yoghurt, and in return for doing such activities, for 2 hours a day, you would pay 65b´s for your bed, breakfast and lunch, instead of the 80b´s. Great, I thought, I can learn some interesting things.
   There were 3 other adult ´volunteers´ there when I arrived, and when I first arrived the owner wasn´t there and I was very confused about whether to stay or leave. But I stayed. The owner (Cristabel, American) and his family got home for Santa Cruz at about 10.30 that night, I was sleeping in a hammock, exhausted from the party the previous night.
   Unfortunately a horse died that night. These things happen I guess and it needed to be buried, so we grabbed the picks and shovels. After a while I thought to ask if it was known why the horse had died, Cristabel said in town that morning he was informed there was a virus going around and that he should have vaccinated his horses against it, but hadn´t known. My mind sprung to the Hendra Virus breakout in Australia last year, and I wished I had paid more attention to what it was all about. After an hour it was offered that I could do some weeding, it had been noted, I guess, that I´ll no talent on a shovel or pick.
    After lunch, I started weeding again (hey 3 hours work before lunch now there was more!). The farm, 25 hectares, is across a ravine, which you walk across a suspension bridge to get to. The road on the other side is in reasonable condition but apparently about once a year a car misses the corner and goes over the edge. It happened that afternoon, while I was weeding. I didn´t see it happen, but the occupants needed help. I guess, judging by the flood markers under the bridge, that the drop was about 10 metres. The driver was ok, it seemed, but the woman passenger was not. The men got heavy blankets to use as a stretcher and carried her out. Then we waited for a car to stop and help.
   Most cars didn´t stop.. Miraculously, the first car that did stop didn´t help. The occupants got out and took photo´s and drove off. The woman was unconscious, and clearly needed help, I thought that although the car was full they could have taken the woman and come back for their people. Eventually a taxi arrived (Cristabels son had bicylcled to town and acquired it), and took the woman away. I probably won´t ever know if she was ok. Ironically the car had driven right through 3 roadside memorials that were there to remember previous deaths in that spot.
   Some paradise!
   I had spoken to the others there and realised that interesting farm jobs, like advertised, didn´t really happen, and I decided I would probably leave the next day. But I woke up to rain and didn´t like the prospect of standing in the rain, roadside, waiting to see who would stop. So I decided to stay another night. At least, because of the rain, me and the other woman there got to help in the kitchen. We made bread, jam, soup. One of the guys got to help Cristobel carry 80kg beems of timber up the ravine all day, the other volunteered to pay for a craft lesson. When in the afternoon we started cleaning up for Ginger´s (the daughters name is Ginger) birthday party, I decide that I really didn´t want it to rain tomorrow, I wanted to leave. The next day I had breakfast and left. Instructions were being given for more carrying of timber.
    Cristabel is getting some really cheap labout here. A saving of 15b´s is about $2.25. From what I am told the locals would be paid quite a lot more. Well, I guess if he can find tourists / travellers dumb enough to do it! All the others had stayed at least 2 weeks. And they had arrived via the Wwoofing lift.
   Some Paradise!

 

When the vehicle landed the river didn't have so much water, it rained all night and I cursed myself for not having taken the photo the day before, when it first happened, but that seemed rude too. So this picture shows the 4wd, the suspension bridge and James (a Wwoofer). Ironically, the 4wd had better tires and was generally  in better condition than most the vehicles travelling on the road. The driver said he was going too fast.

 

Me, pulling weeds in 'paradise'.

Notes
Accomodation: Ginger´s Paradise . without work $12 for bed, breakfast and lunch. Reasonable value, if you don´t do the work option... the food is really good! The work option is completely to the farms owners benefit!
Taxi Samaipata to Ginger´s $4.25. Taxi Samaipata to Santa Cruz $4.