We Don't Bolivia Anymore: Milking the Cacao...

So after having a wander around the Sacred Valley, we headed for the jungle again in order to work on a farm for a couple of weeks. We ended up mostly harvesting coffee and cacao (chocolate) and weeding with trowels and machete.

The first morning was a hoot when Ian walked into the kitchen to find Em holding a dead Agouti (a large rodent that grand pappi Alfredo had hunted) by the legs, with its bum sticking in her face, while Roberto skinned it over the pan of boiling hot water. Nice start to the day....hadn´t even eaten breakfast yet.

Another highlight, about a week into farming Sabine had warned us there was a wasps nest in the vegetable patch, near where we´d be harvesting cocoa that day. We failed to notice it had dropped onto the ground and were completely unawares of its whereabouts...until Ian walked right into it. Next thing we knew it was like the scene from my girl...we ran like two screaming girls all the way back to the farm as the wasps followed us and stang our faces, backs and bodies through our clothing...in the midst of all the chaos Ian had dropped all our equipment. We had to go back..ems response 'you can f**k right off'...so Ian braved it out and got stung again on the eye (his face).

Patio with drying Cacao

Emma scooping out the cacao beans

Em´s a real chocoholic... She just loves chocohol

Had to be careful not to kill the dogs that always followed us around

Our mate Natalie

He works hard our lad...check out that sweat!


Mirko...one of the three lil uns from the family.. hes a right cheeky little bugger.

Ian hiding from Carlitos (and his flea infestation)

Carlitos... just before he ripped open the rubbish bin
to eat all our used toilet paper

Tony... this guy had serious problems... he had something
growing on/eating his brain so he couldnt walk straight.
Ian didn´t like him.

Illyan...the little cutey of the family...not so cute
when he´d always place the kitten in the tree then call
you to come and get it down for him...with a broom

Just getting breakfast ready

Sabine just getting the porridge ready...you eat a lot of that
when you´re weeding or machetteing for the first three hours of your day

Grandpa Alfredo!! Loved this guy...he was so cute...he was always
out all day hunting for meat for us with his gun. Poor old sod caught
one thing in the two weeks we were there...the bloodyhousecat.
Sabine found it hilarious but poor old Alfredo retreated to his cabin with
depression and bought the family 12 new chicks out of guilt...bless him!

I caught Alfredo giving the kids a telling off...think it was because they
were torturing the animals again. One day Mirko tilted one of the big barrels
over and out popped two dogs, a chicken, two ducks and a cat. Little buggers...

We caught Alfredo one morning dying his eyebrows moustache
and hair...he looked so cute! Like an italian mobster...

Ar lad washing up...just where he should be

Harvesting cocoa...we´d use long spears to cut them down from the high trees...

Muscles galore...

Illyan generally walked around with no pants on...good job he had
a lovely little toddlers bum cos he'd just stick it in your face anyways...

Shelling the coffee beans before theyre laid out to dry...

Both look a little bit dazed here...must be tired...

Why so serious? This is Kyram the eldest of the three...loved playing card games,
and cheating at card games, he had a swift hand that kid!

Two weeks work taking its toll...

Sabine cooking up a storm...guinea pigs in the background have no idea whats in store for them...

Ian grinding up fresh coffee, we miss the amazing coffee in the mornings, was damn fine!

So after farming we made our way to the south coast to Nazca and headed north to Huacachina to sandboard on the massive dunes...such a surreal little oasis town. Sandboarding was great, as long as you diverted from the glass bottles and litter strewn in amongst the sand...