Llama Drama

Earlier this week we took an overnight trip to a very small pueblo outside of La Paz. After a 3 hour early morning drive, our rickety bus pulled up to the village of Tuní. This village is made up of about 10 families, and their community building doubles as an eco-lodge for tourists willing to venture out of La Paz. We were greeted with coca, packed our lunches, then our group of 16 (plus the dog) headed out with day packs for an afternoon hike around the beautiful area.

I have never seen so many llamas. Only fifteen minutes into our hike, I peered over a hilltop to see llamas spotting the valley like ants on fallen sandwich. After admiring the site for a few seconds, I lifted my gaze only to see a flock of a dozen llamas standing on the trail right in front of us! Our first thought was that dog might scare the llamas.
As it turns out, we had nothing to be afraid of.
As Salí ran, barking towards the llamas, the pack animals didnt even flinch. The minute Salí got too close, they actually started chasing him! Im not sure if I can think of anything funnier looking than a dog running over the crest of a rocky hill with a flock of llamas pursuing close behind. Even the baby llamas stopped suckling just to chase the dog for a bit. For the rest of the hike, we were entertained by similar events: Salí trying to herd a group of llamas, but getting herded himself instead.

Towards the end of the hike, it began to rain. Actually, it began to pour. Despite my raincoat and umbrella, I was drenched to the bone. Luckily, we had a warm lodge to sleep in and dry clothes waiting when we got there. When we reached back to the pueblo, cold and dripping, we were welcomed with hot coca tea and pipoca (fresh popcorn). It was wonderful.
After dinner and a few games of cards, I left the main building to retire to my bed. On the way, I had to push through a huge gathering of- you guessed it- llamas.


In the morning, on the bus ride back, we had the clearest weather I´ve seen in a while. With sun and clear skies, I was able to really see the beauty of the area.
Outside my bus window, I could see long spances of shrub covered fields rise up into hills and mountains. In the fields, its hard to tell a rock from a llama, because both dot the landscape so frequently. The mud and brick houses are camoflauged into the land, demonstrating a oneness with nature that cannot be denied. Only the peasant women, in their bright skirts and colorful woven mantas, stand out against the landscape and give evidence of inhabitance in these beautiful and harsh Andes.