the first views of La Paz were amazing - impressive downtown buildings surrounded by vast suburbs climbing up breathtaking mountains; the trip was fascinating but tiring. I slept well that night. the next morning, I asked about travel to Rurrenabaque,gateway to the Amazon Basin. the tour agent informed me that the last bus had left. She also said the trip would take an exhausting 18 hours or more by bus - a depressing thought - so I opted to fly despite the cost .l called the airport; they said all the flights that day were full .The told me there were seats on the 6:00 a.m.flight the next day , which meant getting up at 4:00a.m.! So I went to the airport the following morning.I was puzzled that only a handful of people were
checking in, which was surprising, since Rurrenabaque is a popular destination. I soon discovered why. The check-in agent explained that the plane was just a 16-seater - a frightening prospect. Then she said there might be a delay because of bad weather, which wasn't very encouraging. In the end, the flight was on time, thought I have to say it was pretty challenging. The pilot warned us that the landing would be really bumpy -and it was! Actually , it was terrifying. I was just happy to get there safely, and i felt much more relaxed in the evening . It was the start of my Amazon adventure!