Another morning in Rurrenabaque

It's quite a challenge to find b-roll that encapsulates economic growth, sustainable development, land-use planning and much of the the other theoreticaly rhetoric of which my films consist.

So I found myself roaming around "downtown" Rurrenabaque filming random market scenes. All of the sudden a boy is in my camera screen, but with his hands over his face. I look up and see Wilder, one of the kids I met working with the Ecoclubes here. (He refuses to be filmed or photographed, but is quite good-natured about it.)

When he asks what I'm doing I realize I'm not really doing much, and say so. He decides to take me on a tour. I ask why he isn't in school, and he says it is too cold for school. This is a total farce, but I'm not a teacher anymore, so I join in playing hookey.

We hike outside of town and he shows me several trails I hadn't found yet. He is quite the little tour guide and points out various birds and fruits which I probably walk past daily but never noticed. He tells me about pumas and jaguars and takes me to their watering holes. I confirm that they probably wouldn't be out in the morning, right?

We climb up a steep cliff and are looking at these tojo birds when Wilder gets super still.

"We should turn back-- hay chancha de selva."

I aks him to repeat, but I still don't know these words. He turns and starts to book it down the mountain. Confused, I follow.

After some questioning it turns out that he heard wild boars snorting. He explains how they have fierce tusks and chase people and gore them.

Sweet, I hike back in this part of the jungle all the time by myself. Good going Masterson.