The trip could not have gone more smoothly or rewardingly, Lowe said. "People really liked the fact that we could go there and not just be tourists but meet Bolivian people on a personal level," Lowe said. "The guides allowed us to participate in a traditional k'oa (religious) ceremony. I was blown away by that, because I'd worked as a volunteer in Bolivia for three years and had never been able to participate in one of these ceremonies. "And they weren't watering it down for the tourists. They were willing to open up to outsiders. They were really generous to us, to share their culture. And they are so isolated, they were also eager to talk to us about our lives in the U.S." The experience has led Lowe to create a nonprofit organization, Yunga Perdida, to promote the wildlife reserve and lodge. ( Yunga is an indigenous word for warm land; perdida is Spanish for lost). He has help from some Bolivian supporters and from Stephanie Christie, another Columbus resident who became involved after taking last year's trip. "This is kind of what I was hoping would happen, but I wanted to take it slow and see how the first trip went," Lowe said.
RPCV Joe Lowe organized a trip to the Northern Tiquipaya Municipal Wildlife Reserve in Bolivia in hopes of creating more interest in the region and aiding the locals in their efforts
Visiting Bolivia a good deed
Sunday, March 6, 2011 02:59 AM
Caption:
Travelers from Columbus join their Bolivian guides outside the lodge at the Northern Tiquipaya wildlife reserve in the Andes Mountains.
Travel can be a rewarding experience, not only for those taking a journey but for their hosts as well.
Such was the case when a group from the Columbus area ventured into a little-visited region of Bolivia last year. The trip enriched the lives of the tourists and the lives of the people in the community, who are trying to turn tourism into a sustainable business.
The Northern Tiquipaya Municipal Wildlife Reserve comprises 452 square miles of some of the most diverse habitat in South America. The area was threatened with logging and overfarming until residents were persuaded that sustainable agriculture and small-scale tourism could provide a viable living.
Locals built a beautiful five-room eco-lodge. But tourism doesn't work without tourists.
That's where Joe Lowe stepped in. Lowe learned of the reserve and the lodge while working with the Peace Corps in Bolivia.
He organized last year's trip - one of the first hosted by the lodge - in hopes of creating more interest in the region and aiding the locals in their efforts.
The eight travelers who joined him had the experience of a lifetime.
"It was awesome," said Harry Wagner of Dublin, who made the trip with his 20-year-old son, Allen.
"We saw lots of different animals, and the night sky was quite a show. The hiking on 5,000-year-old Inca trails that Westerners had hardly ever been on appealed to us, too.
"And I like the fact that (Lowe) had been down there with the Peace Corps and was still trying to do something good for the people there."
The trip could not have gone more smoothly or rewardingly, Lowe said.
"People really liked the fact that we could go there and not just be tourists but meet Bolivian people on a personal level," Lowe said.
"The guides allowed us to participate in a traditional k'oa (religious) ceremony. I was blown away by that, because I'd worked as a volunteer in Bolivia for three years and had never been able to participate in one of these ceremonies.
"And they weren't watering it down for the tourists. They were willing to open up to outsiders. They were really generous to us, to share their culture. And they are so isolated, they were also eager to talk to us about our lives in the U.S."
The experience has led Lowe to create a nonprofit organization, Yunga Perdida, to promote the wildlife reserve and lodge. ( Yunga is an indigenous word for warm land; perdida is Spanish for lost). He has help from some Bolivian supporters and from Stephanie Christie, another Columbus resident who became involved after taking last year's trip.
"This is kind of what I was hoping would happen, but I wanted to take it slow and see how the first trip went," Lowe said.
Yunga Perdida is organizing a second visit, scheduled for July 22 to Aug. 1.
The coming trip should be even better than the first.
But the future of the lodge and local support of the wildlife reserve is still very much in doubt, Lowe said. The visitors from central Ohio are among few who have been hosted by the eco-lodge, he said.
"I would say honestly this is pretty crucial - a lifeline keeping this thing going," Lowe said.
"There's plenty of pressure. The money they take in goes straight to the community.
"My hope is to make sure the people who put all the time and effort into building the lodge know their efforts weren't in vain."
Yunga Perdida is also trying to raise money for small improvements at the lodge. The current project is a solar-panel electrical system to replace the gasoline generator now used. The lodge has the materials for the system but lacks the funds to install them, Lowe said.
An informational session about this summer's trip will take place at 7 p.m. March 14 at the Upper Arlington Public Library. Lowe estimates the cost of the nine-day trip at about $1,700 a person, including round-trip airfare from Columbus, or $815 without airfare.
None of the money goes to Lowe or Yunga Perdida, but the nonprofit asks for a $50 donation from travelers to help fund the organization's expenses. Visitors to www.yungaperdida.org can see photos from last year's trip and get more information about the eco-lodge and park.
"We're hoping to get 10 people for this year's trip," Lowe said.
"But if the response is really good, I'm pretty serious about spending another week down there" with a second group.
Steve Stephens is the Dispatch travel writer. He can be reached at 614-461-5201 or by e-mail.
sstephens@dispatch.com
