Wednesday night, Hostel Rancho Colibri: a curiosity off the beaten track

Deserving a post of it's own, Colibri is a very special place. Some of our group didn't necessarily appreciate its 'rustic' charm. But if you don't expect too much, you might still be disappointed.

The owner is an eccentric old man called Marco. He's quite a character and it's him who defines the place. Originally from Alaska, he came to Bolivia 35yrs ago to study fauna, and in particular mosses of all things. He hates the idea of being tracked and in Bolivia he can practically live off grid - we think he's on the run! He makes ends meet by opening up his large sprawling home to visitors for the princely sum of about five pounds per night. He now gets about 300 visits per year through word of mouth; that doesn't seem to be enough to support anyone, but he says living expenses here are very cheap. Many of the guests have extended stays of a few weeks, so perhaps that also explains it.

Facilities are quite basic, there is one shower, two toilets (one connected) and a large garden - if you get my drift. There are no clocks, Marco wakes to the sunrise and sleeps when he needs to. Much of the furniture Marco made himself and he curiously keeps a hammer handy near the sofa we sat on to hold it together. Most guests cook their own food in the large kitchen, but we had a hearty evening meal cooked by Marco and his helper; he only does this for Cory's groups (our tour leader). On arrival we were offered cold beer or tap water - normally we were told to avoid tap water, but here the water comes from a spring so is safe to drink.

The rooms themselves are pleasant and cosy (yes they even have electricity!), each has a cloth doll of some sort and there are cabinets filled with them; there must be hundreds in total. The lack of basics such as forks and towels was somewhat disconcerting, but Marco himself admits he's not set up for large groups of visitors. When we had dinner he was very apologetic about this and said Bolivians didn't use forks. And with only a handful of towels, pillowcases were used instead.

Graham meets the girl of his dreams - must be the coca tea!

Colibri has so much potential, it's in a great location looking over the town, and has a hacienda style about it with walkways and balconies. Marco doesn't have interest in money - he earns what he needs - so Colibri is unlikely to change.

The view from Marco's place

I'm sure the place appeals to a trekkers and those less... let's say mainstream... but some of our group couldn't wait to leave, although I didn't mind staying there and very much enjoyed listening to Marco's stories about his life and journeys.

Before he dies, Marco says he wants to live in Dominica or Malawi (although quite why, we didn't understand), he also wants to visit Britain because he is fascinated by the British monarchy. I hope he makes it to all three. When we left he was sat relaxed on his swinging chair, happily chewing coca leaves. Perhaps that's what it's really all about.
 
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