Meet Senor Perro, Samaipata’s tour guide extraordinaire
Have you ever had a dog as your tour guide? Well it happened to me on two separate occasions. The first time was in Thailand, when Som - she of Malee’s Nature Lodge’s fame - volunteered to take two German tourists and myself for a hike through the forest.
The 2nd occurrence happened while I was visiting Bolivia this past May. I was in the small mountain resort of Samaipata when I decided to join two young European blokes on a hike to the mirador (lookout point) overlooking the village of Samaipata. The distance from town to the mirador was about 3 miles, with an elevation gain of about 1000 feet.
Along the way, a friendly yellow and rather large dog decided to accompany us. I nicknamed him Senor Perro, which in Spanish means Mr. Dog. Senor Perro bounded gleefully ahead of us and took the lead, wagging his tail like a metronome. He seemed to be very familiar with the rather rocky trail up the mountainside. Occasionally he would look back over his shoulder to make sure we were following him.
Senor Perro and the two Euros hiked fairly swiftly up the jagged trail, while I lagged behind because of a bad “right wheel” (leg). Well, I finally made it to the top of the mountain where I was greeted by Senor Perro and the two young men. Resting there for awhile, we admired the spectacular panoramic views of the valley and nearby Samaipata.
About a ½ hour later, Senor Perro indicated it was time to return as he started getting restless. So we proceeded to follow the large yellow dog back to civilization. Upon reaching the roadside, we bade him farewell as he trotted to his master’s house.
To be honest with you, I would not have been able to make this somewhat arduous hike if it wasn’t for the company of Senor Perro and the two young Euro tourists.
Sphere: Related Content
Tags: Bolivia vacations, hiking in Samaipata, remarkable dogs, tour guides, Tours in Samaipata
