15 The digital
nomad burnout

The Amazon. The name alone conjures up images of pristine beauty and untamed wilderness. In recent days I received the message that I will soon be able to volunteer for a month at a workaway reforestation project in the Bolivian city of Cobija. But before that happened, I was already able to spend a day in the jungle in Peru. And so I signed up with a travel organisation for a day out. These were my last moments in Peru and of course that made a difference, because after almost 3 months I can only say that Peru was an incredibly good choice to start this adventure. So many friendly people, so much difference in landscapes and culture and yes, also very affordable. Three months of very pleasant weather, partly thanks to the weather phenomenon El Nino and an unprecedented culture in which everything is possible. Grab a microphone and sing in the street or put out your clothes and sell some fruit. Whoever shouts the loudest will go the furthest. People in front of a closed door who, when no one opens the door, continue to knock for minutes. Sometimes clumsy but from a good heart. Hospitable, family first and always open for a chat.

While I was thinking nostalgically about my unforgettable time in Peru, some other tourists and I arrived by motorboat in Tambopata National Park. After several caterpillars and cicadas, we encountered a column of leaf ants that, our guide told us, can travel up to 3 kilometres for a very specific leaf. After this long walk, it sometimes happens that an ant accidentally feeds on the wrong leaf, poisoning itself and becoming so confused that it can only walk in circles. Such ants are of course removed from the colony as quickly as possible. We soon approached Lake Sandoval, the area around it being so swampy and wet that we could only paddle through it in a canoe. It was scorching hot and everyone did their best to protect themselves as best as possible against the bright rays of the sun on the open water. Once on the lake, we constantly saw all kinds of marsh birds along the shore: tiger striper, red cardinal, snake-necked bird, white swallow, green ibis, grey hooded wood rail and, as icing on the cake, a hoatzin bird, which you should definitely look up if you are a bird lover. A prehistoric animal, popularly known here as a dinosaur hoatzin.

The birds were impossible to keep track of, a paradise for every biologist. Had we stayed longer, we would probably have seen caimans, piranhas and many other beautiful mammals in addition to turtles and howler monkeys, but all in all it was an unforgettable first introduction to a truly deep piece of Amazon rainforest. Despite my fear of spiders, I was still looking forward to finally seeing a real big spider in person. And what do you think? While we were walking back, we suddenly saw a Tarantula spider. But something strange was going on, because this spider, which I really know as the king among spiders, was dragged along by a tarantula wasp that was at least as large. This wasp apparently has such a powerful sting that a person would scream in pain for two hours. After the wasp has brought its prey to a safe place, it will parasitize the spider by placing an egg in the spider. This way, its larva can later eat the spider from the inside. It's incredible that nature is so connected and cannot be predicted.

The trip to the Amazon was a fantastic experience and the contrast with the city of Puerto Maldonado where I stayed could hardly be greater. In fact, from the moment I left Cusco and headed towards the Bolivian border, strange scenes occurred that I could not reconcile with the beautiful Peru I had experienced so far. The first alley I walked into I was immediately called after by people with sunken cheeks and tattoos on their faces, which made me not always feel safe, even during the day. In the supermarket, half of the products had no price, some dolls in clothing stores were dressed in balaclavas, and the fruit on the market was relatively expensive and often spoiled. Puerto Maldonado suffers from a lot of corruption, prostitution and violence, including gold mining in the surrounding rivers. Because there were no Airbnbs that appealed to me, I stayed in a hotel without a communal kitchen where you could have a chat, or feel useful by making a sandwich, instead of sitting in coffee shops with loud music three times a day. I realised that, after all the beautiful things I have already seen, a less travel period might happen at some point. Although I certainly didn't want to go home yet, I really missed the daily contact with people in this area.

I couldn't accept the fact that it wouldn't work out in Puerto Maldonado. That's why I took out a gym membership, went to a football match and a swimming pool, but after two weeks I literally saw the walls of my tiny hotel room closing in on me. I felt useless and apart from the reception ladies, I didn't know anyone here. And if you feel so lonely, your reserves, your resilience and your energy can decrease very quickly in a short time. These were by far the fewest weeks of the trip so far and for the highest price. After two weeks I had had enough and decided to head towards the Bolivian city of Cobija, where the workaway volunteer experience was waiting for me within a few days. But the journey from Puerto Maldonado in Peru to Cobija in Bolivia did not go entirely smoothly either. In the border town of Inapairi, I was ripped off by a taxi driver because the man suddenly asked double the amount and also in a restaurant the all-inclusive food suddenly cost 30 instead of the fixed price 25 that they told me earlier. All those little coincidences in a short time that made it almost seem as if people thought they could earn some extra money from a Westerner travelling alone.

To travel from Peru to Bolivia, I had to pass a short distance through Brazil, where I forgot to get the entry and exit stamps along the way. When I arrived at Bolivian customs, the Bolivian police officer said to me, 'You cannot enter Bolivia without Brazilian entry and exit stamps, so just walk back to the police station in Brazil.' Really stupid of me of course. Once at the Brazilian police station, the woman unfortunately did not have good news either. “Young man, either you travel back to the place where you entered Brazil and get a new entry stamp or you pay a fine of 100 Brazilian Reals.” I was devastated. It was 35 degrees and my shirt was soaked in sweat. It was a small miracle, I couldn't understand Portuguese, but after a while the woman, probably out of pity, stamped my passport, making the road to Bolivia free after all. There I immediately noticed that the people were much less pushy. Finally some conviviality again. “Are you coming again tomorrow?” asks the employee of a hamburger stall. I also received a warm welcome at my Airbnb from the super friendly host Ellen, who really took the time to explain the city of Cobija to me, which immediately made me feel more at ease. Three days later I would finally start my first Workaway. In the hope that this volunteer experience, where you roll up your sleeves together with other travellers, would give the expat experience some new, fresh energy.