Journey to the Bolivian Amazon, Province of Moxos, Beni.

4 AM in Cincinnati, Ohio… I was practically jumping in my seat on the car ride to the greater Cincinnati airport. My flight to Bolivia was scheduled to leave at 6 am; and I left my house early because this was a flight I could NOT miss.

On October 25, 2022, I left Ohio for Bolivia to start the vaccine cold-chain project in the province of Moxos. In the months preceding, I worked tirelessly to set up the non-profit Alliance for Good Health (A4GH); find a trusted, knowledgeable, and energetic group of board members; plan the vaccine project; and fundraise the start-up money for the project. Now, the vision has come to life thanks to the generosity of donors and support of my family, friends, and colleagues. The real work begins!

Let me give you a quick summary of my journey to Bolivia. I arrived at the Cincinnati airport with 5 pieces of luggage. Five! You may wonder, “why so many?” Well, I brought with me 3 vaccine cold carrier boxes for the with whom communities we are working. Each weighed about 20 pounds and measured 20” x 12” x 12.”

Dr. P and lugage Temparmour vaccine carrier box

I was shocked how much it cost to bring extra luggage, but thankfully, it was much less than sending the boxes via UPS or FedEx. Once I got over the shock, I checked 3 bags and carried the other two small ones with me on the plane. I was grateful my flight included two free checked bags, a personal item, and a carry-on bag! I made sure to pack the cold boxes very well (precious cargo), so they would be safe during the journey through several airports. Starting in Cincinnati, I traveled to Chicago, then Panama; Panama to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia (also known as Santa Cruz); and then Trinidad, Bolivia (the capital of the Department of Beni where our project is based).

Trajectory map from Cincinnati, Ohio (yellow dot) to Trinidad, Bolivia (green dot).

After a bumpy ride in a 4 x 4 SUV from Trinidad, I crossed the Mamore River and finally made it to the community San Ignacio de Moxos!

Mamore River, Beni, Bolivia

I arrived in San Ignacio on October 26th, 2022 at around 8 pm. What a long trip! Thankfully no major hiccups. And I passed through customs and immigration in Santa Cruz without much difficulty. I guess the migration officers were all tired since our flight from Panama was delayed, and we were the last flight of the night, arriving in Santa Cruz around midnight.

I didn’t run into any issues on my journey to Bolivia, but I did experience some challenges when I arrived in Santa Cruz. In case you aren’t aware, on 10/22/22 an indefinite strike started in Santa Cruz. The strike is in response to the national governments’ plan to postpone the National Population Census to 2024. Civilian protesters are striking and demanding the census be conducted as originally scheduled in April 2023. So, I arrived to EVERYTHING being closed EXCEPT the airport. Grocery stores, shops, schools, and even banks are closed! And the protesters set up roadblocks throughout the city. Luckily, I had booked a hotel close to the airport which had their own transportation service; so it wasn’t hard for me to make it to my flight to Trinidad. So far, the strike seems isolated to Santa Cruz, but it may spread across the country if the wishes of the public aren’t met. The strike may create challenges to getting resources and supplies to the Amazon region where we are working. But nothing will stop the fight for better health!

On my flight to Trinidad, I took a moment to appreciate my journey into the Rainforest. The view from the plane was magnificent. And when I disembarked the flight, the weather was hot, humid, and sunny. I took a deep breath of the pristine air and I could hear bird sounds from all around me. How beautiful! How exciting!

Airplane that took me from Santa Cruz to Trinidad, Bolivia

Airport at Trinidad Bolivia

It’s now October 27th, and today, I had my first meeting with Dr. Melgar - the director of the RED (Bolivia’s national health network) in the Province of Moxos. I was so excited for my meeting with him I couldn’t sleep the night before! During our meeting, we discussed logistics for the vaccine cold-chain project in the surrounding communities. Dr. Melgar, his colleagues, and local community members are so excited for the project to kick off. And so am I.

Here I am…in the Bolivian Amazon starting the most amazing project for A4GH and working to bring life-saving vaccines to remote, marginalized communities. Stay tuned for more candid, honest updates from the field as I share how the project evolves.

Thank you for your support and collaboration!

~ Dr. P.