Bolivian Highs

77URPOSEFUL TRAVEL TO AN UNCOMMON DESTINATION -- BOLIVIA

Cultural Treasures, Archeological Sites, Eco-tourism, and Volunteer Work

About 22 years ago classmate Dr. John Baumrucker & his wife Joanna combined travel to Bolivia with a desire to make a difference. They connected with the city of Montero in the eastern province of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, which needed a permanent family-like home for boys without parents or shelter. The Baumruckers built the Highlands Mission of Bolivia with the help of donations, grants, and local & American volunteer manhours. The complex includes residences for the boys, land for gardens, playgrounds, a wood-working shop, and the newly built Mama Joanna House of eight bedrooms with baths for visiting volunteers, in honor of Joanne Baumrucker who died in 2017.

Bolivia -- South America's 5th largest country by land mass, named after Venezuelan Simon Bolivar who inspired Spain's colonies to gain independence in the 1800s. Although never politically stable, Bolivia is the continent's safest country to visit, & has its fastest growing economy, due to natural gas exports. A place of superlative beauty, Bolivia is both one of the wettest and driest countries in the world. The Andes range along the west; the Amazonian rainforests cross the north; the center and east are agricultural plains. Within its borders lie the world's highest, largest navigable lake, it's largest salt flat, the richest silver mine of Colonial Spain, and sites built by cultures older than the Inca which rivaled or surpassed their European contemporaries.

If you want sightseeing combined with interaction with local people for an unforgettable vacation, contact John for more information: Rucker@dnet.net; 828-200-0902. The Mission welcomes any volunteers, including those with woodworking skills.