So the re-creating of this day's blog won't be as good as the first time, because we did so much, but I'll hit the highlights.
We get up and ready to go by 5:30. It's almost a sleep-in compared to the day before. Our group of six head towards the river on a hike to see the clay licks. The macaws like to hang out at the cliffs and eat the clay. I'm told it's because of the salt in the clay. There is a blind set up for viewing the clay cliff, but when we get there, no birds can be seen. We proceed to the next viewing spot, also with a blind and no luck there. One more try and still no luck, so off to the next event: tarantula sighting. He tries a couple of times with different nests to entice one out, but wasn't successful. I now have over 10 minutes of a hand swishing a blade of grass in a hole in the ground. Luis is defeated. We go back to the lodge to wait for 7:30 breakfast.
I go back to the room to finish charging my electronics. Camera batteries, GoPro batteries, iPhone and iPad. Plus I have a power bank sufficient to charge both my phone and iPad which also needs charging. The lodge is powered by a generator which is shut down three times a day and is turned on so the staff can prepare meals. There's no TV anywhere. There's free WIFI at the bar and lobby, but it's painfully slow. (Which is why I didn't save my original blog)
But I discover while waiting that sitting in a hammock cross ways -- not length ways -- is the most comfortable method. This might not be the case for hammocks there the ends are stretched out with a bar, but it is clearly the way to go when the end is gathered into a single point like the lines in the lodge. I instantly fall asleep but fortunately wake up (without a neck kink) in time for breakfast.
On my way to the dining area, one of our group, Martin from Austria, signals to me to be quiet and points to the bushes. There are 4 spider monkeys crossing over the walkway, probably a mother and her cute babies. Sorry no picture, they're not so good at posing.
Breakfast was great and as we head out back to our rooms to prepare for the next event, Ella sees a snake in one of the vines overhanging the walkway. It took me a long time to make it out even though everyone was pointing at it. It was amazingly hard to see it because it blended in perfectly with the vine.
The next event was big tree hunting and we went for a trek through the forest. Luis is amazingly good at finding wildlife as we walk along. These creatures have evolved defensive mechanisms to camouflage and deceive predators; how he can see them is an impressive skill. We eventually find a big tree which by any measure is big. But it's not the tree we're after. We hike some more and find that the destination tree is BIG.
The tree isn't as tall as our monster west coast varieties but it's wide at the base. There are thick vines hanging from the tree limbs. They are smooth and slippery but it is possible to swing on them and climb them if you have a strong grip and way less excess body weight than I have.
Nearby is a tarantula nest and Luis tries once again to entice the critter out. Success. It's way bigger than I thought it would be and the first time out, startled Rowie because it was going straight for her and it was fast. She stepped backwards which started the tarantula and it went back into the nest. But Luis was able to bring it out again and I caught it all on video.
After lunch was kayaking. We met our kayaking guide, Kenny and Judith, Rowie, Ella and I are joined by a couple from Ohio and we six follow Kenny down to the river bank. Here we see the kayaks all ready to go; there are 6 plastic sit in ones (similar to the pelican model you could buy from Costco) and one sit on top that Judith opted for. We're given instructions to stay together and we're off. We paddle past the clay lick and to our elation, the macaws are there! You always see them in pairs as they mate for life. And they're beautiful.
We paddle/drift past a couple of caimans. At one point Kenny said we could jump in for a swim. Only the guy from Ohio was brave enough. The last thing was a race to the support boat that had followed us along. I decided to go for it, mainly to test out my shoulder which hasn't been the same since my frozen shoulder episode. Once at the boat, we climbed aboard (not gracefully) and the kayaks were hauled in. We motored over to the dock from were we started and were surprised to se how long we had paddled. I could have gone for much longer. We helped haul the boats back up and then we motored over to another dock to drop off the Ohio people and pick up the rest of our tour group.
We then travelled to a farm to learn about local farming techniques and practices. The tribe grants farming plots (13 hectares) and bananas and papayas seem to be the main crop. Cassava, cocoa, avocados and sugar cane are also grown as well as a whole host of stuff I can't remember. We were offered some bananas from a bunch and we all agreed they were the best we had ever eaten. I had 4.
Back at the lodge we came together for dinner. Luis eats dinner with us and after dinner, lets us know what the routine is for the next day. This time it's all about packing up and leaving. It's sad to think we're leaving this absolutely fascinating jungle experience.
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