In spite of the sweltering heat from the pampas worsened by sleeping under mosquito netting in a dorm room with 7 other people, I slept like a rock. Sleep deprivation has its advantages... I passed a more pleasant evening than my fellow touristas. We boarded the canoe at 6:00 a.m. and went to a nice open area in the river to watch the sunrise. We were able to listen to the eerie sounds of howler monkeys as the sun rose. We returned to our funky lodge in the trees to shower and have breakfast. ¨Barcelona¨, a spectacled caiman that lives near the lodge, emerged and spent the morning watching us near our narrow plank between the sleeping room and the dining room. Breakfast consisted of cut fruits, deep fried pancakes, and eggs.
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| Barcelona, the spectacled caiman that lives near the lodge |
After breakfast, we got back into the canoe and boated upriver to an inundated farm where we were going to look for snakes. Everyone was issued an old pair of gumboots for this part of the adventure. The water near the grazing area was too shallow in sections to boat, but was too deep to wade through in other sections. So we got out and pushed. We docked near a swampy little island inhabited by the sorriest looking herd of cows. The island itself consisted of slimey much and cow shit. Before debarking, we recieved a quick ¨safety¨briefing that went something like: ¨there are snakes in the trees and in the water. Anacondas, green mambos, and freshwater cobras. The cobras are semi-poisonous. If an anaconda swims thru your legs, don´t move. The best area to look is near the trees; don´t touch the trees because there are fire ants.¨ After our pep talk concluded we plodded through the slime and into the water to look for snakes. Another tour group had spotted an anaconda in a nest up in a tree. We waded in crotch deep murky water to go have a look. This goes against everything we have been taught; willingly slogging through snake infested water with thick mosquitos, and fire ants and tarantulas in the trees. I was surprised that everyone partook in this activity, even the girl who screamed every time a spider was in our boat.
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| Looking for snakes |
We carefully waded thru the slime looking for other snakes. I saw a tiny one about 2.5 feet in front of me. Somehow I was able to calmly say serpiente, serpiente¨and my guide came over quickly. Evidently, the little snake was yet another poisonous species. Comforting! I never did get to see an anaconda up close. I did, however, accidentally graze a tree and my wrist is still swollen from the fire ant bites.
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| the baby poisonous snake that I found |
On the way back to camp, we swam near the other lodge. There was a rope swing. Interestingly, there was a caiman right near me; only 10 m away, but she was being entertained by the other tourists so I didnt worry too much. This stuff would never fly in the US. Sometimes our advanced safety regulations are a good thing and other times they take the fun out of stuff. It was good to rinse the repellent off and the rest of the slime that coated my lower body from wading unprotected through a swamp. Lunch was amazing! There were no less than 7 dishes with everything from cut fruit to fried chicken to beet salad, eggplant, tomato salad, and of course, soup. There is always soup for lunch in Peru and Bolivia.
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| Our dumpy lodgings |
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| Incredible lunch! |
After lunch we had a siesta. My entire group fell asleep, but since I actually slept the night before, I climbed into the canoe and sat on the far end. It is one of the few places to sit outside; because of high water, the area surrounding the buildings is inundated. I sat peacefully watching birds, especially a pari of yellow and blue macaws, Barcelona the caiman, dragonflies, frogs, and observing the plants. After 45 minutes, a large group of cappuccin monkeys stopped by for a snack. They were on all sides of me in the trees and on the roofs of the huts. A group of howler monkeys joined in on the fun and treated me to their amazing chorus that sounds like a surreal loud wind.
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| Capuccin monkey having a snack |
The after siesta activity was to be swimming with the pink dolphins. The guide brought us to the special spot early knowing that other groups would soon arrive. I splashed about in the water with 3 others. I was resting in the water with my hands ofn the gunnel of the boat and my feet pressed against the side of the boat, when the woman next to me screamed. A dolphin bit her toe; 30 seconds later the guy on the other side of me yelped because a dolphin bit his toe. We jumped back into the boat. The dolphins had drawn blood. One brave guy stayed in the water until he too got bitten...badly. The dolphin dragged him under; his toe was nastily cut. I thought dolphins were supposed to be peaceful and playful. The guide said every day is different. No other group reported such maladies. Who would have thought the dolphins would prove to be the most dangerous part of the trip? Snakes and piranas, sure, but dolphins?
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| Stork |
We spent the remainder of the afternoon looking at wildlife. The guide expertly spotted two 3-toed sloths. Sloths sound like an interesting find, but are boring because they are, well, slothful; they always seem to be in repose high in some tree.
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| Howler monkey |
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| Howler monkey |
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| 3-toed sloth doing what sloths do best |
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| Hoatsin |
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| sunset |
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