The Rainforest

Day 5 – Saturday.  The damn alarm went off at 5:45 a.m. as we had to be away early to beat the heat. Ha. A short boat ride landed us in a portion of the rainforest where trails had been carved through the foliage.

Our local guides were incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic and for the next two hours we examined unique tree, animal and plant species. Trees unimaginably tall and broad to the point we could stand in amongst the root system, inside the tree!

Butterflies of every colour resting on our bodies as they looked to drink the sodium in our sweat. Monkeys, birds, insects, rubber, cacao (chocolate) and ironwood trees (the preferred source or parquet flooring), you name it, it was there under a towering canopy of green that limited sunlight and therefore bush on the forest floor (hence rainforest, not jungle).

Oh, and another tarantula encounter, with this one being even bigger – about the size of a large cell phone). It flinched, I leapt. Fascinating.

Back to the camp just in time to beat a massive rainstorm that created instant rivers everywhere. All the buildings only use palm leaves as roofing materials so fingers were crossed that we stayed dry. In the Amazon there are two seasons; rainy and really rainy. We’re just in the former so I’d hate to experience the latter.

There are a few working farms in the hundreds of square miles surrounding the camp and Mo and Louise were two of six in the group who braved the weather in the afternoon to visit one nearby to learn what an eclectic and widespread number of crops it produces.  The farm works closely with the lodge and makes the latter self sustaining for fruits and vegetables.

The rain didn’t let up until after dinner when our guide announced we were going on the river to search for Caimans which is a member of the alligator family. They are nocturnal and using a search light, our guide was able to pick out their reflective eyes as they floated near the shore. Fortunately the ones we saw where the smallest of the six varieties (4-5’ long) and not the black caiman which can grow to over 16’.

Back to the lodge for our final night as more rain was on the way.