There and back again…

Got up early again to go for a walk into the bush to try and see some animals. Firstly headed off in the same way we had done the first jungle walk. The sunrise was absolutely spectacular and the whole sky was golden for a moment over the bushland.

I decided to turn back and head back to the Posada. On the way back met Maxine and we decided to walk the reverse circuit to the one we had done with Diceasar the previous day. We didn’t see much except for a “Fi Tapier” aka a horse. So called because every time Fi tried to draw any animal it ends up looking like a horse.

This time we approached the river from the woods. As Maxine and I got close to the bank we heard a splash as a large animal or bird dove into the water. We then heard a sound of loud exhaling, similar to what we had heard the previous day with the Giant Otters. We never saw an otter but I’m pretty sure that this is what made the splash. We then walked back along the river to the posada. On the way back got some better photos of the female howler monkeys close to where we had seen them the previous day.

Most of us had breakfast from the truck to try and save some money. The rest of the morning was pretty chilled and in the afternoon a few of us opted to take another boat trip. This time we headed up stream to explore the other part of the river. It was nice to be doing something but I would have preferred to be going out later in the day. At 2pm the sun was hot and most of the animal would be taking shade. To be honest it wasn’t a great time to take a boat ride, but the other option was to do nothing. We saw plenty of birdlife though; herons, kingfishers; black hawks and cormorants.

When we got back to the posada there was visible excitement at the jetty. An anaconda had been spotted close to the posada just downstream. We piled back into the boat and our guide took us to the spot downstream. The anaconda was small, maybe about 2.5m in length, so about a year old, and was curled up in the high branches of a tree next to the river. Even though it was a small anaconda it was amazing to be this close to it. The colours were so vivid. After a while we went back to the posada so that others could head out to see the snake.

I watched the sunset from my hammock. It was such a great way to relax. I’m looking forward to bringing my hammock home and setting it up in the garden. It would make a nice change to have a permanent home for it instead of lugging it all the way from Belize.

In the evening some of the group opted to cook to keep the costs down whilst others, including me, ate at the dining hall. Later that evening after a few games of “ambition” the local guides and housekeepers lit a bonfire over by the stables. I got talking to another of the guides, Roberto as well as some of the housekeeping staff. It was a fun night!

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