Oxbow Lake - A Soggy Start

It did not stop pouring last night or this morning. I guess that's why they call it a rainforest...

We waited about an hour and a half and the rain let up a little, but it didn't so we decided to go for the lake tour and just get soaked. A little (or lot) of rain isn't going to keep us from an adventure. 

About 10 minutes up river, we reached the embankment and scrambled up the mud to the trail heads. Our guide, Delford, and the two of us headed down the path before the other groups were even off the boat. Yes it's a race and yes we are going to win. In all honesty, it has been both a tad bit isolating being kept separate in our group at meals and activities, but at the same time we aren't moving at a snail's pace or crowding around 12 other people to try to see a bug or plant.

Along the way to the lake, we stopped to learn about Pregnant trees - they produce a bump of water and pulp toward the top of the plant so when their seeds fall, they get bounced further away from the parent tree. The bump can be cut and hollowed to make a small canoe. 

 

When juvenile, it creates roots that look like... let's call then male members in case anyone's delicate sensibilities are offended. (PENISES!) So before it's a pregnant tree, it's called an erotic tree. 

 

*snicker* Now who's juvenile?

Then we saw the walking tree - it creates tall, tough spike-covered roots that it uses to move itself into the sunlight. Its old roots die off and it edges along by making new roots like legs. The trunk does not actually reach the ground. The tree can move up to a foot in a year. 

 

 

All the trees have shallow root systems because only the top metre or so of soil is suitable before it becomes thick clay. 

 

We saw quite a few tiny toads with horns on their heads along the path. Apparently they are pretty rare, but all the rain was making them a little less camera shy. 

 

Next up it was time to poke some tarantulas with sticks! We started by harassing a small brown tarantula. 

Then we found a mama tarantula that was both more aggressive and cooperative. She was about the size of my hand and very fuzzy. 

 

Next we bailed out and hopped aboard a canoe to cross the small lake. 

 

 

 

On the way we saw two Aquila birds - they looked how I imagine velociraptors or pteranodons looked with their reptile heads and colourful feathers. 

 

 

In the water were eels, sardine, and piranhas. We fed them crackers and watched the frenzy. 

In the other shore, we walked to two large trees. One was a hollow core swallowed by a Strangler Fig. The fig vines wrap around larger trees until they kill them, then terminates hollow out the dead tree and just the fig is left. We climbed inside the hollow base and found a momma bat and her baby taking a rest. 

 

 

 

 

We checked out a big Papo tree also called elephant tree and learned an indigenous tradition. The native peoples used to have young men compete for a woman's hand in marriage by climbing the elephant tree in the nude. The first one up was the chosen suitor. 

 

On our way back across the lake we made friends with a very curious baby black caiman. He kept swimming closer to check us out and show off his cutey little face. 

 

 

 

Water logged, we quickly hoofed it back to the big boat. 

 

 

We were whisked back to the lodge to pack and prepare for camping. On the way we spotted the resident Brazil nut thief - Charlie the brown agouti. They are rodents related to guinea pigs but are about the size of a small cat. 

 

 

We head out just after lunch two hours down river and a short walk in the jungle to make camp. We have our guide, a cook, his assistant, the boat driver, and his assistant just for us two. It makes me feel pretty pampered and awkward being outnumbered two to one by staff for something like a single night camping. 

When does this cross into glamping?