Salar de Uyuni Bolivia

The day began with some last minute shopping before heading out to the train graveyard. Peter, being a mechanical engineer, was the only one interested in the trains, so it wasn't long before we all piled back into our Toyota Landcruiser and headed for the Salar. 

The Salar de Uyuni is one of the strangest landscapes I have ever seen: miles and miles of flat whiteness, punctuated by the occasional coral island, covered in giant cacti.

The next stop was Bolivia's salt processing town. This small town of 80 families produces salt for the whole country. We were shown the production process where the damp salt is dried on a huge pan over a woodfired kiln. After 30 minutes the dry salt is heaped in a pile to cool-off before being ground with iodine, ready for production. The final stage is then to bag it, sealing each bag with a flaming LPG bottle. Mini bags are produced for the tourist market and sold for 1 Boliviano, around NZ$0.20. Lots of 50 x 1kg bags are sold into the national market for 15 Bolivianos (US$2).  This family-run operation can produce 5000kg of salt per day, with a staff of 8.  All the salt production businesses are run at a family level and it is all shoveled by hand.  The salt is not exported internationally as all of Bolivia's neighbors have their own salt production areas.

From there we took a step back in the process and visited the salt mounds. This is where the salt is scraped from the Salar and formed into pyramids to begin the drying process.  A week later it is shoveled onto trucks and sent to be processed. The ground was surprisingly wet and wherever it was dug into the moisture below would seep up. This part of the salt flat is only around 50m deep, shallow compared to the middle where it reaches 150m in thickness.

From here we truly entered the Salar, setting out into the vast expanse of whiteness.  Before long we had another short stop, at Los Ojos del Salar - the eyes of the salt flat. These bubbling springs are a reminder that the surrounding volcanoes are not completely dormant. Locals believe that they have curative powers and come from La Paz to soak arthritic knees and ankles in the cold spring water. Cynthia was tempted to try the healing powers on her still-swollen ankle, but decided the water was a little too cold!

The next stop was the most amusing of the day: the Salar photo stop. We drove to our own section of the Salar and began to play with creating images normally only possible with the aid of Photoshop. Because of the monotony of the Salar there is no depth perception. We thought something must have gone wrong with our trusty vehicle as our guide/driver, Vladimir, had donned his mechanics overalls, but it turned out he was just preparing to be our photographer. Out came a serving spoon, a pot and an apple. We held people in the palms of our hands, ran away from giants stomping on us, were eaten from serving spoons, sat on apples and rode in shoes. Our workout for the day was holding strange poses for what felt like an eternity. Just when we thought we were done Vladimir turned into a film director with a tube of Pringles, two apples and two iPhone. With music courtesy of Cynthia's phone we crawled out of the Pringles tube and danced across the 'set'. Fortunately we had a large expanse of Salar to ourselves. Watching it afterwards was hilarious. Once we had stopped laughing long enough to talk we packed up and headed for lunch then to Inti Huasi Island.

Inti Huasi Island is covered in giant coral as it was once on the bottom of the sea. Growing on the coral are over 6000 cacti, some up to 6m tall. These grow at a rate of 1cm per year, so some of them are pretty old. All the rubbish bins and signs on the island are made of this slow growing cactus wood. Fortunately souvenirs of the same material are no longer available for sale. We climbed up and over the island before going through a coral archway and down through a cave. It really was a stunning and weird place.

After a brief stop to see how the salt bricks are cut from the Salar we made the final push for the hotel. The bumpy, uneven, windy roads were a bit of a shock after the smooth, even terrain of the salt flats. Questions for the driver were deferred in order to provide maximum concentration for the quite interesting 4 wheel driving task at hand. An hour later we arrived at our Salt Hotel. The bed bases, the walls, the tables and the chairs are all made entirely of salt. It is quite a neat place, and relatively warm compared to outside, especially as there is a howling gale outside, dropping the temperature well below zero.

LAKE QUILOTOA AND A BURRO

On this day our plan had been to visit Vulcan Cotopaxi, but eruption warnings and the closure of the refugio meant a change of plans.

I had a novel experience in this wonderful place, but first a little bit of background info.

Laguna Quilotoa is a large 3km wide volcanic caldera that is filled with the most glorious coloured water.  Dissolved minerals create the stunning aquamarine colours, absolutely breath-taking at first sight.  Some of the local folks believe that the lake is botomless.

Quilotoa has a history of very violent pyroclastic eruptions, the last known one was in 1280 (radio-carbon dated) and sent ash showers covering 1,000,000 square kilometres, affecting the pre-Colombian agriculture.

Our 300 metre descent down to the Laguna began at over 3,700 metres via a steep path – quite wide, part scoria, part mud and some steps.  It was very cloudy and cool and raining lightly, so at first the lake was only vaguely discernible.  However, we were blessed – as we descended it gradually cleared and by the time we reached the lake-edge the sun was out and the most breath-taking sight was before us.  The colours were stunning.  Quite a few tourists were there, mostly Spanish speaking people.  The kayaks which were for hire were very tempting, but our time was limited.   In my dreams I will return there one day and paddle right around the lake!

Now I have to confess that I did not make the climb back up on my own two feet.  Right at the start I was well aware that I would need to hire one of the available burros (US $10) to do it for me, on four sturdy and dependable feet.  I would never have made it otherwise.

My burro, Paloma, belonged to a young couple who owned just two, and I believe this is how they make their living (some of my guilt feelings relieved by this thought).  The young woman Marta led Paloma and she was so sweet, quite shy and wearing her local traditional dress.  We managed to converse a tiny bit.

Paloma wore a wooden saddle, tightly cinched and covered by a soft woollen woven blanket, actually quite a comfortable seating arrangement!  I had a wooden pommel to hang onto, in between trying to take photos with one hand.  Paloma seemed well cared for, with no saddle sores or foot problems and she knew exactly when to pause briefly for a few extra breaths.  Such a sure-footed animal.
It was a lovely experience, one I would recommend and well worth the $10.

Marta, who walked briskly up the hill to 3,700,
chatting all the way while I (Ross) had
no spare breath to grunt replies.

If you ever go to Ecuador, do not miss a trip to Laguna Quilotoa!

Sue
PS  Like everyone, I am constantly thinking of the devastation, death and destruction caused by the Ecuador earthquakes and my heart goes out to the people who are suffering untold loss.

Post from the (NZ) Office

As planned I only stayed with the tour for the Ecuador sections and I am sitting at home watching Hazel lead some of my favourite sections of South America.

We left Ecuador two days before the earthquake which has now claimed over 500 lives.  If you are thinking of visiting Ecuador, don't be put off by the quakes.  While the aftershocks will continue in the severely damaged areas in the North West, most of the tourist areas are in different parts of the country and are only slightly affected or not impacted at all. The Galapagos and Amazon are unaffected, the Andes tourism facilities are all operational and the airport at Guayaquil is open. Possibly the best help you can provide is to continue with your plans to visit.

Of our original group of 16, half continued on to walk the Inca Trail.  Hopefully one of the group will write a blog of this to fill in more of the gaps and provide photos.  There were a few challenges with bureaucracy at the start due to two of the group using newer passports than they booked with.  Several found the walk quite challenging as it it climbed to 4,200m, but everyone was pleased to find that there were slower people walking the trail.  The sense of accomplishment, the history and the scenery were great compensation.  I also gathered that a 3:30 am start on the last day was not a favourite - especially when the train didn't get back to Cusco till 10:30 that night.

Len, Allan and Catherine will be arriving back in Wellington today while the others continue on to Bolivia and the Salar de Uyuni.  This last week is pretty hard travel and I suspect everyone is already feeling ready for a holiday - after all good travel is not the same as a holiday.

Ross

Cusco to Puno

A full day of travel and activities as we traveled from the Inca capital of Cusco to the lakeside town of Puno. 

The first archeological site, Raqchi, was an Inca site with a Wari influence. The Wari were one of the pre-Inca tribes that were absorbed during the Inca expansion. The site had the remains of a huge temple and 150 food storage silos. The central wall of the temple is 15m high and is still standing. The bottom three metres are brilliant Inca stonework and the remainder is adobe and wood. It is amazing that it has survived earthquakes, the conquistadors and 500 years of weather... Small sections of window have been rebuilt to reconnect the pillars and the foundations of the other walls and pillars are still visible. It is an impressive site.

From there it was not far to a great buffet lunch, beginning with a delicious quinoa soup. We then loaded up our plates with salad and veges, barely leaving room for the beef or chicken. I don't think any of us touched the rice or pasta. After a few days of limited veges it was nice to have such an ample supply available.

Outside there was an interesting ritual going on. We had arrived to lunch just as what looked like a funerary pyre was being lit. The pyre was surrounded by a circle of robed and chanting people reminiscent of similar scenes in Nepal. By the time we left the pyre was well alight and the ceremony was continuing. Our guide told us that it was a Jewish group of Peruvian descent who were making an offering of a sacrificial lamb. Not something you see every day.

The scenery on this trip is absolutely stunning. The wide valleys with eroded rolling hills have given us a glimpse of rural and small town life in Peru. The fields are a patchwork of colours, with barley, wheat and quinoa in different stages of production. Occasionally we pass a woman wearying the traditional bulky skirts, cutting bundles of wheat or barley to be tied and stacked in neat pyramid bundles in the fields. Other women carry large bundles on their backs in brightly coloured blankets. The backdrop to all of this is the occasional 5500m snowy peak.  Plans of catching up on some much needed sleep were postponed while there was so much to see out the window.

In the hour between lunch and the pass we climbed 800m leaving behind the wheat fields and entering alpaca territory. The pass, at 4300m, is the boundary between the regions of Cusco and Puno.  Life in the small communities in this area must be tough and the adobe brick houses are built small to combat the cold in the freezing winter months.  In the absence of trees in this area, dried dung is the main source of fuel and heating.  

Crossing the pass we left the valleys of Cusco behind and entered the drier and opener expanses of the altiplano.

Our final stop was at some pre-Incan terraces. We skipped the terraces and headed into the small town.  Cynthia and Andre added to their handicrafts collection while Peter, Jane and I checked out the local market.  We found lots of meat (and sheepskins) and the car tyre sandals many of the porters were wearing on the Inca Trail (a bargain at NZ$5 - they would never wear out, but they may take a while to wear in!).  We also found some good fruit including a bean-like thing that was a bit like eating cocoa beans from the pods.

The final stretch was two hours on the bus, arriving in Puno around 5.30pm after a full, very scenic day.

Hazel

Cusco

Cusco is one of my favourite cities in the world.

The two and a half days here before beginning the Inca Trail felt far too short.  The main square is beautiful, the place feels safe and the surrounding archeological sites have made it the main drawcard for Peru. Despite the huge numbers of tourists Cusco retains its charm and more often than not there is an unexpected event taking place in the Plaza de Armas.  While we were there it was the anniversary of the Cusco bank and the square was set up for displays of traditional dancing. Later the same day there was a large group of pro-life activists with a smaller pro-choice protest nearby.

Our favourite restaurant was a small place close to our hotel that had a clay pizza oven. It had great character and the pizzas and enchiladas were great.

On our first full day in Cusco we did a day trip to the sacred valley where we visited the archeological sites of Ollantaytambo, Pisac and Moray, all stunning sites.  Moray was particularly fascinating as it was a series of circular terraces used to adapt and study plants and seeds that would not normally grow at that altitude. The Inca society really was an advanced civilisation.

The last stop of the day was the salt pans of Moras.  During the dry season the 5000 salt pans are flooded with the warm salt water that flows from within the mountain.  20 days later the salt is ready to be harvested; the top layer for human consumption, the next layer for animals and the bottom layer for tanning. It is a huge operation and it was great to hear that it is owned and run by the local community. The salt from this stream had been mined for over 4000 years.

The next morning felt like a sleep-in as we set out alarms for 7am.  We took taxis up to the ruins above Cusco and walked down through four archeological sites, the most impressive of which was Saqsayhuaman. This site is incredible with phenomenal stonework and huge stones, the largest of which weighs around 130 tons. Fortunately many of these were too large for the invading Spanish to pillage for their own constructions, although they did destroy the towers that once stood at the highest point.
We had an excellent guide, possibly the best we have had on the trip. His English was limited but he made an effort where he could and I translated the rest.

What an awesome place, I could easily spend a few weeks here.

Ecuador Earthquake

We left Ecuador 3 days before the earthquake.  The eight people continuing on to walk the Inca Trail were in Cusco when the quake struck and would not have felt it.  They are currently out of cell phone and email range but I talked to them a few hours earlier when they were packing and all was well.

While in Ecuador we often remarked on the building code and its apparent weaknesses and so can imagine the devastation that has occurred on the coast. Our thoughts are with Ecuadorians recovering from the effects of the quake.

Incidentally if you are thinking of a trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos, if you can you should still go. Tourism is very important to Ecuador and the sooner it recovers the sooner the country returns to normal.  The Galapagos and the Amazon areas are unlikely to be affected and transport links through Guaquil and Quito will be quickly restored.

Ross

Puerto Ayora – Fish Market, Swimming and Giant Tortoises

These tortoise shells are from Santa Cruise and are much smaller than the 600kg models of other islands

Our last full day in the Galapagos was spent in Puerto Ayora, the main town on Santa Cruz and the largest town in the Galapagos.  It is a start or end point for most cruises and almost every tourist passes through here as it is the closest town to the airport.  As a result the entire town is geared towards tourism and has a little bit of a Queenstown feel.  However, like Queenstown, the surrounding attractions make it a great place to spend a couple of days. 

We started our full day here with a trip down to the fish market.  The fishing boats come in early in the morning and pelicans and the occasional seal line up for an easy meal.  The workers are incredibly efficient in preparing and filleting and preparing the fish and the waiting animals are remarkably patient.  The previous morning we saw a seal get thrown a fish head and skeleton.  The seal caught in hopped to the edge of the wharf, threw the fish into the water and flopped in after it.  He obviously felt there was less competition in the water than on land.  We also saw a pelican swallow a whole fish carcass – it looked rather uncomfortable for a few moments as the fish was sticking out through his throat.

Note the Iguana on the fish carcases at the market

From there we headed to Las Grietas, a lovely swimming canyon.  On our guides recommendation we went early to avoid the crowds.  We had the place to ourselves and the 20 minute walk had warmed us up nicely.  It is such a great place to swim between the cliffs.  We scrambled from one pool to the next over very sharp rocks – sandals or shoes would certainly have been handy.  The place was filling up and the sun was just starting the touch the water by the time we left.  The walk and short water taxi trip back was enough to dry us out and warm us up enough to want a cold coconut when we got back to the main wharf.

After lunch we headed to the highlands to visit the Giant Land Tortoises at El Chato Reserve.  Just out of town we stopped at the Mirador de Tuneles

which had a huge but very short lava tunel before continuing on to the tortoises.  The first activity at the tortoise reserve was climbing into the giant tortoise shell.  This beast would have been 150 years old when it died sometime last century.  I was the first to climb in to get things started.  These shells are heavy and lifting yourself up on all fours is a challenge.  Then some of the others had a go and the guide showed them how to a haul themselves upright, giving them a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle look. 

From there we walked around the reserve and saw some of the tortoises.  There weren’t huge numbers around as many of the females had left for lower ground to make their nests.  The ones we did see were pretty muddy as they like to sleep in the mud ponds – about 5pm each day they haul themselves off to a pond to sleep for the night.  These tortoises are one of 2 species on Santa Cruz and there are about 3500 of them left.  The tortoise population was pretty decimated by pirates and sailors who took them for meat supplies as they can last without food or water for nearly a year.  As a result some species became extinct and some became extremely endangered.  The Tortoise breeding program at the Charles Darwin Centre has

raised and released thousands of the most endangered species. 

We finished the day with a great dinner on ‘Eat Street’ – a street that becomes a series of open air restaurants each evening.  It has a great atmosphere and wonderful food with very generous servings.  The whole fish was a particular winner.

Another great day.

Hazel

Devil’s Crown Snorkelling with sharks

Day 4 on the Galapagos and it was time to snorkel at ‘The best snorkelling site in the Galapagos’.We have had some amazing snorkelling so it was a big ask to be even better, especially after we had just swum with turtles at Post Office Bay.

We headed out to the Devil’s Crown and swam off the back of the boat.  It was easy to see how it got its name with the sharp, rocky remains of a caldera poking up out of the sea.  Within moments of getting in the water we were surrounded by huge schools of fish.  This was our first deep water snorkel site and the visibility was amazing.  We were in about 20m of water with a great view of the bottom and the many layers of fish. 

Suddenly someone spotted a Hammerhead Shark and soon we were following two of them around.  Fortunately they were cruising around on the bottom leaving plenty of space between us and them.  Next up was a Sea Lion that made the big schools of fish dance out of reach, creating great swathes of clear sea. 

Hiding under a rock were the first of many White Tipped Sharks that we saw, along with a

large Marbled Ray.  Later on we also saw another pair of Eagle Rays, gliding gracefully along.  Ross spotted a Skipjack Tuna that scampered as soon as it saw us.

We continued around the outside of the Devil’s Crown passing a huge array of fish of all sizes and colours.  We saw Parrot Fish, Trumpetfish, Reef Cornetfish, King Angelfish, Mexican Hogfish and a Guineafowl Puffer.

As we completed the circuit we entered the Devil’s Crown through a narrow passage with a strong current.  Hiding in a hole on the wall was a large Rock Lobster.  He was a real challenge to photograph as we would be pushed one way and then the other and the strong current washed in and out.  Also in the

passage and the inner part of the crown was an amazing selection of coral and starfish. 

Swimming against the current was enough to tire most of us out and we were all very ready for an early lunch.  This spot definitely lived up to its great reputation for snorkelling! 

Hazel

Dancing with Sea Lions

Day two and we danced with juvenile sea lions.  Yet another magical experience.  As we dived down and around them they danced and twisted around us and each other.  What majestic creatures!  They didn’t seem at all bothered by our presence and at times we were entirely surrounded by them.  Suddenly I thought someone was trying to get my attention by tugging on my flipper, turning around I instead found a sea lion nibbling on my flipper! The water was a very pleasant 28 degrees, so there was no hurry to get out.
We also saw a large group of Eagle Rays, which the seals seemed to chase away.  The Eagle Rays are similar to Sting Rays, but with a more diamond shape and white speckles on their back.  They are also majestic creatures, but without the same level of cuteness as the Sea Lions.
Experiences like this make me feel incredibly lucky to be here.  Visiting the Galapagos really is a trip of a lifetime, and being here for the third time is just phenomenal.  
Swimming here at Santa Fe was a much needed reprieve from the heat.  I was really struggling with the heat this morning.  By 7am it must have been 30 degrees and our early morning visit to South Plaza Island was a struggle.  I was hunting for the smallest spots of shade and not appreciating the iguanas and cactuses as much as I would have if I’d been a little cooler.  A good reminder to take some wet arm covers and an umbrella for the afternoon walk today.  We were lucky to see a Marine-Land Iguana cross and a Blue Footed Booby.  We also saw hundreds of Galapagos Shearwaters protecting their nests in the cliffs from the Frigate Birds trying to steal their chicks.
Santa Fe has an interesting dilemma in that the Iguana population has exploded and the cactus trees are under threat as one of their main food sources.  We saw several scraps over cactus ears with the winner scratching the spikes off and munching away.  It’s surprising how fast they can move when they want to.  The Iguana population explosion is the result of the reduced Hawk population on nearby Santa Cruz Island, caused by locals in the 1990s shooting them to protect their chickens.  They hope a Hawk breeding and release program will help restore the balance and ensure the long-term survival of both the cactus and the Iguanas.
South Plaza was nice this morning, but the highlight of today has undoubtedly been dancing with the Sea Lions.  What an experience!

Hazel

PS note the flipper in the second photo

Hatching Turtles

We had an incredible introduction to the Galapagos Islands today with the amazing and unique experience of seeing turtles hatching.  Our guide said that he had never seen turtles hatching on this island, and the last time he saw turtles hatching on any island was 4 years ago, so we were exceedingly lucky. 
We were about to leave Mosquera Islet when someone saw a tiny baby turtle. The guides found the nest and suddenly more started to appear.  They were about 10cm long and incredibly cute.  They were rather lethargic at first, but before long the first brave explorers headed for the water, slowly at first, then gaining speed as they got closer.  The first one to reach the water received a round of applause as he swam out into the sunset.  Before long an army of baby turtles was lined up at the top of the hill, gaining strength for the trek down to the sea.  Cheered on and thoroughly photographed they slowly began to move.  A few seemed a bit disoriented and were gently reoriented towards the sea.
By the time we left for the boat the majority of the turtles were on the move and several had already made it to the sea.  Hopefully the rest of them made it safely to the sea under the cover of the encroaching darkness.
An incredible experience on our first in the Galapagos.  You so have to come here.
Huge hugs
Hazel

Riding Chimborazo

Starting at the Refugio on Chimborazo at 4,800m in fresh snow with the Refuge behind

Today was my big challenge day.  Four years ago I crashed riding down Chimborazo and was off work for almost a year recovering from head injuries,  puncture lung and multiple broken bones. Today I was going to ride it again.

We left Riobamba in heavy overcast but at about 4,000m the mist cleared and we could see a fresh dump of snow stretching down to about 4,500m.  As we climbed in the 4WDs the snow got deeper and with difs locked we passed a ute that had slid off the road. We stopped to pick up the workers and food for the refuge before continuing to the road end at 4,800m.

After coffees in the Refuge 11 of us started down with much sliding and the odd tumble into the snow.  On the steeper bits riding the untracked snow worked well and we were all pretty cautious.

The rest of the riders joined us as the snow thinned

At a long stop we regrouped at the park entrance before continuing on a volcanic sand track that had once been the road.  This was the last memories I had of my previous trip and I realised how I had crashed.  This deceptively flat track had deep erosion cuts and I must have hit one while distracted watching the vicunas (llama like animals that live in wild herds on the mountain).

Catherine

After a short road spell we enjoyed some great clay/volcanic single track with deep erosion gullies.  Andre misjudged a leap and landed in a heap with a good hematoma from the handle bars but after a few moments of pain declared himself ready to continue.

The drizzle turned to rain and the route varied from deeply rutted 4WD to single track that everyone coped with remarkably well.  The cold was the biggest challenge, made worse by the stop/start nature of being a big group.

Sue and Jane F elected not to ride and had a great day learning about the region from their driver guide who had excellent English.

Peter at the finish

It was Catherine R's first ever mountain bike  ride and she was grinning from ear to ear.  I see a purchase coming up.

Everyone was covered in mud and pretty shattered by the end of nearly 2000m of descent, but very pleased with themselves.  The hotel concierge was unimpressed with the trail we left through the hotel, but I am not sure he was going to be impressed with anything we did.

As we were about to go to dinner Sangay Volcano erupted sending up a large ash cloud.  It is 50kms away, so no noise or ash here in Riobamba.

Layers of ash from at  least 30 eruptions.

There  are several other days to fill in - hopefully there will be time to explain the trip out of the jungle, Lake  Quilatoa, and walking up to the hot springs above Quinta Colorada.

Yucca Bread

Today’s main activity was a trip to a local farm to make yucca bread.  Yucca – manioak or cassava in English – is a type of very starchy root vegetable.  We started off by pulling up a plant, or Andrew did for us.  From there our local guide, Doña Carmen, showed us how to slit the skin and peel the outer layer off.  From there they were scrubbed and then the hard work began as we pureed them on a large metal grater. The mush was then wrapped up in a giant tube and wound up to wring out all the liquid.  The nearly dry powder was then sieved through a giant sieve before beginning the cooking process.  While we had been preparing the yucca, a flat clay disk had been heating over an open fire.  Doña Carmen showed us how to spread a heaped mate cup of yucca onto the hot plate and spread it around to form a flat pizza base with a broad spatula-like piece of wood.  The mate cup was then used to gently press the bread to bind it together.  Amazingly it was then possible to lift the bread with the spatula, sweep the clay disk with a bunch of leaves and flip the pizza base.

Once the first ones were complete we were invited to have a go.  The challenge proved to be not the technique, but withstanding the heat.  It was already well above 30 in the little hut, and standing over the fire to spread and then press the yucca was definitely an endurance test.

Once the cooking was complete it was time to start eating.  We had a savoury option of tuna salad and hot chilli sauce and sweet options of chocolate sauce and blackberry jam.  Both options were well received and yucca bread was considered a success.

On the way back to camp we stopped for a spot of fishing and then swam on the other side of the river – 50m from where we had caught four piranha, two of which we kept for dinner.

 Waiting for photo from non swimmer to prove swimming.

Hazel

Amazon Jungle camp

The safety briefing at our jungle camp was a little different from the usual “beware water may be hot”.  It included “there may be snakes on the way to your room – so always use the torch at night”, “Scorpions are not fatal but they are painful so when tucking in your mosquito net, pulling up the top sheet or putting on clothes or gumboots always look carefully for them”, “swim in the main river but not the lagoon as the still water has electric eels and sting rays amongst other things”. 

We are staying at Dracaena’s Nicky Lodge in the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve in Ecuador.  To get here involved a short flight over the Andes, a 2 hour bus trip and three and a half hours by motorised canoe (a 15m long by 1.2m wide boat with a 40 horse Yamaha outboard).  The ride in was probably the most uncomfortable part as we had torrential rain and the boat was uncovered and doing 30kmh.

As we turned off the Aguarico River into the Cuyabeno River we saw a pink river dolphin.  A few minutes later our guide Diego spotted a sloth.  It was on a bare tree trunk in plain site but we took some time to see it as it was so well camouflaged. Diego imitated the sound of a Harpie Eagle (which preys on sloths) and it slowly turned its head.  Slothful takes on a whole new meaning watching them.

The Amazon provides the ideal environment for life with plenty of water and sunlight, warm temperatures for growth and very little wind.  The result is intense competition for resources, fascinating defence mechanisms and some amazing examples of cooperation.  At a rare clearing in the forest we found lemon ants that exude a strong lemon acid that stops trees other than the one they live in from growing. This tree provides tunnels to protect the ants in exchange for the acid to give it access to sunlight.  The ants are small, have a strong citrus taste and I could not feel their bite as we ate them.  Walking trees travel up to 6m putting down new aerial roots and pulling themselves towards sunlight. Leaf cutter ants build a compost heap in their nest and rely on the fungus in the compost for their food.  Vines and epiphytes fight for the sunlight at a lower building cost by starting on an existing tree.  In the case of strangler figs the seeds start in bat droppings on the side of the tree before eventually killing the host.

These millipedes excrete cyanide when frightened
so I smelt almonds, it probably smelled fear.

Cruising slowly on the river in our canoe we spotted (with Diego and Andres’ help) numerous birds, squirrel monkeys, capuchins and howler monkeys and pods of pink dolphins accompanied by a solitary grey dolphin. The birds included macaws, toucans, parakeets, eagles, egrets herons and vultures.

On the night walk in the jungle we spotted tarantulas, bats, snakes, frogs and numerous ants and other insects.  Many of them we also found in our bathroom which with its very open format was occasional home to a couple of bats and a huntsman spider.

This all implies a high level of excitement and adventure and there were adrenalin moments, but there were also many very relaxing moments.  Cruising quietly on the river just drinking in the vegetation and enjoying the river flow was very peaceful.

Ora Pendula nests

There is so much more to tell (and to write in a much better way) but its late – so this is what you get today.

Ross

Soaring Raptors

The highlight for today was visiting Parque Condor, a rehabilitation centre for birds of prey (Raptors).
We arrived in time to meet the park creator/manager and chief falconer before the aerial show.  A snowy owl was sitting on a ledge beside him and a small falcon was perched on his gloved hand.  He explained that the centre focused on rehabilitating injured birds and releasing them back into the wild.  Those that were in the flying display were too habituated to people to be able to return to the wild.

We made our way past two huge condors that were unable to fly and several large eagles to the stone arena on the windward side of the ridge where a steady breeze blew up the hill.  Over the next hour a wide variety of ever larger raptors were flown, soaring out over the ridge and almost disappearing in  the distance before returning for the next morsel of chicken from the glove of the falconer.
Sometimes the birds would swoop very low over the crowd almost touching heads, at other times they would dive almost vertically into the arena to land on the falconers wrist.
Throughout the show the manager kept up a steady commentary in Spanish that was completely focussed on teaching conservation values to the locals.  So many of the birds came in with  shotgun wounds and had been poorly tendered to for several days before being dropped off.

The highlight of the show was flying a pair of Bald Eagles.  These birds are severely endangered due to DDT and other pesticide usage in the US but their numbers are now recovering. The  pair called Gringo and Yankee weighed about 3kg (memory and translation errors possible) with a wingspan of about 2m were amazing as they swooped and dived.

The show finished with a pair of small birds brought out that the kids (and then grown up kids were allowed to hold on a falconers leather glove.

Check the photos at Parque Condor website.

But that was only part of the day.  Many of the group had explored the Otavalo food and handicraft markets before breakfast.  We then visited the Peguche Waterfall which was crowded with numerous boy scouts camping over the Easter break but well worth the short walk.

In the afternoon we decided to abandon plans for a  tour of high lakes as the Easter traffic and poor roads would have added 3 hours diving.  Instead we headed back stopping to admire Totara reed handicrafts and shop for marzipan.  I had expected to have an eat treat, but instead the marzipan is carved and dried into small, delicate and colourful figurines - more stuff I had not meant to buy but did.

There is much more to tell about today, like the amazing road construction between Quito and Otavalo and the connection between Horniman Tea and Margaritas. Yesterday's stories of visiting a crater, the Inti Nan museum at the crater and exploring the markets.  Hopefully someone else will take a turn writing.

We head into the Amazon tomorrow so may be 5 days before the next blog,

Ross with Len's Photos