2018-12-29: Part 1
At 7 am Mohsin takes us for a morning walk. It's not a hard trek, but we're immediately drenched. Any activity here makes you sweat, and water bottles are a necessity. We see various butterflies, including some glasswings (you can see through them), and some pretty fuchsia-colored butterflies ever flitting along the trail. We come upon some macaws, then see peccary tracks. There are strange mounds edging the trail. Mohsin asks if we can guess what they are. I suggest nascent volcanoes, but they're cicada mounds.
![[Image: uc?export=view&id=1CR7UrKuK6KrUcaIz1uFbtVDEcyO7NLhh]](https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1CR7UrKuK6KrUcaIz1uFbtVDEcyO7NLhh)
The cicada larvae undergo their transformation at the bottom of these structures. It's very odd, because in the States the larvae burrow underground to undergo metamorphosis.
At one point I hear a strange buzzing and go off-trail while the others continue. It comes from the base of a tree. I see a big hollow there. Then above it I see a bee land and enter a small cleft. Another enters, another departs. LC and Mohsin come back to see what I've found. We can feel the vibrations coming from the tree. There's a hive of small honeybees inside. Mohsin doesn't know what kind, but mentions that African killer bees have invaded the area. We listen for a while, resolve to check it in more detail later, then move on.
"You really do like bugs," Mohsin says, seeing how I take an interest in every insect we come across. I sense he deals with a lot of people only interested in birds, or monkeys, or snakes. But I'm interested in all wildlife.
We come to a marshy area where our shoes and socks get wet. Mohsin points out a huge Kapok tree. He tells us that he got married under this tree. It's a favorite meditative place for him, and we sit down on impressive buttress roots to relax and chat. Eventually Mohsin looks down and says, "Bullet ant." There's a few of them along the top of the buttress root. He tells us we better not linger, but takes the time to explain how to identify them. "A lot of people say they've seen bullet ants when they haven't." He points out the large size, the big mandibles, and--most telling--the yellow coloration on the antennae and front legs. Also, though there may be several hundred in their nest, you typically only see a small number (2 to 7) traveling together. Mohsin relates having one fall down his shirt, where it bit him in the chest and stung him time and again.
We return to the ecolodge to eat breakfast and relax, but not for long. As Mohsin puts it, we need to take advantage of every clear day, as once the rains come, it will limit our options.
2018-12-29: Part 2
Even with hearing aids, I often misunderstand what we're about to do; but on this occasion a lot of people seem to think we're taking a short stroll to a waterfall for a dip. So I don't bother with socks, just shoes, a bad idea for a long jungle trek, which this turns out to be. It includes traversals of ravines carved out by streams, many of them dry despite the rainy season, treacherous to climb down into and up out of. Some include plank bridges maybe 8 inches wide that test one's balance. As we proceed, I grow concerned that my sockless feet might get chafed or blistered by my fairly new shoes.
Along the way, JJ pauses to machete open a large nut. He digs out a couple grubs, eats one, offers the other to us. I take it, eat it, and earn a fist-bump from JJ. It's creamy, nutty.
After a very long walk, we come to a high bank on the river and follow it to a waterfall.
The waterfall is just a stream spilling 20 feet into the river. You can't really stand in it; LC and I are a bit disappointed. Mohsin tells us there's a bigger waterfall further along. One can follow the high bank to it, or wade a nearby stream that leads to it. LC, Paula and I decide to wade the stream. Mohsin leads. As always, we carefully shuffle our feet to scare off any stingrays. It's a beautiful stretch of stream
![[Image: uc?export=view&id=1gWsN5eko4_FSrg9Sjq1_j7v6Z6bOF5cu]](https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1gWsN5eko4_FSrg9Sjq1_j7v6Z6bOF5cu)
that leads to the second waterfall. This one has a greater vertical drop to the river, maybe thirty feet. We linger there a while. Stewart starts goofing off very close to the waterfall. Mohsin tries to talk some sense into him, but he seems amused that people think he's in danger. Finally he comes away from the edge. There is talk of returning to these waterfalls at a later date by boat and going for a swim below them.
JJ leads the way back, taking a different route. We traverse a couple ravines on board bridges, then come to a particularly big ravine holding fast flowing water. JJ halts our column at the top of the ravine to study the board bridge below. It's long and doesn't look in very good condition. It's a bad place to stop, as there are tiny ants that swarm our shoes and are very bitey. We're all brushing at our ankles. Like me, JJ only wears shoes, no socks, and a lot of ants get in our shoes, biting our feet. They're very annoying. JJ then goes down the muddy embankment to the start of the bridge. Still brushing at his ankles, he makes adjustments to the board so it lies flatter. After testing it, he walks across. LC goes down and carefully crosses next. I go down next and start across.
A third of the way across, I stop. My left foot has started to skate to the left. My right foot follows. I'm going in. I go in.
I hit the water vertically, which is waist deep and luckily without underwater logs or limbs. I'm okay, and Pauline later tells me I did it very well. Rather than fight to stay on the board, I just bent my knees to lower my center of gravity and stayed vertical as I skidded off. I wade across, feeling a bit embarrassed, and accept JJ's helping hand onto the embankment. More adjustments are made to bridge, which had tilted on me, and the others cross. I do hear another splash, which LC later tells me was Mohsin jumping in from the bridge. He's always doing stuff like that, absolutely loving the jungle.
We return to the ecolodge for dinner and a rest. But not for long.
At 7 am Mohsin takes us for a morning walk. It's not a hard trek, but we're immediately drenched. Any activity here makes you sweat, and water bottles are a necessity. We see various butterflies, including some glasswings (you can see through them), and some pretty fuchsia-colored butterflies ever flitting along the trail. We come upon some macaws, then see peccary tracks. There are strange mounds edging the trail. Mohsin asks if we can guess what they are. I suggest nascent volcanoes, but they're cicada mounds.
The cicada larvae undergo their transformation at the bottom of these structures. It's very odd, because in the States the larvae burrow underground to undergo metamorphosis.
At one point I hear a strange buzzing and go off-trail while the others continue. It comes from the base of a tree. I see a big hollow there. Then above it I see a bee land and enter a small cleft. Another enters, another departs. LC and Mohsin come back to see what I've found. We can feel the vibrations coming from the tree. There's a hive of small honeybees inside. Mohsin doesn't know what kind, but mentions that African killer bees have invaded the area. We listen for a while, resolve to check it in more detail later, then move on.
"You really do like bugs," Mohsin says, seeing how I take an interest in every insect we come across. I sense he deals with a lot of people only interested in birds, or monkeys, or snakes. But I'm interested in all wildlife.
We come to a marshy area where our shoes and socks get wet. Mohsin points out a huge Kapok tree. He tells us that he got married under this tree. It's a favorite meditative place for him, and we sit down on impressive buttress roots to relax and chat. Eventually Mohsin looks down and says, "Bullet ant." There's a few of them along the top of the buttress root. He tells us we better not linger, but takes the time to explain how to identify them. "A lot of people say they've seen bullet ants when they haven't." He points out the large size, the big mandibles, and--most telling--the yellow coloration on the antennae and front legs. Also, though there may be several hundred in their nest, you typically only see a small number (2 to 7) traveling together. Mohsin relates having one fall down his shirt, where it bit him in the chest and stung him time and again.
We return to the ecolodge to eat breakfast and relax, but not for long. As Mohsin puts it, we need to take advantage of every clear day, as once the rains come, it will limit our options.
2018-12-29: Part 2
Even with hearing aids, I often misunderstand what we're about to do; but on this occasion a lot of people seem to think we're taking a short stroll to a waterfall for a dip. So I don't bother with socks, just shoes, a bad idea for a long jungle trek, which this turns out to be. It includes traversals of ravines carved out by streams, many of them dry despite the rainy season, treacherous to climb down into and up out of. Some include plank bridges maybe 8 inches wide that test one's balance. As we proceed, I grow concerned that my sockless feet might get chafed or blistered by my fairly new shoes.
Along the way, JJ pauses to machete open a large nut. He digs out a couple grubs, eats one, offers the other to us. I take it, eat it, and earn a fist-bump from JJ. It's creamy, nutty.
After a very long walk, we come to a high bank on the river and follow it to a waterfall.
The waterfall is just a stream spilling 20 feet into the river. You can't really stand in it; LC and I are a bit disappointed. Mohsin tells us there's a bigger waterfall further along. One can follow the high bank to it, or wade a nearby stream that leads to it. LC, Paula and I decide to wade the stream. Mohsin leads. As always, we carefully shuffle our feet to scare off any stingrays. It's a beautiful stretch of stream
that leads to the second waterfall. This one has a greater vertical drop to the river, maybe thirty feet. We linger there a while. Stewart starts goofing off very close to the waterfall. Mohsin tries to talk some sense into him, but he seems amused that people think he's in danger. Finally he comes away from the edge. There is talk of returning to these waterfalls at a later date by boat and going for a swim below them.
JJ leads the way back, taking a different route. We traverse a couple ravines on board bridges, then come to a particularly big ravine holding fast flowing water. JJ halts our column at the top of the ravine to study the board bridge below. It's long and doesn't look in very good condition. It's a bad place to stop, as there are tiny ants that swarm our shoes and are very bitey. We're all brushing at our ankles. Like me, JJ only wears shoes, no socks, and a lot of ants get in our shoes, biting our feet. They're very annoying. JJ then goes down the muddy embankment to the start of the bridge. Still brushing at his ankles, he makes adjustments to the board so it lies flatter. After testing it, he walks across. LC goes down and carefully crosses next. I go down next and start across.
A third of the way across, I stop. My left foot has started to skate to the left. My right foot follows. I'm going in. I go in.
I hit the water vertically, which is waist deep and luckily without underwater logs or limbs. I'm okay, and Pauline later tells me I did it very well. Rather than fight to stay on the board, I just bent my knees to lower my center of gravity and stayed vertical as I skidded off. I wade across, feeling a bit embarrassed, and accept JJ's helping hand onto the embankment. More adjustments are made to bridge, which had tilted on me, and the others cross. I do hear another splash, which LC later tells me was Mohsin jumping in from the bridge. He's always doing stuff like that, absolutely loving the jungle.
We return to the ecolodge for dinner and a rest. But not for long.
I'm nobody's pony.