The heat and humidity abated a bit in the early morning. We canoed out onto the lagoon where parrots and dozens of other birds dazzled us. We saw 3 different species of monkey ( howler, capuchin, and squirrel ) who cavorted in the jungle canopy. It wasa amazing to see our distant cousins watching us intently as we took pictures. We landed and Luis, our local guide, took us on a 3 hour walk through the heat. It was magical. Another coral snake slithered away from us, thank God.
In the afternoon, we learned from the locals how to use spears and blowguns. We entered a friendly competition with them and we North Americans acquitted ourselves well. The rest of the day was spent trying, with no success, to escape the heat. Luis gave Lou a "face paint" treatment using a local plant dye. No sooner was the paint applied to Lou's face, than it began to run with her persperation and with the humidity in the air.
As I write these words, in the relative cool of the dark jungle night, Luis discovered a young 2 meter long caiman in the dark waters off our dock. I gazed at the beast, illuminated in Luis's flashlight. Michael and Gail joined us, and the group of us tried to comprehend this strange prehistoric beast floating in the unimagineably dark waters of the lagoon here in the 21st century. Past meets present in steamy Ecuador !!
The heat and humidity abated a bit in the early morning. We canoed out onto the lagoon where parrots and dozens of other birds dazzled us. We saw 3 different species of monkey ( howler, capuchin, and squirrel ) who cavorted in the jungle canopy. It wasa amazing to see our distant cousins watching us intently as we took pictures. We landed and Luis, our local guide, took us on a 3 hour walk through the heat. It was magical. Another coral snake slithered away from us, thank God.
In the afternoon, we learned from the locals how to use spears and blowguns. We entered a friendly competition with them and we North Americans acquitted ourselves well. The rest of the day was spent trying, with no success, to escape the heat. Luis gave Lou a "face paint" treatment using a local plant dye. No sooner was the paint applied to Lou's face, than it began to run with her persperation and with the humidity in the air.
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