Pocket knife drawn…

February 29, 2012:  Hitching a ride from Annai to the Canopy Walkway, I was dropped off in the southern end of the dense tropical Iwokrama Rainforest at about 4:40am – sort of early to be in an area where I was told that a large population of jaguars and anacondas live.  I love seeing wildlife at close range, but this morning when I was walking to the lodge, I was alright not seeing any.  Wearing my headlamp, I had my pocket knife drawn in one hand while I was eating a coconut muffin with the other, making it to the lodge after a short brisk 1.2 km walk down the road.

The first morning there I made it out to the canopy walkway, which is a series of suspension bridges that hangs 30 meters (99.9 feet) above the forest floor.  On the walkway I spotted with the help of some hard core birders and there 100,000,000 power scope, 2 species of Toucans I have never seen before and some beautifully colored birds.  It is always nice at the beginning of trip to see such amazing wildlife since then on the rest of the trip…everything else can be considered a bonus.  For me, it was the monkeys, giant rats and some strange looking insects. 

While doing a hike one afternoon we heard a noise and my guide said it was a Tapir.  Of course a Tapir, I thought.  He couldn’t say a feral pig since not many people would be excited seeing such a common animal.  Rule #34 in the “Pocket Book on How to be a Good Guide” clearly states:  Claim any loud and untraceable noise to be either a jaguar or an animal that a member of the group wants to see.    

I was able to save some costs with a little begging and agreeing to sleep in my hammock in the dining area after everyone went to bed - though later finding out that the cockroaches must have also had the same agreement.  Waking up at 3:00am to independently search the tropical forest for the nocturnal animals, there were about 20+ cockroaches scattering on the floor with a few even springing off my backpack, looking as if they were enjoying using it for a diving board.

My last night at the lodge, we heard a megaton tree fall near us.  There is not much you can do except, hope that it isn’t going to land on you.  After it landed the manager at the lodge said it was far away…about 200 meter or so – far for him, sounded kind of close to me.