Amazon Rainforest - Day 2



Day 2, Amazon Rainforest, near Puerto Maldonado, Perú (5/15/2012)

[For an introduction to the rainforest, see Day 1.]

Today was jam-packed with activites. We woke up very early (4 AM), had breakfast, then took a boat to the landing near Tres Chimbadas Lake where we walked at least a mile to the lake. At the lake we took a paddle boat and quietly spied wildlife in the early morning hours (the best time). Eventually it started pouring so into my backpack went my camera when we began (no kidding) piranha fishing. Guess who among the dozen or so participants (including the two Peruvian guides) caught the first piranha. Yes, I did ... one of the two vegans in the group (the other being Laura). And that's my piranha in the photo. We threw it back in and continued fishing for another 30 minutes or so before hiking back to the boat and returning to the lodge.

Directly after lunch we hiked to the Clay Lick where, on dry days, one can see macaws getting nutrients from the clay. But it was raining most of the afternoon so the macaws (unlike us) were too smart to be caught outside. Returning to the lodge we hiked to the boat again and headed to another part of the rainforest for a ethnobotanical tour. Hiking around the area we were introduced to a bunch of medicinal plants by the shawman's assistant; the shaman it turned out (no joke) took the day off. Finally, after dinner, we did a jungle night walk. For this I left my camera at the lodge, but we saw some interesting insects up close, including walking sticks and a very poisonous spider.

Total distance hiked today was at least 5 miles.

Continue to Day 3

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Hiking to boat in early morning

Life vest

Abandoned boat on river


Now heading to the lake

Paddle boat on lake

Tiger egret

A noisy hoatzin

 

Neo tropic cormorant

Luis searching


Our telescope
 


Mourning dove

Black baby caiman


 


Tiger egret



Another hoatzin
 


Yellow-billed nun bird

Bats!

Luis ready with bait

The piranha I caught!
 


Huge snail


Wild turkey

White-throated toucan
 




Walking palm

 


Walking palm


Dusky Titi monkey

Mud!
 


Strangulated ficus tree

Spectacled owl

Baby spectacled owl

Clay lick blind
 


Clay lick

Fly catcher


Brown agouti
 


Muddy Wellingtons


Capybara

 


Ethnobotanical gardens



 





 

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