This morning, after an early breakfast, we headed to a nearby private forest area for a hike and to traverse a series of suspension bridges. We once again hiked on terra firme, dry (or solid) ground. This means it is a piece of land that never floods, even with the annual rise of the river. Although dry ground seems normal to us, here it is not. The region we are visiting is the varzea or flood forest. Right now, it is the dry season and the water is dropping. But for half the year the water floods over the banks and into the surrounding forest.
Our hike this morning allowed us to learn more about the tropical rain forest, especially the plants. Our naturalists are from the local area and are a wealth of information about how the various plants are used. Termite mounds are a natural insect repellent. Vines (instead of nails) hold some buildings together. We saw rubber dripping straight from the source—a rubber tree. Before the seeds were exported around the world, Central and South America were the only place these trees were found.
A special treat was seeing a forest dwelling inhabitant that is not often seen, the fer-de-lance snake, one of the poisonous snakes here. This was just a small one, but no less dangerous.
The seven suspension bridges were the highlight of the hike. Although a little scary to first step off the platform and onto a swinging bridge, we loved them. Here we were able to walk through the mid-level of the canopy, looking down onto creeks and out across the forest into the treetops.
This afternoon we chose between kayaking or a skiff ride on Nauta Caño. The creek was oriented for the afternoon shade, so the temperature felt perfect. Our naturalists once again amazed us with their keen vision and spotting abilities. A black lump in a distant tree eventually turned into a recognizable monk saki—a medium sized, overly furry monkey whose tails were once prized as dusters. And equally impressive was the great pootoo—a nocturnal bird related to the nighthawks that was perfectly camouflaged (and not moving) in the upper branches of a tree we were going by.
Our final adventure for the day was to go back to the jungle at night. We were greeted by the forest symphony as we stepped ashore. Armed with flashlights we began a treasure hunt to find as many night creatures as we could, there were lots! Frogs, katydids, spiders, walking sticks, geckos, and a tiny vine snake were the stars of the show. The skiff ride back to the Delfin II was equally enjoyable with the Milky Way and stars of the southern sky shining brightly overhead.
