Highlight of the day: giant river otters…
A full day on the river today and I believe the plan is to follow the Itenez River downstream to its tributary, the Paucerna, and then follow that river upstream until it plummets off the Huanchaca Plateau at the Federico Ahfield and Arco Iris waterfalls (the falls we saw from the air on our flight to Flor de Oro). Hopefully, Fernando knows when to turn around, otherwise our Year of Wonder will end abruptly after two months. Communicating with Fernando is problematic, however, because he’s Brazilian and has limited Spanish. Le, our Vietnamese companion, speaks fluent English and some Spanish but finds Fernando’s accent difficult to understand. Christi and I, of course, speak neither Spanish nor Brazilian and consequently have little idea what’s going on.
Still, you don’t need great language skills when a wonderful wildlife encounter presents itself. Fernando spots a family of giant river otters swimming around some mangrove roots along the river bank. He whoops and whistles to gain their attention, while one particularly ear splitting call rouses the otters into a frenzy. We hang out here for ages enjoying their wonderful playful interactions.
We eventually find the Paucerna, and having signed the visitor book at the ranger station, we continue upstream. It becomes rapidly apparent, however, that there is insufficient water to allow our speedboat to progress very far and there is zero danger of us plunging over a waterfall to our deaths. Oh well. Quick point about speedboats and photography: they don’t mix very well, so the only opportunity I have to take photos is when Fernando isn’t racing along like a madman. That guy certainly has a need for speed. Speed does have some advantages, though. The bloody mosquitoes can’t catch us and the oppressive heat and humidity is dialed down to bearable levels.
We retrace our steps to Flor de Oro, and perhaps as compensation for today’s disappointment, Fernando takes us out on another nocturnal boat safari. Even our pilot, Greg, who we haven’t seen for days accompanies us. The sky is clear and the stars are dazzling. Bats flutter past our faces, which is a little disconcerting. I yell, perhaps a little too hysterically, at one point when I’m hit in the neck – is it a vampire bat feeding on me? Thankfully not. It’s only a flying fish and several more find their way into the boat. They flop and flail on the floor until Fernando picks them up, kisses them (not sure why) and returns them to the river. More snakes, caiman, frogs, and toads keep us entertained during the safari.
By Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut wrenching, heart-wrenching, laugh-wrenching ride
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