We are up early to start our journey to Sacha Lodge deep in the Amazon. It takes a flight on a commercial jet followed by a 50 mile (2 hours) boat ride down the Napo river. We see small barges and boats like ours. This area has oil, which is responsible for a third of the Ecuador economy. We even see a mini cruise boat used as another form of ecotourism.
On our way to an adventure
Boats we traveled on
Once we debark we meet our guide for the next few days, Luis. Our group consists of our friends Linda and Tom plus a couple from Atlanta. Luis takes us on a mile walk stopping to teach us about the white water (Napo River) vs black water plus a little about some of the vegetation. We then climb into a canoe that he paddles down the creek to Pitchicocha Lake. The lake is black stained by the tannins from the vegetation. It has Caimans, Giant Otters and Piranhas to name only a few of its inhabitants.
Now a canoe to the lodge
The lodge has a restaurant built over the water where we have lunch and learn the rules for our stay. For example, swimming is only allowed in a small area with nets to keep out harmful creatures. After lunch it’s off to get our muck boots and see our room which is fantastic.
outside of our room
S
Our cabin
On the grounds is a researcher studying the pigmy monkeys (Pigmy Marmoset) which are only 4-6 inches tall and live off of tree sap. Our first activity will be to go to the site and hopefully spot them. Along the way we stop to learn about various plants. Unfortunately we only find the researcher who states the monkeys have moved to another location. It will be dark soon, so back to the lodge for a welcome drink and presentation on the vast numbers of species across the 3 climates in Ecuador.
Kapok tree
Luis tells us he wants to take us on a nighttime canoe ride in search of Caimans. Carol isn’t thrilled with the unstable boat with large carnivores in the water. It’s very dark as there is no moon and clouds cover most stars. Luis paddles and stops to shine his light on the bank. This time we find what we are looking for. Caimans, while slightly smaller than the alligators at home they are more aggressive. Our return is rewarded with the clouds retreating revealing a star filled sky. Time for dinner and bed
We are going bird watching from above the Forrest canopy Breakfast at 5:30 and start our trek at 6:15. After a 20 minute hike we reach the first of three towers We continue on to the furthest tower and climb 135 feet to the top where we are greeted with an expansive mist filled view of the jungle Luis has his mono-scope and the eyes of an eagle.
Atop the canopy
Us on one of the 2 suspension bridges
Slate colored hawk
Double toothed Kite
We get several hours of viewing from the three towers Good news we didn’t have to climb each tower. Bad news for some, we traversed a 940-foot swinging walkway.
Gray capped Flycatcher
Short eared owl
Gilded Barbet
Plum-Throated Cotinga
Carol is holding an Amazon candle. They dry a seed which will burn for an hour. The leaf shades your eyes.
We are soaking from sweat and head back for a couple hour rest. Lunch today is hosted by Luis as it consists of traditional indigenous food, which was delicious.
Late afternoon we meet at the dock to journey by canoe to a different tower (the wood fort) above the canopy. As we travel across the lake we see a cormorant. After entering a creek, we see a baby Anaconda.
Cormorant
Turtles remind us of home
Young Anaconda
Once we arrive at our destination, Luis sets off for a specific destination and sets up his mono scope. It’s an adult and juvenile Owl Monkey
Owl monkey
When we arrive at wood fort, we quickly see it’s different. It’s tall, 160 feet or more What makes this different is a platform astride a massive kapok tree’s branch. Up we go, soon to be treated with an expansive view over the Forrest. What birds we saw never stopped for us to get a photo, but we had a good time anyway
Crested Owl
Platform built into the tree branches
Upon our return we listen to a presentation on the indigenous cultures including one we will visit tomorrow. Their cultures are divided into river people and forest peoples. Of those there are about 20 cultures, all but two have integrated to some degree. Those two have refused contact with the outside world. The government has heeded their wishes and banned contact with these two groups. Unfortunately, some missionaries ignored those rules and lost their lives when their heads were placed on spikes.
The next morning, it’s an early start again We set off by canoe and Luis asks us to listen. We hear what sounds like a howling windstorm. You would think you need to take shelter quickly. That storm was the red howling monkeys, each family declaring their presence. I wish we could see them.
A walk and then boat up the Napo River to where we hopefully will see lots of parrots. Ahead we see a couple boats like ours in front of what looks like a landslide exposing the earth. Here are hundreds of parrots of 4 species. We learn they are here to eat the clay for the minerals it contains. These are necessary for their bodies to counteract the effects of food they normally consume.
On our way to the cultural visit, we see some more wildlife. Carol is in luck as she sees a red howler monkey. I’m still hoping to see one.
We turn off onto a shallow tributary, which gives the man at the wheel many challenges navigating a long boat through tight curves filled with snags. Our destination consists of a few traditional buildings and a modern bathroom. We learn that eight women decided to start this business and got their husbands to build the structures. Two of those ladies are our hosts and tell us what traditional life they retained and how life has changed over time. They live off the land but have adopted tools like machete and aluminum pans. Some structures have tin roofs and others are made of palm. Their attire is brightly colored western attire rather than cloths made from tree bark. This group tried solar panels, but they no longer function It’s a long way to town for fuel, so they minimize consumption by burning wood often and an interesting seed that functions like a candle. Fishing, hunting and the food in the jungle provides most of their food. Some small crops of Yuca, sweet potatoes and chickens.
Home
Gift shop
We learn man’s work is outdoors hunting, fishing, construction including basket weaving. The ladies show us preparation for traditional food. The oven is in the same room that they live The smoke keeps insects from destroying the roof They actually move the oven over time so all areas of the room receive smoke. The oven consists of a grill area with a platform above for smoking food and materials used in for tools that need to be insect resistant.
Grill on bottom Pot to boil on right Smoking area suspended above
They tell us about all of the ingredients. Yuca, a native high caloric tuber was spread across the tropics by the Spanish and Portuguese. At the same time the Spanish introduced the sweet potato to people in Central America.
Mashing Yuca
The meal we shared, including cooked larvae. (Tastes like bacon)
Guns are outlawed, so blow guns are still used. We watch as he made Darts and each had an opportunity to try it.
The kids go to school; a few go onto higher education including one of the Sacha guides who has a university degree. Others like him with higher education are a big part of the ongoing efforts in Ecuador to preserve the Amazon. We have seen their success as we have not seen any burnt forest for creating pastures that we witnessed in Brazil.
They had a small museum with incredible carvings like this.
Our afternoon excursion is in the canoes and in search of monkeys. We cross the lake and Luis hears Squirrel Monkeys. Sounds very familiar to me. They are leaping from tree to tree. Their tails are for balance as they run across the tree limbs. My mother brought home a squirrel monkey for a pet when I was in second grade. He lived so long Carol met him. Despite the odds he lived for about 20 years despite the vet from the Atlanta zoo saying they die quickly when kept as a pet. Please don’t make one a pet.
We would let George outside in good weather, so I am very familiar with this.
We leave them and continue our search. We get a short glimpse of a red howler, but no photo. We return to the lake and turn down what is called the Anaconda tributary. At its mouth we see this large ancient bird that is a throwback to the dinosaurs. It eats leaves and has two stomachs like a cow.
Hoatzin
We continue our journey and hear a large monkey moving through the treetops. It’s another red howler but again no photo. It’s getting dark so time to return and attend the lecture on the world’s smallest monkey, Pigmy Marmoset. It’s our last day, so in the morning we are up at 4:30.
We depart across the lake at dark. We can hear the growing howler sounds from a distance. The forest is coming alive. On this final voyage we see a Capuchin Monkey with a baby on its back, a nice finish to our Amazon adventure.
Coca, where we leave the boat and catch our flight
Last view of the city in the clouds before we fly to Galapagos
We are in Quito for just 2 days. Happily, we have booked a tour guide for both days so we can make the most of our short time in Quito. Personally, I have concerns about visiting Quito - it is a very high-altitude city as it is aptly named city in the clouds. I have had a mild case of altitude sickness before at a lower altitude. So I took meds, but truthfully, I never felt quite like myself while there and unfortunately Jeff was fighting a cold the whole time. We did enjoy ourselves just not perfect.
This island got its name from the Elephant Seals often found
on its beaches. Some say it is because
when looking down on it from above it looks like an elephant head with a trunk. Either way it is part of the South Shetland
Islands so named because they are on an equal latitude point as the Shetland
Islands off Scotland. We have continued
to follow the steps of Shackleton, and this small island is where they washed up. It is here that Shackleton and 3 others left
the rest of the crew while they went off in search of help. The ones left behind stayed on a beach that
no longer exists, but you can tell where they were because the caves that were
behind them in photos are still there. We
rode the zodiacs around the island. We
saw a statute in honor of the Chilean Sea Captain who rescued the men left
behind. It is pretty and desolate all at
the same time.
It is a former whaling settlement. It was in existence from 1902 to 1966. It was the first of six and the last of the whaling settlements in South Georgia. Before it was a whaling settlement, it was used by individuals for seal hunting and processing. The seal hunters left their huge pots behind (think witches' cauldron) and in Swedish Grytviken means pot bay. Now it is a historical site and an area full of fur seals with some penguins too. There is a choice for a hike, so Linda and I send the men on that and take the chance to explore the old settlement.
West Falkland Islands of Saunders and West Point (day 1)
After a day at sea where we learned all the rules for
stepping foot on land in this part of the world and welcome talks, we are ready
to make out first “ports”. I put ports
in quotation marks because we did not have
a wharf or pier to step out onto but rather we did wet landings in the
zodiacs. So glad for waterproof pants
and boots!
S
