February 22, 2017: We went to bed last evening to a cloudy sky and a bit of a breeze. At some point overnight, the apathetic weather progressed to a fantastic storm. Bright flashes of lightning and booming thunder, rain coming down as if through a fire hose, and wind that filled our room through glass-less windows. Our beds are surrounded by mosquito netting, which joined our gauzy curtains in a whirling dervish dance. It was so exciting! The wild evening completely transformed our lazy creek … filing it, and bringing out the voices of frogs that were silent yesterday.
Unfortunately, the clay lick was birdless, but we did get a quick view of a few wild pigs. From there, we went to the Añangu village, where ecotourism has contributed to a new school, medical facility, and a full-time dentist for this community of around 200 Kichwa people. We had a delicious traditional lunch (I’m learning to love yucca), and watched a presentation about the community’s handcrafted art, local traditions, and cooking, Kichwa-style. By developing projects like this, these communities are helping to save the rainforest, and reduce their economy’s dependence on oil.
The trip up Añangu Creek was full of new things to see. We saw woolly monkeys, macaws, a few caimans, a two-toed sloth, and a family of playful giant otters. Boy, do they have some teeth!
After dinner tonight, we went on a night walk through the jungle. At one point, we all turned off our flashlights. The night was void of any light, and we stood silently listening to the crickets, frogs, and other nocturnal creatures. After a minute or so, I spotted a flicker of light. Soon, there were dozens of twinkling stars surrounding us. Fireflies! This is destined to be one of the most magical moments of my life. We also saw geckos, tarantulas, crickets, spiders that made yesterday’s arachnid seem small, and a few toads that were the size of a cantaloupe.
What a day. I feel so fortunate to be able to experience this place. Time to rest up for tomorrow’s adventures. Buenos noches!