If the nocturnal forest symphony was relaxing, the morning cacophony (starting at around 4:30 am) was deafening. We were abruptly awakened by what I would describe is a marimba that played 3 short consistent pitches followed by someone hitting a gong. This turned out to be a bird (whose name escapes me) that was perched right on top of our dwelling! Honestly, I thought it was some kind of organized wake up call until Roberto clued us in at breakfast.
First stop on the agenda today was a canopy tour of the forest. With vivid recollections of yesterday's talk of toxic flora and tarantulas lurking in tree bark, we were happy to oblige when Percy told us to scale the 40 ft. tower to take a walk on the wild side....a network of suspension bridges strung high above the forest floor.
We saw the "drum" tree, so named because the natives beat on the trunks to send resonant drum beats of coded messages throughout the forest. This was their mass communication system. The fig trees start as vines that wrap themselves around another specie of tree and strangle that tree allowing the fig tree to grow into a ficus. The ultimate parasite!
Just as in N. America, the birds are heard but rarely seen. This is a social fly catcher. Social in that he allows us to see his glorious yellow self. Walking across the swaying bridges was magical, 100 feet in the air, where we were able to see orchids and the palm fruits with the Macaws that feed on them. All in all, this lofty view afforded us a glimpse of a secret world in the Amazon tree tops.
After a 20 minute boat ride upstream on the Madre de Dios (Mother of God) River, we docked at the Gamatana Model Farm, a prototype to teach the indigenous farmers alternative methods of agriculture to encourage soil conservation and diversity. The farmers live on site while their families live an hour away in the city of Puerto Mondonara. As we trekked through what was arguably a very diverse "farm," we saw lemon trees, orange trees, banana trees, and avocado trees all growing in a harmonious orchard together.
Throu
ghout the farm we saw acres of tropical plants (house plants to us North Americans) such as the spectacular Bird of Paradise Tree! Our hour and a half hike took us through a lush tropical rain forest with towering palms, ficus, kapock trees among many others. It was an "Alice in Wonderland" tangled jungle with sunlit doilies and shadows piercing the canopy. Again, many dangers as Percy pointed out some innocuous looking "deadly" caterpillars. We saw several ant colonies as Percy described the life inside these 30-70 year domiciles. Called Leaf cutter ants, they collect the leaves of a particular tree and hoard these inside their hives where the leaf rots in rainy seasons producing a mushroom that they use for food. We continue to be enthralled by the delicate balance of these plants and animals vying for the lack of nutrients.
The canoe trip down the Gamatano Creek was serene and intoxicating with only the distant cry of parrots and macaws; the gentle, rhythmic dipping of oars in the glassy water. We saw a sloth, monkey, and a red tailed squirrel.
We saw our first white kaymon (crocodile) peaking out of the river near the shore. Was he grinning at
us? Hmmmmm
m
bid adeau to our camp site on the river and said adios amigos to Percy, Roberto, and Tony then boarded the boat for an hour long ride back upriver 
to Puerto Moldonado.
n of this lofty place is that it is beautiful village surrounded by the sweeping grandeur of the magestic Andes mountains. The drive took us down streets lined with quaint shops/ restaurants and businesses all very orderly and inviting. There were several plazas throughout, each boasting its own Catholic Cathedral and gardens. Everywhere local women (often with babies tucke
d in slings across their backs) sold trinkets to tourists.
at night with soft music playing and candle light on the table. I believe that this is one of the most romantic places we've stayed in for a while.
Monkey Island is a 10 minute boat ride across the river from our camp. We went around to the far side of the island away from the main current of the river and proceeded down the trail about 100 yards into the forest. Monkeys began chattering at us and Percy threw bananas at them to get them to come down from the trees. The alpha monkey ended up getting the snack as the others watched and became very aggressive with the smaller monkeys. Watching the monkeys, it became apparent that, like humans, they will create all kinds of diversionary tactics to get at the food. Monkey Island is a man made sanctuary for these creatures to keep them out of the surrounding villages.
The next morning began with a sunrise boat ride back up the Madre de Dios (one of many very wide rivers in the Amazon). Today our destination is Lake Sandoval, a place of tranquility that is all about bird watching!
t the birds: In the Amazon Jungle, the female birds tend to be more colorful than 
the males!
If the nocturnal forest symphony was relaxing, the morning cacophony (starting at around 4:30 am) was deafening. We were abruptly awakened by what I would describe is a marimba that played 3 short consistent pitches followed by someone hitting a gong. This turned out to be a bird (whose name escapes me) that was perched right on top of our dwelling! Honestly, I thought it was some kind of organized wake up call until Roberto clued us in at breakfast.
First stop on the agenda today was a canopy tour of the forest. With vivid recollections of yesterday's talk of toxic flora and tarantulas lurking in tree bark, we were happy to oblige when Percy told us to scale the 40 ft. tower to take a walk on the wild side....a network of suspension bridges strung high above the forest floor.
Just as in N. America, the birds are heard but rarely seen. This is a social fly catcher. Social in that he allows us to see his glorious yellow self. Walking across the swaying bridges was magical, 100 feet in the air, where we were able to see orchids and the palm fruits with the Macaws that feed on them. All in all, this lofty view afforded us a glimpse of a secret world in the Amazon tree tops.
ghout the farm we saw acres of tropical plants (house plants to us North Americans) such as the spectacular Bird of Paradise Tree! Our hour and a half hike took us through a lush tropical rain forest with towering palms, ficus, kapock trees among many others. It was an "Alice in Wonderland" tangled jungle with sunlit doilies and shadows piercing the canopy. Again, many dangers as Percy pointed out some innocuous looking "deadly" caterpillars. We saw several ant colonies as Percy described the life inside these 30-70 year domiciles. Called Leaf cutter ants, they collect the leaves of a particular tree and hoard these inside their hives where the leaf rots in rainy seasons producing a mushroom that they use for food. We continue to be enthralled by the delicate balance of these plants and animals vying for the lack of nutrients.
us? Hmmmmm
m
This boat was our mode of transport down the Madre de Dios River to our eco-lodge an hour away. The boat was VERY low in the water and the man with the oars cautioned us to keep our hands inside. This, after admonishing us to strap on life jackets. Yeah, like if we went in the water our worst problem would be drowning. No, evidently, he wanted us to stay afloat while the local crocodiles chomped on us at their leisure!
eous iridescent lapiz blue. The strangest plant was the walking ficus that literally grew upstanding leg like roots that would "walk" the tree toward sunlight. The tallest trees in the Amazon are the Kapock trees. All plants have extremely superficial roots because the nutrients in the soil exist to a depth of only 6 centimeters!
Tarantulas live in the bark of trees and are nocturnal as well. Yes, they are poisonous, but happily are not lethal unless the human sustains several bites at one time! Well, isn't that a relief! So, are these creatures repeat biters?
