Day 16: Jungle II

We got onto the canoe very early in the morning, before breakfast, to try to see a family of otters that used to wander around the lake. We couldn't get very close to them, but we saw in the distance those funny creatures popping up from the water and diving back into it, playing randomly across the lake.

It was time for some hiking to stretch our legs, so we went through a jungle path around the resort. The guide talked to us about different medicinal plants and other uses. He took a Sanipanga leaf, mixed it with some water and rubbed it until the water turned purple, which he used for painting lines on our faces (I guess we were proper indigenous then). There was also a tree that, according to legend, nobody touches because it can cause you some illness or misfortune (Why do some legends have to be so off-putting?). He also showed us a huge termite mound and a tree that smelled of garlic, both of which he said are sometimes used for mosquito repellent.We did other junglish things like eating weird fruits, and cracking some coconuts to drink their water. And we were dripping with sweat, of course.

 

Sharp tree

painted-like leaves

 

 

Gina eating a caimito

 

Later in the afternoon we went up to a viewpoint tower so we could see the sunset at the lake and then, as it was already dark but before dinner, we went for a night hike (the same path we hiked in the morning but the other way around). This was quite exciting; the sounds and feelings in the night were more interesting and mystical. I was especially amazed by the glow-worms: we could see tiny green and orange spots in the pitch-black jungle flying around, adding some magical touch to our trip. It was surprising that such small critters could emit so much light! By the way, green meant they were looking for food, and orange, for a partner. Nature is just great.

 

 

We were ready to go to bed....those beds with bugs, we suspected (and confirmed later), and hard-rock pillows, when we discovered that we had an intruder in our room. Or maybe the intruders were us, because that HUGE tarantula seemed to be comfortably settled down in the wooden ceiling. Oh well, I guess having mosquito nets was a comfort...We just expected the spider to respect our space.