Week 3 -- January 24

Oh, and by the way, you're going to have to scroll to the bottom to start our journey from the beginning...

January 24:
The day began, as would every day at duPlooy’s, with coffee on the deck/bar and a delicious and filling breakfast (fresh orange juice, muffins and homemade bread, pineapple, melon, and papaya, and a burrito filled with eggs, beans, greens and cheese). We watched the collared aracaris gobble down tropical fruits left for them on a tray on the deck. On our first full day we embarked on a bird watching tour with Philip. We took a comfortable van and birded along the road that led up to San Ignacio, in habitats that included jungle edge, agricultural fields and pasture, and a marshy pond. The most exciting finds included the king vultures (one adult and one youngster), red-legged honeycreepers, vireos, white-fronted parrots, white-necked jacobin, and several species of woodcreepers. The staff had packed a picnic lunch for us, and we stopped near a herd of grazing horses and dined on chicken salad sandwiches and watermelon, served on watermelon motif plates. Perhaps the most exciting part of the day happened in a fallow plot of land; Mom was attacked by a swarm of small stinging ants, and in the confusion that followed, dropped her glasses on the way back to the van. After several minutes of searching we found them near the road, only slightly trampled. Back at the lodge, we walked the length of the canopy walkway to the viewpoint overlooking the river and discovered the structure was home to several fruit bats and two green snakes. Before dinner we had some drinks and visited the river’s edge, where I spotted an Amazon kingfisher. That evening we feasted on potato and chaya soup, whole fried tilapia with coconut potatoes, and pineapple tart. Our dinner entertainment was seeing the kinkajou, Lilly, whom the staff fed pieces of banana from the bar deck. It’s hard to imagine a cuddlier looking creature.