It was a really hot and humid night with intermittent bouts of rain. Around 4 am we were awakened by the eery call of the howler monkeys. We were told they are the loudest mammal and I wouldn’t doubt it. The dawn chorus of birds started up around 5 am so I got Merlin out to see which ones were calling. I was able to pick up at least a dozen birds with some howling in the background.
6:30 am was a birdwatching trek around the grounds where we found parrots flying over, a chachalacha, two different toucans, some blue-gray tanagers, a black-cowled oriole, an oropendula, a masked tityra, a long-tailed tyrant, a woodpecker, a scaly-breasted hummingbird, a rough-winged swallow, orange-chinned parakeets. On the return to the common area we saw a red-necked ant tanager.
After breakfast we all headed back to our tents for some down time before heading out in a chinchima van to the operational offices of Povo Azul for a lovely lunch in a lush setting by a rushing river.
Back at our tents we took a break while the rain started up again and the howler monkeys complained. This is a slower paced day which helps since the humidity and heat are a bit oppressive.
At 3 pm we gathered in the common area to learn how to make empanadas. They are pretty simple – corn flour, warm water and salt, then kneaded into a dough. A chunk of dough gets padded into a round shape filled with cheese and refried beans, folded in half, sealed with a fork then deep fried. They were delicious.
Some went off to rest, some to play and others to visit until supper. Meanwhile the rain would let up for a bit then come back with a vengeance.
Supper was especially good – salad, cassava, pasta with a creamy tomato sauce and roasted pork. Chatted with Catherine about our medical system. In Switzerland the doctors and hospitals are not free.
Jan and I decided to head for the tent before the rain got worse. About ten minutes after we returned the heavens really let loose. Our local howler complained again. Everything in the tent feels damp.