Leon, Nicaragua: Volcano Boarding

Peru - Padre Cocha: The gringo and the village

A man of what would be considered fair complexion, standing at approximately 5´11", casually strolling down the street next to his girlfriend of similar complexion and some kind of backpack like device affixed to his shoulder would not be a stare worthy event in many of the areas I have visited on my travels so far in South America. In the small village of Padre Cocha on the other hand..... it is. I am by no means speaking of this in a negative way, as the way in which the staring is done is quite friendly and usually accompanied by greetings of "Hola!" which, in the case of small children, may often be repeated from the safety of the shadow of a door way until I am well and truly out of earshot (or for all I know, beyond). Now, allow me an opportunity to tell you a few of the tales of my experiences that have defined this connection (and separation) between myself and the local Peruvian people.

I have been living now in Padre Cocha for approximately 5 weeks and in that time I feel as if everyday brings me a little closer to the villages inhabitants and to getting a true glimps, contextual and small as it may be, into what it may actually be like to live here on the banks of the Rio Nannay, within Amazonian rainforest. At the beginning of this time, my limited Spanish proved to be a significant issue, with very few people speaking English. This infact proved to ultimately be a blessing as I was forced, through cultural immersion, to learn and speak the language on a much more regular basis. The primary ignition of my education being the local employees attached to Pilpintuwasi, the animal orphanage at which I was volunteering.

The beautiful Clarita, our lunch lady and one of the first people to befriend us as we were finding our feet in the village, made us feel at home strait away. We would stop by and say Buenos Dias every morning and would be met by her 2 sons at the door, Juan Carlos (7) and Hugo (12). The traditional hello from Juan Carlos was a secret handshake I taught him early on while Hugo would simply greet us very respectfully with a smile. Through playing soccer with the boys, inviting Clarita to my birthday (to which she brought homemade cake) and teaching the extended family English in an almost uncomfortably official setting, we ended up earning an invite to Claritas nieces 15th birthday party. Now to an Australian, a 15th isn't very special..... but to a 15 year old Peruvian female...... it is the biggest night of their life.

A 15th is a coming of age event that draws a huge crowd of extended family and friends that sit awkwardly around a dance floor in a circle and watch the birthday girl dance with as many men and boys as possible. After an allocated allotment of time, or in this case after the birthday girl has danced with a gringo (me) that is caught up in the festivities, a small confetti explosion is released and the birthday girl disappears into the back room. After a moment she re-enters the circle, dressed not in her original princess threads but in a new outfit that wouldn't be out of place in a local Discotec. Upon enquiring I discovered that this change signifies the Innocent girl, who can dance with many males without inference, becoming the woman who will experience all that being a woman entails.

Although this is just a sprinkling of all of the people I met and experiences I had, all in all the immersion into Padre Cocha and the day to day adventures that this involved was a part of this journey that I thoroughly enjoyed. If, while travelling, you have an opportunity to spend some time out of your comfort zone getting to know a community I would definitely recommend doing so.  

Peru - Pilpintuasi: Makes no sense at all (Red Uakari Video)

 

A day with the Bald Uakaris (Vulnerable) at Pilpintuasi Animal Orphanage, near Iquitos in Peru.

 

 

Peruvian Amazon - Red Uakaris: A silent extinction

How silently some species creep towards extinction, hunting and deforestation desimating their wild populations. The beautifully peacfull Red Uakaris (Cacajao calvus) are one of the species.

I have had the pleasure of working with and learning about this species at a small wildlife Rescue Centre named Pilpintuwasi in the village of Padre Coche, Peru and have learnt about and seen the challenges they face first hand. Pilpintuwasi is only small but maintains a troop of approximatly 9 monkeys, including 3 babies..... one of which is the only baby to have ever been bred in semi or full captivity making it an important component of the local efforts towards understanding this species.

This species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Getting to Know the Species

The Red Uakari is one of 4 species of Uakari. The family Cacajao to which the Red Faced Uakari belongs also includes the Black-Headed Uakari (Cacajao melanocephalus), the Ayres Black Uakari (Cacajao ayresi) and the Neblina Uakari (Cacajao hosomi).

At the turn of the 20th century, the rubber boom saw an influx of people dispersing through the Peruvian Amazon, and these indivduals required food. The inquisitive and social Red Uakaries were easy prey. Since then, with the ever growing Amazonian population requiring resources, deforestation of their very restricted Brazilian and Peruvian flooded forest habitats that has condemed them to further decline.

It has been said that, as a result of their limited facial hair, a Red Uakari can express their emotions just as effectivly as we ourselves can, including anger and joy. This feature, no doubt, bides this species well as they socially navigate their way through their huge troops that sometimes contain as many as 120 individuals. Recent research has concluded that the unusual red face of the monkeys may infact be a sign of health, with those monkeys containing parasites or Malerial infection having reduced coloration.

Another very unique feature of Uakari species' äre their rather short, fluffy tails; a feature that no other new world monkey can claim. Its uncertain how this adaption benefits the species but it definatly does not limit their athletecism as they bound easily through the highest reaches of the canopy. 

Nikis Bits:
Who would have thought id fall in love with a red-head.... but ive fallen inlove with 8 of them (not all 9, because one hates me and she´s a little evil anyway).

Wildlife Photos: Iquitos, Peru

So as the internet in Iquitos leaves a huge amount to be desired, and my ability to get access to it also highly limited, I am constricted (boa constricted some might even say) in my ability to post exhaustively about our adventures in the amazon to date. One thing that I can do is share a couple of photographs of my favourite animals that I have encountered while working in the Peruvian Amazon.

Red Tailed Boa: Iquitos, Peru

Red Ukari: Iquitos, Peru

Chile - Bolivia: San Pedro to Uyuni Salt Flats Tour

Being the writer of a blog allows certain privileges that are not afforded to the blog reader. For example, the writer can grab the reader by the pointer finger and transport them halfway across the world with the click of a mouse button (skimming them callously across the surface of the pacific ocean if they so please) and put them in the Bolivian Jungle eye to eye with a Puma. The writer can carefully place the reader on a small, slowly sinking tour boat out on the open Chilean ocean cavorting with hump back whales and nonchalant Sea Lions. The blog writer can challenge the concept of living for the reader through carefully constructed language and vivid imagery to the point where the reader may even open another browser window, being careful not to shut their favourite blog, and purchase a ticket on Web Jet to the places that the writer has imprinted so deeply in their minds. This pretty much makes the blog writer GOD of the blogging world.

One important power that the writer holds is that of time travel. Even though something may have been experienced by the writer in the past, he or she has the ability to transport the reader there now. This power is important, particularly when the blog writer may have accidently forgotten to write about a significant part of their adventure through a continent such as, but not limited to, South America. So allow me the opportunity to seat you in my very own Delorian, fire up the flux capacitor and take you back 2 months to the blank, white expanse littered with large, pink birds that was the Uyuni salt flats and our journey through them.

Day 1

The sun emerges after being seemingly buried for 12 hours beneath the sand of the Atacama, stretching light across the floor of the dorm, up the leg of the bunk bed until it just begins to warm my face. I awaken….. again. Its one of the downsides of dorm life, the co-inhabitant snorer. I felt it necessary to go to bed early last night so as to prepare for the 3 day desert tour ahead…… his deviated septum did not agree. It wanted to discuss the meaning of life in a droning, gurgled monotone all night. I wasn’t enlightened.

Pre-packing was a stroke of genius on Nikis part, particularly after the sleepless night we had. So after a brief amount of morning “prettying” and a breakfast massacre we headed out to the front of the hostel where the small bus from Estrella Del Sur Tours was waiting with its engine running. You will all know the type of bus im talking about. The white kind that usually contain school kids on an excursion to some form of local monument or an excitably drunk football team on their way home after an epic win or a disappointing loss. It was clean looking and the engine gave off a smooth purring sound so that’s a good start. We clamber in and the journey begins.

The first stop is the Chilean exit border crossing. It was orderly, ill give it that. Guided by tired men in military uniforms we and the 3 other bus loads of gringos formed a shambles of a line while one at a time we were allowed to walk up to the small, bared window and be processed.

Next, approximately 15 minutes further down the road, was the Bolivian entry border crossing. This place was unreal. Nestled in the foothills of an old snow capped volcano, surrounded by artefacts like half buried, rusted out bus bodies and the crumbling remnants of mud brick walls was a small stone hut. In that hut are two men, one desk, a stamp……… and nothing else. Welcome to Bolivia.

Once we were given entry to Bolivia our bus was divided into 2 four wheel drives and we were on our way. The first thing the driver did, in an attempt to break the ice, was offer around a small bag of greenery that he identified as the infamous Coca Leaf. Not wanting to be rude or commit any cultural faux pas, we partook as directed  and felt the desired effects which made the next 2 hours of the trip very talkative. The excitement of shooting through the desert on dirt roads at 80-100km an hour was enhanced by the drivers selected sound track……. 80s greatest hits. Whitney Houston will forever be in my mind whenever I reminisce about the desert. Eventually, after cruising through the empty expanse of dry, salty plains and jutting ex-volcanos we finally came to rest at our first night accommodation for a night of good food (really good food), card games and tea.

Day 2

After a relatively fulfilling breakfast, one that rose above the usual bread and jam that we have come to know and lov......., let me rethink that phrase. Know and accept, we then were once again moulded into our seats in the land cruiser and flying through the desert. Our first destination (and second, third and fifth) was one of the many impressive and highly saline lakes that shimmer among the mirages of the mountainous desert. Although these lakes themselves are about as impressive as any average size water body can be, their crowning glory lies in the scattered avian shades of fuchsia that collect in these lakes, sometimes in smatterings and sometimes in vast clumps, known to many as Flamingos.  There are in fact three species of Flamingo that inhabit this region including the Andean Flamingo (P. andinus), James's Flamingo (P. jamesi) and the Chilean Flamingo (P. chilensis). Of these, only the former two were observed in the Bolivian highlands as the third, the Chilean Flamingo, prefers more temperate areas.

These species of high altitude Flamingo co-populate the salt lakes of the Andes during the summer, even utilising shared nesting sites. During winter, both species of Flamingo are know to migrate to lower altitude lakes due to the increased aridity of the salt flats. Flamingo survive in the highly saline salt lakes through the use of a salt gland in their nose that excrete the excess salt gained during filter feeding for diatoms and microscopic algae. It is also this diet that gives the Flamingo their pinkish hue. The James's Flamingo is listed as Near Threatened under the IUCN while the Andean Flamingo is listed as Vulnerable.

The frivolity of day 2 didn't end with the Flamingos either, after another hour or so in the vehicle we were introduced to the rather steamy inner workings of the earth through an assortment of terrestrial portals known as Geysers. These intermittent discharges of water in its vapour phase erupted from the earth, covering an area of 50 square meters. Other more distant Geysers we could identify on the horizon stretched over 30m into the air and seemed to play a part in some sort of energy production system. We were told that people occasionally die as a result of slipping into the boiling mud that surrounds each Geyser, a story that many of the more callous tourists (of which I may have been one) were willing to test out as they lent rather close to the edge in an effort to get a closer look.

Finally, at the end of another comfortable car ride, we arrived at our next nights accommodation..... one of the infamous salt hotels. From the front of our saline palace we could see a road stretching off endlessly into the endless white obscurity of the vast Bolivian salt flats. This, we were informed, was where we were bound at 6am the next morning.

Day 3

Day 3 began with a rather icy awakening and a rather stomach achingly fast breakfast before, once again, we were in the 4x4 and racing through the haze of the early morning in a race against the sun. The reason.....? to see the sunrise over the salt flats, an experience that was far less enthralling than the guide books make it out to be. The sunrise over the salt flats was nothing compared to the sunrise from the top of Mount Kinabulu in Borneo which I had experienced only a short 3 years before. But, all the same, we were up and moving forward...... our next stop, a land locked island?

The island, as with the sunset, was (although interesting) rather unimpressive. I put this down to my tired mind and, consequentially, un-enthusiastic attitude. The island is an oasis among the vast expanse of salt desert, an expanse of white that is renowned for one primary thing...... humorous point of perspective photos.

These are those photos:

 

 

 

Then to Uyuni, a desolate town with little to offer other than a train garbage dump, huge dust devils and a forest of plastic bags attached to cacti. The one redeeming quality of this town, the food. Llama pizza being a highlight.

The tour was well worth it. The people we met on the tour, the lakes, the Flamingos, the Geysers and the expansive landscape being the highlights.

Now, back into the Delorian, fire up the flux capacitor and back to the future we go.

Niki's Bits

Hard to remember it was all so long ago.... whitney houstan blarring in our cramped 4x4, freezing chattering teeth, surreal pink birds and several nature loo's with amazing views...

 

Bolivia: Inti Wara Yassi - Azara's Night Monkeys

Among the most interesting and enigmatic species that I have had the pleasure of seeing, enriching, playing with, feeding, walking (on a leash to their designated play ground) and being bitten by are the three amazing Azara's Night Monkeys (Aotus azarae) that are currently being rehabilitated by Inti Wara Yassi, Pete, Celine and Cucu. On our arrival at the park, due to their nocturnal nature conflicting with peoples down time, these three monkeys were largely forgotten about by the volunteers. But after one evening with them I was hooked.
I ended up spending almost every spare moment I had enriching their lives through enclosure development, toy manufacturing and just generally spending time with them and ensuring they were happy and healthy. In turn, they also enriched my life, making my life at Inti Wara Yassi all the better for their presence.

 

Azara's Night Monkeys (Aotus azarae)

Azara's Night Monkeys are one of 8 species of night monkey that occur throughout South and Central America. Although this species of night monkey is widely distributed through Panama, northern Colombia, northwestern Venezuela, northern Peru, southern Brazil, and eastern Ecuador much of its habitat is under threat due to clearing for agricultural purposes.

The 8 species of night monkey constitute the only fully nocturnal species' of primate in the world resulting in a reduced level of competition between diurnal primates that may otherwise compete for fruits, leaves, flowers, and insects.

The Azaras Night Monkeys of Inti Wara Yassi

All three Azara's Night Monkeys that were managed by Inti Wara Yassi at Parque Ambue Ari were surrendered to the park at a very young age. These monkeys all have had run ins with humans at one stage or another that resulted in them requiring the care and attention that is provided by the park.

Pete: Pete was the only male of the three night monkeys. He was separated from his mother when he was a baby during farm construction activities and was surrendered to the park by the farmer who found him among wood debris. Although a little moody at times due to the hormonal changes occurring as he was coming of age, he was generally a happy, inquisitive monkey who would mischievously play with your clothing, bounce around the cage like an energiser bunny, play with whatever toys we made or sit on your head holding your hair like reigns and ride you through the jungle to their play ground.

Celine: Celine was probably the most affectionate and beautiful of the three night monkeys and her back story is not very clear. Despite being blind in one eye as the result of an ongoing fungus infection which made here quite quiet and placid, she was always the first to welcome new volunteers to the family and climb up on their shoulder where she would sit happily for the entire evening just enjoying the company. Her blindness also did not slow her reflexes as, being partially insectivorous, she would be nothing but a blur of fur streaking across the cage to catch a stray grasshopper that made its way into the cage.

Cuco: Its sad to say but during my time at Inti Wara Yassi, Cucu was the night monkey that I got to know the least.  She was found by a lady in a marketplace in Santa Cruz and, after being purchased, was surrendered to the park. Her timid nature made her generally very stand offish, only coming over to greet you once you had spent a bit of time getting to know her. Once we had made a connection though she was more than happy to come out for a walk to the play ground, play with a toy you had made her or even come over and groom you.

 

Bolivia: Inti Wara Yassi - Me, Myself and My Puma (Koru)

 

I crouch down cautiously among the Patuhu leaves, my vision cutting desperately through the thick forest undergrowth in the hope that I might be able to catch a glimpse of Koru’s eyes so as to get some kind of indication as to his intentions, be they playfully malicious or distracted and benign. He remains hidden and the forest lies quietly still giving nothing away.  I steal a quick glance down the trail towards Paulette but she is sternly focused on the tiny gap in the shrubbery into which Koru darted only moments ago, her face riddled with concentration. She catches my eye and shrugs nervously before returning her gaze to the forest.

He has been in there to long, I have been here before, I know what happens next. I grab the slick, mud covered rope and begin to coil it up in my left hand to reduce the slack. Across the trail Paulette has begun to do the same….. Its game time.

 

Crash!

 In a flurry of motion a flash of brown fur erupts from the undergrowth.

Time stops.

The image of a male Puma becoming airborne as he attempts to playfully tackle you to the ground is not one that is easily forgotten. In my memory everything after each emergence is in ultra slow motion. His eyes are huge……..his teeth glitter with small droplets of saliva and the corners of his mouth are upturned into a slight snarl…………… His left paw gliding towards my face, impossibly close to connecting………. But Paulette’s rope always catches him at the last minuet, jerking the experience back into real time.

Thank god for our training and equipment. The double rope system is the only thing that stands between us and our beautiful cat when he gets playful. He gets playful allot. Sometimes with us, sometimes climbing trees after a squirrel, sometimes pawing around giant seed pods in the forest.

It’s hard to believe that this is my life.

Koru & Inti Wara Yassi

Koru is a playful, mischievous male Jungle Puma (scientific name) that was captured from a Bolivian military base back in 2008 at an age of 9 months. When he was taken into Inti Wara Yassi’s custody he and his brother were tied on a 2m chain and severely malnourished, having only been fed porridge. His brother soon died due to complications associated with his mistreatment.

At first, on arrival at the reserve, Koru was very aggressive towards males (particularly Bolivians) as a result of his mistreatment by men. After some careful management Koru begun to trust people again and, although still aggressive at times, his jumping slowly became more playful. This being said, he still remains one of the most threatening cats in the park due to his playfulness, intelligence, speed and power hence the reason he is double roped.

After hearing where he has come from and what he has gone through it is quite amazing what Inti Wara Yassi have managed to accomplish with Koru (and the rest of their animals) with little more than a group of uneducated volunteers. Considering they cannot ever be released, I have no doubt about the quality of life that these animals now have, a life in which they are walked everyday and cared for incessantly, is beyond anything else they would hope to find in any other form of captivity.

Today Koru is considered one of the wildest cats in the park. Unlike some of the other cats, he is not overly affectionate but instead waits until you earn his trust and respect…… and only then will he purr for you, head nudge you or allow you to scratch his head while he lays down. He had begun to show small signs of stereotypic behaviour when I arrived, but through the implementation of a routine randomisation schedule (of my and my new partners devising) he is once again the inquisitive and excitable animal he was as a kitten. He now stalks, hunts, climbs and plays throughout all 10km of his trails through swamp, over logs and up mountains.

Although there is plenty of room for improvement in a variety of areas for Inti Wara Yassi, improvement that can only be sought via increased education of staff on current best practise and increased funding, they are doing the best with what they have.

Anyone able to provide educational or monetary support to this organisation should contact Inti Wara Yassi

Bolivia: Inti Wara Yassi - Thats an Anaconda at your feet

Covered in sweat and soaked to my waist in the putrid swamp water that I have been marinating in along with Koru (my Puma) and few million variations of insect for 4 hours I finally allow my well walked feet a moment to breathe. 8km walking and its not even lunch yet. Sigh. As I allow my self a moment to doze, surrounded by the sounds of the camp and surrounding forest, I am suddenly drawn back from the brink of eye closure by an excited Irish accent in a beard.

“Hey Corey, youll love this” Colin, the owner of the beard suddenly jumps into my field of vision.

“Ok” I reply, still half asleep. In my head im trying to prepare myself to act excited in case the situation arises that what he has to say isn’t that exciting and I may have to fake it so as not to hurt his feelings.

“We were mapping out the edge of the park, over by the rice paddies, and we came across a BIG boa. We couldn’t see much of it but it could have been 3m long. It looked like it had just eaten something big because it looked swollen”

I have made a name for myself as the go to snake guy so this generally happens when people find something interesting. Ok Colin, you now have my attention I think as I sit up a little straighter. A 3m Boa would be the biggest I had seen yet. Within minutes there were four more guys standing in front of me wearing swamp gear with expressions on their faces that wouldn’t be out of place on adolescent boys on their way to an amusement park.

“Do you think it would still be there, can we go find it” they each ask in a blur of sound.

“Maybe, if its digesting there is a chance.” I don’t even remember finishing that sentence, in moments we were on the road and I was getting asked a barrage of questions that were really pushing the boundaries of my snake knowledge. After 20 minutes of walking down a road we suddenly veered left and down into the rice pattie that was holding knee deep water at the time. Like armatures we stormed strait in without even the slightest consideration for where we were and what we were doing.

“Just over here somewhere.” Colin said after 10m of splashing about. “Keep your eyes open, he was just sitting in the water.”

Hmmmm, I thought to myself, Sitting in the water that we are just splashing about in like a group of French wine makers in a barrel of grapes. Maybe we should slow down a little. I didn’t even have time to express my thoughts to the rest of the group before there was an stuttering gargle of verbal excitement.
 

“There, that shadow in the water, that’s him.” Colin yelled at no one in particular.
 

There, amongst the low reeds, was a rather large protuberance of scales. That’s pretty big, I think to myself, that must be where he has eaten something……..

Not so.

After a closer examination of the “3m Boa” it was apparent that this may have been an under estimation. Once we were able to follow the shape of the shadow beneath that water from its tail it was apparent that this was allot bigger…. And not your usual Boa.
 

It wasn't until a head emerged 30cm in front of us, 6m from where we could see the tail, that we truly got an idea of what we were dealing with. An Anaconda.

This is that Anaconda, a huge find and a massive tick in my box of species.

Niki´s bits: hmmm boys and their ¨big snakes¨....

Bolivia: Inti Wara Yassi – The first breath……

Paddock, Paddock, Rice Field, Forest, Town, Rice Field, Paddock, Paddock, Forest…… Heading north out of Santa Cruz we wiz by a landscape that once was thick Bolivian forest, but has now been raped for the purposes of agricultural production. The only remaining areas of forest are the rare eruptions of large boulders that protrude from the mud and act a fortress walls, protecting the tall trees and vine thickets from the invading bulldozers and tractors. As the natural areas dissolve into the anthropogenic landscape, it becomes apparent the important role conservation organisations such as Inti Wara Yassi are going to play in the ongoing protection of Bolivia’s natural heritage.

By the time we arrive at Inti Wara Yassi we have done our best to play our part as the annoying foreign travellers……. We have been late back to the bus after a brief toilet break, we have asked “Cuanto tiempo a El Parque?” (how long till the park) over 10 times and we have overtly checked at every stop to ensure our bags are not mistakenly (or deliberately) removed from the luggage compartment. Needless to say, when we did arrive at the park and the bus assistant begrudgingly threw our luggage out into the jungle with a big smile, they were glad to be rid of the two lost illiterates. After taking a moment to heave the 23kgs of dead weight that we call our packs onto each of our backs we turn to see the bus trundle away in a puff of blue smoke, revealing a group of soggy looking human beings, shrouded in smoke, peering out at us over the edges of a a small. This would later be fondly two referred to as the “Fumeador” or, for English speakers, literally the “Smoke House.”

From the swirling cigarette smoke emerged a young, skinny and shirtless red headed Belgian with an awkward smile on his face, the kind of smile that says Gee I hope you guys aren’t arseholes, because we are going to be living and working together for a while and ill find it hard to pretend I like you if you are.

“Hey guys, I'm Eve. I'm the accommodation manager, and its my job to make sure you guys have beds…….. which isn’t likely considering were pretty much full.”

As we paused for a moment to process this statement, throwing confused looks at each other, we didn’t even realise that Eve had begun to walk away from us. He stopped and turned around, catching our confusion. His awkward smile had transformed into one of jest and he now looked pleased at the impact of his joke on the newbies.

“Are you guys coming? You do want beds right?” We followed Eve down a small rock lined track that wound its way down to the camp accommodation and administration buildings. Being tired and unreasonable after a 6 hour bus ride, our first impressions of the park and its existing residents weren’t good. A group of dirty smelly bohemians sat on some homemade furniture in the middle of a group of shoddy, deteriorating and dirty buildings. Everyone smiled up tiredly at us as we walked by, most of them offering some form of greeting. We would later learn that most of these individuals were very “normal” people, many of them becoming our friends over the next few weeks, and it was indeed the circumstance that had defined this first impression. After all, it’s hard muddy work taking care of semi-wild feline species such as Jaguars and Pumas; and clothes and the people in them tend to become quite tatty and dishevelled in the process.

I don't know what we are in for but here we are....... Lets see how this goes.

Bolivia: Init Wara Yassi - Intermission

A lack of tangible time in a location in which technology is readily available has limited my posts of late. Fear not, there will be a barrage of over articulate nonsense with a few pretty pictures on its way soon. In the mean time let me just tell you in brief a little about Inti Wara Yassi´s Ambue Ari reserve in Bolivia.

Its hot........ Like sweating through your eye balls hot. And the humidity is so intense that your sweat forms a permanent layer around your body actively transforming you into a marine species that lives in its own small ocean. There are apparently over 180 different kinds of mosquito's here and some of the look like alien droid ships...... big enough to carry a small child away to their home planet of Omicron Percii 8. They also have these animals here called Tahoons..... they are deceivingly cute (but ultimate savage) little mammals that will rip off your face if you get between them and a piece of anything edible.

All of that being said...... I do get to care for an amazing 9yo male Puma named Koru which deletes all of the above statements from my registar. Koru was rescued from a military base when he was 13 months old where he was kept on a very short leash under a verandas and fed nothing but rice. Although he still displays some level of aversion to humans he can now be taken on walks through the jungle, chase squirrels and climb trees to his hearts content..... just ry not to look like a Squirrel because it wont be pretty. Although he can never be released again, thanks to Inti Wara Yassi he lives a much better quality of life than he would have (if he lived this long) in his original captive environment.

Despite a few obvious flaws in the way the park is managed it is doing work that no body else in the country wants to do and consistently comes under scrutiny due to a lack of understanding of the importance of conservation among the average Bolivian. This being said, It is doing the best it can under the circumstances and should be supported nationally so it can optimise the effectivness of its activities.

Stay tuned for a few more detailed posts on the park,the activities within and some illustrative pictures in the near future.

San Pedro de Atacama: The Not So Wild West

After 10.5 hours of being compacted between baggage, seat and skin.... and one very expensive stop over in Calama.... we finally arrived in San Pedro. I literally let out a sigh of relief as our slightly rickety bus trundled over the crest of a rather large sand dune to reveal a small stream carving its way through the otherwise desolate landscape. Being the only water source for miles, the sides of this stream were flushed with green as large trees, constructing a visual barrier that separates the town of San Pedro from the desert in which it exists. To add even more contrast, beyond the edge of the oasis towns distant borders, a volcanic range of snow capped mountains mark the horizon.

As we enter the town its self I am reminded of the images of the wild west portrayed by Hollywood. Along the dusty streets stand mudbrick walls that surround mudbrick buildings which are littered with makeshift security barriers such as broken glass or sharp tree branches. A man riding past our bus on a horse assists in this comparison.

Beyond our initial impressions of the town, as we crawl closer to the centre, we begin to see signs of the touristic nature of modern San Pedro. Hawkers line the streets spouting the wonders of  their tours or restaurants to anyone that they don't recognise as local........ which equates to about 3/4s of the people in the main street.

This being said, the town is beautiful.... a perfect little oasis town. Hence the tourist population. The town acts as a bit of a bottle neck between Chile and Bolivia with each person we have met to date on the trip making an appearance here at some point. The atmosphere of the town and its many attractions meant we had to spend a few days here and it was by far the nicest town we had seen.

Niki's bits: Legs! its the first place i have legs in Chile, and arms! exposed flesh and warm sun!!

Chile: The Turkey Vulture

As we headed north along the coast of Chile, the flocks of gulls that clouded the sky Begin to give way to something much bigger and darker. This new Avian species has a sinister flair to its casual circular gliding, its large dark wings casting shadows across urban and natural landscapes alike. Not quite big enough to be an Andean Condor, a species high on my list of must see species, but definitely a vulture of some kind.

Nothing more than a distant ominous shape in the sky for the majority of our trip up the Chilean coast, it wasn't until our trip to Choros Island that we finally got close enough to identify these as Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura), the most widespread of all New World Vultures*. This species is known to occur from Canada all the way south to the southern tip of Chile, being found in a variety of habitats including desert, shrub land and sub-tropical forests. As these birds feed almost exclusively on carrion (dead meat), they can often be seen scavenging within urban areas. It is suggested that it is by their keen sense of smell that they detect the gases produced by meat at the early stages of decay.

* Historically, many believed that all vultures were raptors and members of the order Falconiformes. However, recently it was discovered that the vultures that inhabit the American continents (North and South) actually evolved from a different ancestor than the European, African and Asian vultures. The apparent similarities between New and Old World vultures are not a result of common ancestry, but rather a perfect example of convergent evolution.

 

San Pedro de Atacama: Sand Demons Land (Sandboarding Video)

The mud brick buildings of San Pedro begin to shimmer as the sun finally overcomes the cool dry air and the desert begins to warm up. As we make our way through a maze of salt mud valleys we glare out at the 4pm sun and are glad we dressed down a little. There are no ski lifts in the desert after all and a combination of the afternoon dessert heat and the walk up the 100m+ dunes at altitudes of 3,000m are known to tear at the legs and lungs of the unprepared.
This is the story of Niki and I's introduction to the competetive sport of sand boarding.

 

 

Nikis Bits: haha Corey ate so much sand!! hilarious..



Pingüino de Humboldt National Reserve: A Marine Fiends Paradise

After a night of mis-adventure in the Aji Verde Hostel in La Serena giving us little sleep, we were finally wrapped up tight in what we assume will be suitable clothing (first mistake) and were on our way north down the Chilean Route 5 towards Los Choros, a small fishing village from where our boat out to the Pingüino de Humboldt National Reserve on Choros and Damas Islands awaited. After continuing down the highway for a while we turn west down a small dirt road towards the village. Along the way we were able to observe a couple of herds of Guanacos (as discussed in a previous post) and wild donkeys that were congregating around one of the few aqua springs found scattered throughout the desolate landscape.

Now I personally am not big on tours, I much prefer the freedom of being able to see things on my on terms...... But, as you will see from the following, the trip out to the Pingüino de Humboldt National Reserve was a massive exception.

Red-legged Cormorant (Phalacrocorax gaimardi)
After about a 20min boat ride out towards the islands, after seeing numerous far off silhouettes of unidentified flying objects that we were told were this species and that species..... and maybe even one of those species, we finally arrived at the first of the two islands that make up the reserve, Choros Island. As soon as we were in close proximity to the island we got our first close up fauna sighting, The Red-legged Cormorant. This individual was siting 20m up a cliff face on a small ledge preening its self. It was well hidden amongst the shadows.
This species is native to the coastlines of South America from Peru to Chile. It nests on these cliff faces where they are nearly undetectable other than their bright red feet and beaks. This species is listed as Near Threatened under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Peruvian Booby (Sula variegata)
Within moments of our Red-legged Cormorant encounter, we heard a flutter of wings and spun around to see a Peruvian Booby sitting non-chalauntly on the opposite rock face of the small cove in which our boat was sitting. The look on his face said "I'm the second most common seabird along the South American coast, of course you were gonna see me..... This is MY house." An interesting side note, this also makes them the second most important guano (poo) producing sea bird. Guano is exported for use as a fertiliser and as a source of nitrate for gun powder. For those who like a pun: As a result of their primary commercial use.... Some may even call them Peruvian Poobies.

Humbolt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldtii)
After the twitchers in the group ewwed and ahhhed over the previous two species and we rounded a small headland we encountered the headline act of the trip, the species to which this reserve is dedicated, the Humbolt Penguin. This species of penguin is named after the cold water that travels north from the Antarctic known as the Humbolt Current. Although listed as Threatened on the ICUN Red List due to issues associated with over fishing and climate change, these penguins were abundant on the island. We spotted them fishing in the water and perched upon the islands highest peaks. Although usually found nesting in small caves, apparently it is common practice for the penguins on this island to burrow into the roots of cacti.

Marine Otter (Lontra felina)
The next species we spotted was by far the highlight of the expedition. An extremely rare and cryptic species, the Marine Otter. Throughout the trip so far the guide had been G-ing us up about this species. Every Shadow in the water or odd shape off in the distance was always a Marine Otter. He kept saying how shy they were and how hard it was to get close to them (the Yette of the ocean).... that was until one popped up in the water less than 10m from the boat. BAM! Such a star he was that he even went back down, grabbed an anchovy and surfaced again, laying on his back while he ate. This member of the weasel family, also known as the marine cat, is listed as endangered under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and we were very blessed to have seen him in action. So psyched.

South American Sea Lion (Otaria flavescens, formerly Otaria byronia)
Almost camouflaged against the large outcrops of Sienna colored rocks, a collection of inanimate creators laze around in the sun. This group of South American Sea Lions, consisting of 1 male and his small harem of females, barely even acknowledge or existence as they absorb the mid-day sun. These creatures are known for their intelligence and you can really see it in their eyes as the casually turn for a moment, assess the Small boat of tourists invading their territory and then slump back down passively.  Like the other member of this family, the fur seal, the sea lion is distinguished from the true seal by its external ears, a feature that is clearly visible from our position. After we hang within proximity for a moment the big male turns his hind flippers forward in preparation for walking and trundles his way across the rocks towards us, lets out a grunt of warning, then slumps back down, draping himself across one of his females. Although not a rare species, it is our first glimpse of a species we will see all along the South American coast and one we hope to dive with a bit further north.

 Nikis Bits:  he forgot to mention that we also saw huge pods (like 50+) of bottle-nosed and short-beaked dolphins playing with the sea lions, pod of humpback whales, turkey vultures and an elephant seal! One boat, 4 hours, two islands...... super freezing cold.

(Corey: Stay tuned for Dolphin Video)

Communication: cross your fingers and hope for the best

Ok, let me just begin by saying that our Spanish is progressing. Through a combination of under and over pronounced syllables that resemble Spanish words and descriptive body language we have been able to achieve most things. We have heard that Chile is the worst place to try to understand locals if your new to the language because they speak so fast that even  other native Spanish speakers find it hard to catch their meaning. In the deep end is where you learn to swim though right?

Something I have fallen back on is "If you dont understand just cross your fingers and say si (yes)." It kind of eventuates in a situation like that movie Yes Man though where you never really know what your getting your self into. One example of this is ordering food. In La Serena, after an exhausting drive, all i wanted was a solid, healthy and satisfying meal. After searching for somewhere that was open for a while we came across a buffet style cafe, one where you pick stuff from the warmer and they put it on a plate and charge by size/weight. So I really liked the look of a tomato based pasta sauce to I pointed and said "que uno, por favor." She smiled and served me some of what I wanted... I am awesome I thought. Win. But then she spat out a rapid fire of Spanish that I had no idea about.......... "Ahhhh, Si seniora" I said cautiously, then with more confidence "Si, perfecto" (fingers crossed, whats the worst that could happen). The worst that could happen is that I ended up with about 1kg of mash potato on a second plate. hmmmmmm, fail.

The key is body language, Niki is epic at reading the song and dance people go through trying to communicate with foreigners. Me not so much. We stayed a night at an amazing little hostel in Caldera by the name of Aji Rojo. It was a little house that had been slightly modified for travellers and is by far the best accommodation we have had, It really felt like you were visiting someone in their home. It was warm and comfortable and we had it all to ourselves. The issue was that the amazing lady that run the place didnt speak a word of English. So for two days we survived by making opening gate actions with our hands while repeating the word "Horra" to find out opening times while she just laughed at us at our most animated or shrugged in frustration when the message was lost. She tried to reciprocate the pantomime to facilitate our understanding. Would have looked like threee people having a fit at each other (with the odd stunned blank look thrown in) to anybody watching. But thanks to my basic language skills and Nikis interpretation of the theatrics we got by.
I cant wait to become confident and knowledgeable enough to fully interact with the local people here. It will make the trip allot smoother and allot more interesting.

Niki's Bits: Constant surprise meals ("hmm those words look like they say something yummy..."this please") meals do not always work so well for some allergic to dairy... buuuut The Simpsons is perfectly, equally hilarious in spanish as in english.

La Serena: Guanaco spit in the Face

After seeing them in wild we dropped by a local free zoo in the middle of La Serena. This Zoo had a Guanaco enclosure housing one Guanaco. So being an inquisitive fellow I decided to go up close to him as he ate some feed against the fence. He looked up and kinda showed me his teeth for a second then looked away casual. He then turned around, showed me his teeth again for a moment and then once again turned away....... Then Like lightning he swung his head around and BOOM! Spat in my face. Completely forgot about that habit and I paid the price.

Moral of the story. Dont ever mess with a Guanaco.

La Serena: Where the Guanacos Play

 

While driving from La Sarena to the Pingüino de Humboldt National Reserve the bus slows down and the driver points casually out the window (hes seen them a million times before) and says "Those over there are Guanaco, One of two breeds of wild camelids native to Chile." The Guanaco, along with their close relative the Vicunia, is a signature species for South America (occurring in Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Columbia and Argentina) and so are on our list of South American must see animals.

The Guanaco
A species of relatively tall, fluffy and alert looking animals watch us as our car comes to a stop 100m from where they are grazing. It is kind of surreal to see a herd of such large animals happily muching away on the rather unattractive, dead looking vegetation that is scattered amongst the cacti of the arid coastal Chilean land scape. Within the heard that we have stumbled across, colouration varied very little, with the majority displaying a similar Dark Cinnamon colour with offwhite underparts. Although this is typical of the region, throughout their distribution colouration is known to vary from light brown to dark cinnamon.

We noticed that one particular animal in the herd displayed more of a confident and slightly aggressive persona. Where the others watched on casually but cautiously, this animal stood tall and paid us particular attention. It was assumed that this was probably the herd's male. Apparently each heard only has one adult male with the rest being female or juvenile. These female inclusive groups tend to remain small, often containing no more than ten adults. What happens to the other males? Bachelor males will often form nomadic unisex herds containing as many as 50 males with dominant males within these herds challenging for ownership of the female inclusive groups that they encounter.

Wasn't a mind blowing experience but was a good find. One of those "can now say we've seen it" animals. Will continue to keep an eye out as we go for the regions other wild camelid species (Vicugna) as we go. The Vicugna are more of a high altitude species apparently so we will keep an eye out as we cross the Andes.

Consider yourselves Guanacoed.

 

Nikis Bits: Fluffy fluffy guanaco - at least theeiiir warm...envious!, there were wild donkeys too!