More Manu - Visiting the Manu Wildlife Center Part 2

Once again, we left early in the morning to take a small raft on the Cocha Blanco oxbow lake.  The lake was calm and peaceful with the background noise of small chirping birds.

Our very low-tech raft.

The Cocha Blanco lake was very serene this early in the morning.

However, the silence would occasionally be broken by the abrasive howls of horned screamers.  We saw several hoatzins along the banks.  These were the coolest-looking birds with their punk-rock spiked crests.

Horned screamer

Hoatzin

One of the oarsmen started making some loud guttural noises.  Across the lake, we heard a loud, low groan.  Apparently, he was mimicking the mating call of a black caiman.  The sound we heard was from a horny male looking for a booty call.  I spotted him swimming towards us in the distance.  He was not a fully grown adult, maybe only 6-7 feet long.  Once it got closer, it saw us and disappointingly glided away.

Black caiman

We then spotted a solitary giant otter (likely a male) near a fallen tree.  It dove underwater and reappeared with a fish in its mouth.  He went to town on that fish devouring it in less than a minute.  The otter then swam in front of our raft keeping a nice safe distance as he checked us out.  We saw several more species of birds and small monkeys.  The sun finally arrived in force overhead making us beat a quick retreat back to the dock.

Giant otter

Later that afternoon, our group sans The Wife headed for the canopy platform.  She had had enough of the Amazon heat and elected to stay behind in the lodge and read some trashy romance novel.  The platform was tall and surprisingly sturdy.  At the top, I could see endless rain forest for miles around.  The canopy platform was strategically built alongside one of the large fruit-bearing trees.

There was a long climb up to get to the top of the canopy platform.

All sorts of parrots, macaws, and assorted birds came to the tree to feed before the sun went down.  These birds would literally land on branches no more than 10 feet above us.  Only when they looked down and realized we were there would they then fly off.  For about 20 minutes, we were serenaded by the continuous foghorn sounds of some red howler monkeys nearby.  The only major detraction from the platform was the swarms of sweat bees that constantly buzzed around my face.

A macaw flies away.

Hummingbird

Olive oropendola

Scarlett macaw

We finally had rain on our last day in the rain forest.  I was worried that our small plane would not come and pick us up in the inclement weather.  Nevertheless we packed up our gear and arrived at the Boca Manu “airport” at 9 AM.  I thought we would have only a short wait, so I wore a T-shirt and neglected to use insect repellent.  Big mistake.  The plane did not actually arrive until 2 PM.  My arms were covered in bites by the time we took off.

The runway

The control tower

Since the plane is not pressurized, I started to feel very nauseous half-way through.  I guess other people were having the same problem because they told us to put on our oxygen masks.  Everybody donned one except for the two most important people, the pilot and co-pilot.

While I was feeling nauseous from the lack
of oxygen, The Wife felt completely fine.

We prayed that the pilots weren't lost.

Once we arrived in Cusco, we were a bit disappointed as we had missed all of the Inti Raymi festivities.  This "Festival of the Sun" was the most important celebration during Incan times.  We did see several local groups dressed up in traditional costumes playing music and dancing in the town squares.

I was shocked to find that after only four days in the jungle, I had lost all my prior altitude acclimation.  I started getting dizzy and short of breath while walking up small hills.  My head started pounding harder and harder.  It got so bad that I had to resume the Diamox pills.

To add insult to injury, my arms itched from all of the mosquito bites.

We ate dinner at a very popular Cusco restaurant, Cicciolina.  The place was packed, but we were able to procure a small table with a great view of the chefs cooking in the open kitchen.  We ordered several tapas dishes.  The Wife spied a guy making fresh pasta in the window when we walked in, so she had to try their squid-ink tagliatelle with shrimp.  It was served with a Thai inspired coconut milk sauce that enhanced its deliciousness.  Although the place was bustling, our waitress still gave us top-notch service, even changing all of our dishes and silverware after each course.  For the price, this was the best restaurant we went to in Peru.

 Cicciolina restaurant

We enjoyed the squid braised in red wine.

Squid ink tagliatelle with coconut milk

A sample of various causa's

Neither of us was crazy about their duck prosciutto nor the hummus.

The quinoa-crusted shrimp was delightfully crunchy.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of having a glass of red wine with my meal.  This just exacerbated my altitude sickness.  Only with The Wife's help was I barely able to stagger back to the comforts of our oxygen-rich room at the Monasterio.

Death By Humidity and Bug Bites - Visiting the Manu Wildlife Center Part 1

We were off early in the morning for our trip to the Manu National Park with Inkanatura Travel as our tour operator.  We boarded a small commuter plane with two older couples, Joe and Dionne from Australia and Irene and Walter from Switzerland.  The flight itself was a little under an hour, but the landing was a bit frightening.  The Boca Manu “airport” was a grassy field with only one small open hut.  As we disembarked, we were hit with a wall of hot, humid air.  A group of tourist leaving on our plane shouted out to us “it’s fun, but get prepared to sweat.”  We were greeted by our guide when we landed.  She resides in Cusco but lives weeks on end at the nature center.  She was one of the more educated and knowledgeable people we met in Peru.  Without any television, internet, or newspapers, she somehow stayed informed of current events in the world.

There's no in-flight service on this flight.

No baggage claim terminal either.

We were transferred to the Manu Wildlife Center on covered, motorized canoes.  The cool wind from the swift boats was a good break from the constant humidity.

Our motorized canoe was in much better shape...

...then these boats.

The shoreline was fairly repetitive, but our guide’s sharp eyes spotted a pack of red howler monkeys.  We slowly edge closer to them while they eyed us suspiciously.  We saw several other fauna including white egrets, groups of turtles basking in the sun, and the ever present yellow-headed vultures circling above.

The monkeys come down to the banks to eat the clay.

The monkeys ran away when we got too close.

Several tortoises and a small white caiman behind them bask in the sun

The snowy egret can be found almost everywhere around the world.

The Manu Wildlife Center consists of several bungalows with two beds and a bathroom completely enclosed with mosquito nets and curtains.  There was no electricity, only candlelight.  The rooms were pretty hot because they had partial walls for privacy that prevented the full breeze from making it inside.  Instead, we spent most of our time in the large main lodge.  There was a fully stocked bar, several tables in the dining area, and many chairs to lounge.  We preferred to rest in the hammock area which got the best breezes.  There was also a small library of books with pages soggy from the 100% humidity.  Twice a day, they ran their generator allowing us to recharge our camera batteries.  The food was pretty good considering that all ingredients have to be flown in on our flight.

The first afternoon we walked along the trails around the Manu Wildlife Center.  It was reminiscent of the I Shouldn't Be Alive episode where a couple almost dies when they got lost on some nature trails in the Amazon.  The vegetation is repetitive and there are no discernible landmarks.  It can be a deathtrap if you go without a guide.  

A horde of spiders spin a web.

Sharp spikes emanate from the
trunk of this rainforest tree.

Parasitic trees use the trunks of
larger ones to grow upwards.

Hordes of leaf-cutter ants inhabit the forest floor.

We traveled for an hour when suddenly our guide stopped us and told us to look up.  There were squirrel monkeys and Capuchin monkeys feeding on fruit in the trees all around us.  We watched them high above in the canopy for fifteen minutes, until eventually they melted deeper into the jungle.  

The sounds of of the animals (especially macaws) are very distinctive and startling.  It would be very frightening to be out there alone.  There are so many bizarre looking plants and trees.  We constantly swatted mosquitoes and flies that flew all around us.  I protected myself with pants, long sleeve shirts, and a bath of DEET.

These phallic objects are actually roots of a tree.

The next morning, we took the boats out to a macaw clay lick on a nearby island.  In order to situate ourselves in the viewing blind before the birds arrived, we left the lodge before the sun came up.  Our guide explained to us that the jungle fruits are deficient in adequate minerals for a bird’s diet.  Therefore, they must eat clay from exposed cliffs.  Everyday, they risk getting eaten by jungle cats and predatory birds in order to supplement their diet.

The “blind” was actually a large wooden platform situated about 50 yards from the clay lick.  There were comfortable plastic swiveling chairs bolted into the structure.  It was covered yet open enough for the breeze, making it fairly cool during our wait.  There was even a small toilet in the facility.  I was happy that I had brought some 10x42 Nikon binoculars to see the birds.  The guides even had a powerful tripod-mounted scope for those close-up shots.  My only regret was that my zoom lens was only a 70-300mm.  I wish I had just a little further reach to get some closer shots.

Breakfast at the blind

The parrots were the first to arrive.  Hundreds of them perched in the upper branches of the adjacent trees cautiously looking out for danger.  After what seemed like an eternity, they slowly edged down the trees towards the cliff.  Finally one parrot made it to the exposed clay and started feeding.  All of a sudden, the air was filled with a cacophony of squawking.  My vision was filled with streaks of green and blue shapes darting about.  Just like that, all the parrots were gone.  They got spooked before most had fed.  I was annoyed because we had just spent 2 hours waiting to see them.

A flock of parrots came to feed on the clay.

Luckily, the real show was just about to begin.  We spotted the macaws and their distinctive silhouettes flying towards us.  Up to that point, I had never understood the allure of bird watching.  I have always thought that birds just perch there and do nothing but chirp.  The macaws were much different.  They exhibited much more distinctive and interested social behavior.  They always traveled as pairs with the occasional triplet signifying their offspring.  They came in small groups from all different directions to that one spot, as if they had arranged for a group breakfast.   Just like the parrots, they slowly made their way to the cliff edge.  All it took was one brave bird to initiate the feeding before all of them followed shortly.  On the periphery of the group, there were always a couple of macaws perched on branches watching for any predators.  After awhile those guys would fly in and start feeding while another would trade out and take watch.  It was an amazing site.  With my camcorder propped up on my Gorillapod, I was able to tape the whole sight and take about a billion pictures.  After about 4-5 hours total at the clay lick, we headed back to the lodge and rested during the afternoon.

Macaws in flight have a distinctive silhouette.

Several macaws serve as "lookouts" to watch for predators.

The clay may not look tasty, but it provides essential minerals for the birds.

Spooked macaws take off in flight.

We visited the tapir lick that evening. The Wife was pessimistic when she heard that the previous night’s group spent 5-6 hours there and saw nothing.  During our trek to the observation post, our guide pointed out several toads and found a small non-poisonous snake.  The facility itself was another raised wooden platform with individual mattresses safely covered by mosquito nets.  We were all already miserably hot and sweaty from the hour-long walk to get there.  Unfortunately, there was no breeze, so we suffered in the stifling heat. We ate our packed dinners of rice and chicken fingers (actually pretty damn good) and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  I dozed off eventually.  I was awakened to loud whispers of our guide alerting us to the arrival of a tapir.  She used a small spotlight to illuminate the creature which was only 15 feet away below us.  Apparently, tapirs have poor vision so it was not bothered by the bright light.  It was an ugly creature—like a cross between a small hippopotamus and a horse.  It was covered in mud like a pig.  Our guide estimated that it weighed about 500 lbs.  After munching on the clay for 20 minutes, the tapir amble off into the night.  I was ecstatic for our luck.

This large tapir happily wallowed in the mud.