This morning our wakeup call has us up by 5:30. We're headed for the parrot salt lick, and want to make sure we don't miss the action. We hike back to the Napo River, where we hop aboard the motorized canoe and head up the river.
The parrots come to the salt lick to get essential minerals and salts that it needs for breaking down alkaloids. Hundreds of meale and blue-headed parrots lick the clay, and all at once decide that they're done, and take flight. The sky is crowded with the birds, as they move from the clay lick to the trees.
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We head to a high forest on the other side of the Napo river, where the ecosystem is different. This forest is not as thick, and gaps in the canopy show us that the sun is in full force this day. Vines twist and turn throughout the trees.
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The greenness of the forest is broken up by brilliant flowers, like vermillions and orchids. Gus pointed out one particular flower that the native women eat to prevent pregnancy. It's a good thing that they do, because they still end up with four or five children.
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Some interesting trees were shown to us along this hike. One is called the Dragus Blood tree, which seems to bleed when you cut the bark. The sticky, dark red sap is used by locals as an anesthetic and when rubbed it turns white and disappears like lotion.
Another tree is the duroya. This tree usually grows in a clearing, with the vegetation strangely clean around it. Because of this, it was thought to be a demon tree, and natives kept away from it. The explanation is less supernatural, but just as interesting. The duroya tree grows with hollow chambers inside the branches. These chambers are the perfect spot for lemon ants who take up residence there. In turn, the ants clear out the vegetation around the tree, letting it grow unrestricted. We were treated to a snack here, by breaking open the branches and tasting the lemon ants. They taste very acidic, like licking a Vitamin C pill!
One highlight of the trip was seeing the long-tailed potoo. An extremely rare bird, it was like something I've never seen before. A little like an owl, it had a very wide beak and enormous eyes.
Returning to our docking point, Gus cracks open an achote pod. The red seeds inside are soft, and powdery and natives use it for warpaint and food colouring. Asking for volunteers, he already seems to know that I'll do it, so I request a Darth Maul makeover and a Queen Amidala one for Trish. A valiant try, I think his makeup talent faltered only because he hasn't seen the movie yet. (If you're wondering, no I didn't actually ask him to make me look like Darth Maul).
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