Falling in a swamp and big ass spiders
Woke up at 6 to go up the tower and bird watch. They finished the tower just 8 days ago so we’re lucky we can use it. It’s five stories high and above most of the trees. Neiser has a nice telescope so we were able to see a bright blue bird and lots of Tucans which Andy got some awesome pics of. We relaxed and ate breakfast around 8 to get ready for the big day. Erin and the Austrians were leaving so Andy and I were the only ones left behind.
At 10 we headed out for our day hike. The boat dropped us off and we headed deep into the jungle, just in time for the rainstorm. It was pouring hard making our trek through the jungle that much more authentic. Neiser pointed out trees that heal and cure Malaria, ants that have pinchers they can use as stitches for a week, and Bullet Ants that hurt like a bullet if they bite you and the poison will damage your lympnodes. We were also attacked by a swam of stingless bees. It doesn't matter if they can't sting you, it's still scary.
The best part of the hike was when we got to the swamp. Of course we had to cross it and Neiser had no problem. Mind you we were wearing rain boots, but they weren’t enough to protect us from what was about to happen. I went first and was doing well (I wasn’t getting muddy) until my legs got stuck and I bent over too far and a ton of mud came rushing into my boot. I got it on vid which is hilar. Andy did a heuristic jump to a tree so he didn’t get muddy- this time. The next crossing we were to balance on a fallen tree, a very narrow trunk. I used a palm branch to help me along the way although it wasn’t much help. You couldn’t put any weight on it since it wouldn’t hold. All that money my parents spent on gymnastics helped because I was able to cross. Andy however wasn’t that lucky. He put too much weight on the palm, it snapped, and he went down. He got it on vid and it’s hilar! I saw him go down and I couldn’t stop laughing that it was difficult for me to continue on the tree without falling. Both his boots filled with mud.
After the hike it was time for a cold shower to rinse off the mud and sweat, and siesta in the hammocks. Every time I would fall sleep I’d waken to a mosquito biting me. We went to the lagoon for another swim and to watch the sunset. We looked for Caimen after but weren’t able to find any. We did find a snake in a tree that Neiser got down with a branch. I stayed far away like always when snakes are involved. Back to the huts for dinner and I passed out not long after 9.