Friday 1st December What day where
Well after finally getting my luggage and having the best shower in the world and seeing my first wild toucan, I was beginning to love Yacutinga more and more. Everyone here is really helpful and nice. I have eventually fathomed out the difference in time aswell now. Im a day and 4 hours behind you lot in the UK then when I am back in Brazil Im an day and 3 hours. So this morning at 05.05am (09.05 Saturday for you lot) I was up and off on my way to do the `rush coffee` tour which the guides joke with the tourists about. Before it gets too hot they do this early morning tour which lasts about 4 hours but you literally do only have time to neck your coffee and youre off. So on todays tour we did `the hunters trail`.We dint see any toucans but we did find a hunters camp that had been made in the last 24/48 hours. Corino our guide reckoned they had come across from Brazil to hunt monkey or reptiles or cats. From there onwards we were even more cautious. One of their favourite tricks is a pipe with a gun cartridge, a mousetrap and a piece of cotton. The cotton is put across the path and then when triggered sets off the mousetrap which hits the cartridge and shoots whatever set it off usually at about kneecap level. NICE!
So after getting back to camp with all of our kneecaps in the right place I got fed and watered by the staff ( you have to bring your own food to camp but if you time it right the staff give you fruit,bread lunch or dinner). I then headed off to the education building where we had seen the Aricari. After an hour and no sign of Toucans I started the 4.5 mile hike back to camp. I had lunch and then walked back to the lodge. Carlos had asked me to do my presentation so I needed to go and get the disks. I went on the pm tour which again was roughly 4 hours.
We went to one of the observation towers and to the Capibara swamp area. Just as we were leaving I heard a very familiar noise. Corino looked at me and almost at the same time we said Toco.
It was at the furthest part of the swamp area but there was no mistaking it was a Toco toucan, the colour of the bill was so clear you didnt need a telescope to make it out in the 4ha area.
In the wild their beaks are almost illuminous yellow and it is easy to understand the local nickname of `banana bill`. I managed to get one photo not a brilliant one but a photo none the less. It was raiding another birds nest and must have kept going at it for 20minutes or more. We then had to move on but Id seen my first Toco. Talking to Carlos before my talk (he was reading my printed copy) hes asked me to go and talk to a lady that runs a sanctuary on the Brazil side of the falls to go and discuss diets with her. He thinks it will be a good contact for both of us. This has worked out quite well because I have to transfer out of here 3 days early, as that is the nearest date they have tourists leaving and coming to the park. So hopefully I will have time to go and see the falls and meet this lady.
The presentation went well I had a UK couple, a New Zealand couple and an American guy present. All asked lots of questions that had a lot of thought behind them and a lot of genuine interest. So I had something to eat then grabbed a lift back to camp with Greg. Although Gregs jokey `taxi fares` are getting very pricey hes now started `charging` in english punds instead of pesos like this mornings `fare`. Claudia told him her new favourite english word something to do with the boats rollocks?!!!