11:15 We
made it! We braved the American Crocodiles / Cayman and battled the Bull
Sharks… no, the so-called “river” was more of a wide stream and the 7 hour walk
was actually no problem at all, could have done that in around 5 hours I feel
if we really went for it.
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The Big Scary River (D.Philpot) |
On a scale of
1-10: 6 before and 4 after in terms of difficulty! So many tourists are here
too, we overtook a group of chubby and cheesy Americans who left the ranger
station at around 4am, where as we got up at 03:50am but didn’t leave
until 05:15am.
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Cicular Fungi (D.Philpot) |
On the way we
saw a couple of close Coatis, some more Scarlet (Red) Macaws (Seen here on Video 84), a huge boat
engine and the usual suspects in terms of animals but not scenery.
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A Shipwrecked Boat Engine (D.Philpot) |
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The 20 Ft Engine Wreck (D.Philpot) |
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Our First & Only Snack Break (D.Philpot) |
I got my
second decent macaw photo which I was somewhat pleased with seeming they never
sit still long enough for a photo. Nothing
else to report about the 7 hour mission apart from it was a long walk but felt
easier than that hike I did also with the German guy at the end of January to
Cabuya, that trail is nasty.
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The Airstrip (D.Philpot) |
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Made It! (D.Philpot) |
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Welcome To Isla Sona (D.Philpot) |
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Feels Like Jurassic Park Or Lost (D.Philpot) |
Right before
the station I heard some purring cat calls maybe 10 or 20 metres away, there
was nothing else it could have been but there is no way for me to identify what
it was though I am fairly certain it was not a big cat like the illusive Jaguar.
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Shy Resting Tapir (D.Philpot) |
Walking
further along there was a great view from a river bed of steep cliffs and dodgy
looking trees on both sides and upon returning from that area I spotted a
Spectacled Cayman which was a real joy to watch at high-tide, it was maybe ~20
metres away. I then saw the most beautiful luminous green butterfly ever.
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A Day-flying (Diurnal) Moth (D.Philpot) |
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Famous Backpack Katydid (D.Philpot) |
Then we returned to base via the beach where I found a Peccary footprint
fossil before we walked down the airstrip. The grass either side of us here reminded me
of that scene from Jurassic Park with the velociraptors, which led me then to
wonder of how often a Puma/Jaguar is sitting in the grass watching people walk
past.
I then filmed
a small passenger plane as it landed and then took off, I think the pilot
deliberately got extremely close to my head… I could literally have touched the
wheel, check out the Video (#82).
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Sunset Through Grass (D.Philpot) |
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The Shot Before (D.Philpot) |
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Germans Last Sunset (D.Philpot) |
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Sunset (D.Philpot) |
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The Biggest Hermit I've Seen So Far (D.Philpot) |
We
relaxed with the sunset, watching hundreds of hermit crabs scurry about like a
busy city and I picked out a huge Hermit Crab inside of a Grinning Tun Shell.