Hello everyone! We finally got the internet to work for a bit, so we thought we'd update you on what's going on. After Georgetown, we got on a truck at 3:30 AM and set out on our journey to Atta Lodge canopy walk. We arrived about 15 hours later, so it was a long day, but it was cool most of the day and rainy. The sun came out for about an hour and proved to be extremely hot, so most of us were satisfied with the clouds and rain. The roads were good according to our professors and Roop, but it still felt very bumpy, especially when we were standing in the back of the truck holding on to bars up top. It was a good experience for most of us to see the difference in scenery and roads compared to Iowa and the general Midwest region. The drive was absolutely beautiful, especially when we began to come into dense rainforest. The hills covered in trees and other plants could sometimes be seen from the truck as well. Though it was a long day, it was a fascinating experience. We arrived at Atta Lodge later that night about 6:30 PM and met our hosts for the night. There were only a few buildings there, but the rooms were very nice and even had beds. Each room had its own bathroom, of course all open with walls but no windows and no roof, though the rooms were equipped with roofs and mosquito nets. After getting settled, we sat down to a wonderful 3 course meal in the main dining area. Most of us were extremely exhausted and decided to go to bed directly after dinner. The next morning, we woke up to the sounds of birds at 5 AM to head up to the treetops. After a short meeting for coffee and tea, we headed out to the trail at 6. It was about a half a mile walk through the rainforest to get to the canopy walk, and our guide showed us a lot of interesting vegetation along the way. We got to see tall straight trees used to make 2x4s and balata trees that are used to make rubber. Our guide, Leon, told us about some things to watch out for and be careful of on our way up the hill/steps and also while on the platforms and bridges. Two main things he warned us about were bullet ants, which we saw atop on one of the platforms, and snakes, which we saw on our way back down! Once climbing the 150 steps about 50 feet into the air, we were able to see through the trees down to the first layer of the rainforest, and the views from each platform were amazing. The canopy walk were a few platforms connected by a series of narrow bridges. Each one was different, and on one platform, the mountains in the distance could be seen very well. The morning mist created an even more beautiful effect with the mountains in the distance. We didn't get to see many animals, but the bullet ants were neat to see. On the way back down, we were looking forward to breakfast and were almost back to the lodge when someone spotted a green snake curled up on a tree. We got some great shots of it but didn't stay too long as Leon told us it may be dangerous. Once back at the lodge, we sat down to an amazing breakfast, got back on the truck, and set out on our journey to Yupukari to Caiman House. This time, the sun showed no mercy and was out all day long. The drive took about 6 hours, and all of us were red by the time we arrived with sunburn. We got a change of scenery by driving into the savannah, but we also sacrificed the shade of the trees by doing so, though the truck provided a nice breeze when we were able to gain speed. Once we arrived at about 3:00 PM, we picked out rooms and refilled our empty water bottles. Since we were all sunburned, we decided to go swimming in the Rupunini river just down the hill, about a 15 minute walk. The water felt extremely refreshing, though we were mindful of dangers in the water like caiman and piranhas. The rest of the day, we sat around Caiman House and got ready for dinner and bed time. A few of us journalled for a bit in the main dining area and saw the infamous toad that hung around us all night in the kitchen. We also spotted many lizards, including a gecko that was spotted in one of the lights. Some of us slept under a structure called a benab in hammocks while others slept in actual rooms. We were all grateful, however, to have mosquito nets for the night. We woke up this morning to a downpour of rain, and those of us sleeping in hammocks were blown around for a while, but the rain slowed, and we were able to walk a small distance to a local woman's house to assist her in preparing cassava and to another woman's house to observe cotton spinning. Both were very interesting, though we were careful of the cassava as it contains cyanide and is poisonous before it is boiled. For now, we are taking a break before eating lunch in a few hours and are then touring the village and possibly going on a night hike, weather permitting. We will be staying at Caiman House until Wednesday when we will leave for a ranch for a night and then come back to Caiman House and head to the next location on Saturday. We are having a wonderful time on the trip so far, and we will update as we can!
- Mindy Claeys and Shea Kruger
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