August 26, 2006 - Ecuador, Day 4



The first morning, we head to an island in the river for some bird watching.


Two yellow orioles hang out on a twig.


Some of the flora around the lodge.


Scary turkey. (Actually, it is a 'guan' that ocassionally hung out and slept in the tree outside our room.)


Another resident of the lodge - an Amazon green parrot.


The closest civilization - a market that opens each Saturday morning.


Mmm... hanging meats. Tasty.


The local pool hall.


Cockfighting 'arena.'


Mom and I pose in front of the market.


We took a canoe downstream to a nice, big path through the jungle.


Gecko.


Bats.


Cool canopy.
Soon, we realize we're walking into someone's back yard.


Cacao pods.


Our jungle guide, Hector, passes out cacao beans from a pod he cut open. Yes, it was from someone's back yard...


Lady finger bananas.


Plantains.


crab claws.


Pot.
(Just kidding; it just looks like it.)


swallow-tailed kites.


Behind a few houses, we found a school house.


Being summer, the kids were out.
(Other room in the school.)


Naked-neck chickens. Freaky.


Butterfly.


Wild coffee beans.


Wild ginger.


Vanilla.


Plantain fisherman.


Back to Yachana for lunch, we stop by the butterfly house - an extension of their school.


Hector Owl's head butterfly.


Other butterfly.


Other butterfly.


We walk down another trail towards the home of a local medicine man.
Aunt Caroline traverses the bamboo bridge.


Mom does the same.
Whoa. Scary.


The shaman blows smoke all over the Ayers as a part of their cleansing ceremony.


This is not our place, but it may as well be. The banks of the river all look like this.


Jungle sunset.