Living on the river at a “jungle lodge” offers unique experiences. At 5 A M I woke and gazed out the opened hatch. The moon was framed there on its path across the sky. The sounds of the morning came into my awareness. There was the chirp of the tiny bird that was perched on the lifeline peeping into our cabin and the slurp of a paddle as it dipped rhythmically into the water close by. I ventured off the boat and into the canopy of vegetation that makes up our “home”. That was when it really hit me: I am living in a jungle! The click of the insects in a nearby tree, the chatter of another species, a tweet and a twitter, a gulp and a caw- blending into the symphony of the morning. The walkways in our land “home” weave us through this lush foliage, over water lapping against the shore, and past cabanas where guests are retreating from the stresses of their “real” lives.Dan and I have taken to doing our yoga practice in the dining room – a large open air space with a thatched roof – rarely used for meals in this low season. The other morning we were settling onto our mats, centering our minds when Dan pointed out a relatively small snake that had fallen from the ceiling and was making its way out of the space. Needless to say in some of the reading I have done the great gurus sit quietly in meditation with snakes crawling over them – I’m not there yet!
Tijax offers a jungle tour and although Dan and I have been doing a lot of our own exploring we decided to sign on to the tour with a knowledgeable guide. It was well worth it. We had access to places that on our own we could not access. Our guide was well versed on the local flora and fauna as well as the many medicinal uses of the wild vegetation. We ventured first into the new forest where the growth was younger and allowed more light onto the jungle floor. The guide pointed out that this light and lack of moisture affected what would grow and live in this space. There were petrified rock formations along with samples of the wood harvested from these parts in the informal museum we walked through on our way. Our trail took us on a detour around a termite nest that had been taken over by Africanized killer bees. Once into the old forest we experienced the immensity of the plants towering over us. The canopy walk carried us high over the jungle floor – as long as you could put one foot in front of the other. My breathing helped me move forward. It really was breathtaking.
Life on the river has its added bonuses. The net fisherman come by in their dug out boats to fish the waters around us. They are so very skilled at what they do. Just getting in and out of that tippy vessel makes me in awe. Sometimes they don their snorkel masks and dive into the water, I assume to free caught weights. The process of draping the net over the arm and shoulder of the caster to propel it out over the water in an even circle is an art form. Lovely to watch. Bird island houses many of the feathered creatures but this morning an egret poised itself on the bow of the boat next to us. We all get along harmoniously together. Dan has his pet fish here as in other harbors. He has this fancy for cultivating a mobile school of followers wherever we go. Leftover rice is a favorite of the fish and usually twice a day Dan and I perch ourselves on the rail watching the flurry of eating activity. These fish take on personalities that we embellish as we watch their antics. The day we gave them leftover spaghetti we imagined them playing tug of war. Maybe we have too much time on our hands!
Tijax offers a jungle tour and although Dan and I have been doing a lot of our own exploring we decided to sign on to the tour with a knowledgeable guide. It was well worth it. We had access to places that on our own we could not access. Our guide was well versed on the local flora and fauna as well as the many medicinal uses of the wild vegetation. We ventured first into the new forest where the growth was younger and allowed more light onto the jungle floor. The guide pointed out that this light and lack of moisture affected what would grow and live in this space. There were petrified rock formations along with samples of the wood harvested from these parts in the informal museum we walked through on our way. Our trail took us on a detour around a termite nest that had been taken over by Africanized killer bees. Once into the old forest we experienced the immensity of the plants towering over us. The canopy walk carried us high over the jungle floor – as long as you could put one foot in front of the other. My breathing helped me move forward. It really was breathtaking.
Life on the river has its added bonuses. The net fisherman come by in their dug out boats to fish the waters around us. They are so very skilled at what they do. Just getting in and out of that tippy vessel makes me in awe. Sometimes they don their snorkel masks and dive into the water, I assume to free caught weights. The process of draping the net over the arm and shoulder of the caster to propel it out over the water in an even circle is an art form. Lovely to watch. Bird island houses many of the feathered creatures but this morning an egret poised itself on the bow of the boat next to us. We all get along harmoniously together. Dan has his pet fish here as in other harbors. He has this fancy for cultivating a mobile school of followers wherever we go. Leftover rice is a favorite of the fish and usually twice a day Dan and I perch ourselves on the rail watching the flurry of eating activity. These fish take on personalities that we embellish as we watch their antics. The day we gave them leftover spaghetti we imagined them playing tug of war. Maybe we have too much time on our hands!
