Wednesday 24.09.2014

So the forest......it`s dry forest at sea level, comprising, as The Rough Guide has it:
"scorched-looking trees and shrubs adapted to scarce water supplies and saline soils, including many different cactuses.....and the highly fragrant palo santo trees, whose bark is burned as incense in churches." We`ve come to recognize that scent which is also reputed to deter mosquitoes. If it turned out to deter midges and could be grown in Scotland someone would make a fortune.
But the upshot is that the landscape at this level, especially in the dry season, appears lifeless, the grey only leavened by the cactus which twine between and around the trees









or an occasional flash of colour that almost looks out of place

This is all in stark contrast to the quite sudden change as you climb a few hundred metres into the hills and the coastal cloudforest: much lusher and greener, full of the kind of exotic looking plants we try and grow in pots at home but here can be seen in all their glory, not least in many of the schools which seem to take great pride in cultivating their native plants.

The Isla de Plata is covered in dry forest but first is the boat ride to get there. It was explained we needed to keep the weight of passengers towards the back so the boat could aqua-plane properly (!) and then it was much craning of necks to catch a glimpse of whales. And we did! First it was dolphins and then the huge bulk of whales, including one with a baby rolling in and out of the swell. The motion of the boat made it hard to take pictures but in any case it was just one of those experiences to savour rather than try and record especially as this is the end of the whale-watching season and we were lucky to get a glimpse of these awesome creatures.

Almost as exciting was to be greeted on our arrival by giant turtles swimming lazily round and round the boat. Then it was a quick jump down into the water as,Fernando,one of the crew hung on to the boat for dear life to prevent it drifting away from the beach.A brief chat on the dos and don`ts and we were off on one of the strangest walks I`ve ever experienced, following winding paths through the dessicated forest, kicking up the dusty grey soil and at every turn stumbling almost literally on some of the strange indigenous birds,





or the occasional incongruous looking flower,

taking in the breathtaking views and enjoying the tranquility.




There was a chance to snorkel for the dedicated (not us I should say) and then a spine-cracking race back to Puerto Lopez,

the sea distinctly choppier, the stomach slightly less happy but altogether an unforgettable experience.

And today we have made up for all that leisure time by working flat out this morning for about four and a half hours non-stop with groups of excitable children shouting cha-cha-cha at the tops of their voices, playing games and making serpents and lion masks for all they were worth. The animal word searches - or letter soup as they are known here - went down well too.




So after a couple of beers just now we`re off to investigate the Fish Fest tonight: follow that band!