Upper Amazon Travels: Trip To Tabatinga Mario Cohn-Haft - May 1997 |
Wed worked the south bank for the last week and were running out of time to do the
north bank. Our guides took forever to get organized, with problems getting drinking
water and fuel, changing the boat we would use and, consequently, the price of the trip,
and so on. These annoyances set the tone for our arrival at nightfall at the chosen spot
on THE WRONG BANK OF THE RIVER!
"What do you mean the other side of the river?" they asked, as we floated downstream
under clouds of mosquitoes and a darkening sky. After re-explaining the importance of
which bank we were on and insisting that even in a pinch this spot wasnt good enough,
our guide said that the other side had no terra firme, only flooded forest. We cut our
losses and told them to take us back to Tabatinga, where wed keep the food and
whatever gas was left and do something else the next dayon our own, thanks.
So, at dawn on our next to last day, I rushed to the docks at Leticia to wait for our
Colombian boatman whod taken us to a good river island earlier. He finally arrived and
agreed to accompany us to Amacayacu National Park, an area of virgin terra firme on
the north bank of the river in Colombia. Wed be able to bird our last morning there, and,
although we couldnt collect specimens, we could at least tape and sample what was
there, to be able to compare with the birds found in what ought to be similar woods on
the Brazilian side.
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