Day 4 / June 24, 2013 Early this morning we visited the clay lick, which is only a 25 minute walk. We were hoping for possible visits by any of the parrot species but specifically the Scarlet of Green-winged Macaw. There had been some rain that night and while not raining, it was overcast. Parrots don’t like rain or the chance of rain so unfortunately they were no-shows to our party. We went back to the lodge in time to make the trip to the oxbow lake with our original group. An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This land form is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. After a short trip along the river, we climbed the stairs up the riverbank and then 15 minutes back to the oxbow lake. The trip on the lake is made on a non-motorized catamaran (not the fancy fiberglass ones) made from wood.  We didn't see the family of giant otters or the elusive white caiman, but the slow drifting along the glassy smooth lake was so peaceful. It was one of my favorite excursions. We saw some birds such as the Hoatzin, which roost in the tree branches and basically hop from branch to branch as they aren't great fliers. We also got close to a beautiful Tiger Heron that was fishing and another heron that actually had caught a fish! We learned to fish for piranha and a handful of people caught some of the smaller ones. You have to sink the hook deeper than you might think. One of the ladies tried to navigate and propel the boat (all done with one strange paddle) and it proved to be difficult and comical. The guide took over and we headed back to the lodge. After a delicious lunch buffet we went with the same group to the botanical gardens where we toured the medicinal plants with the shaman. Afterwards we were treated to medicinal preparations such as one that mimics Viagra and another that mimics Red Bull. One person in the group bought a bottle of the medicinal Viagra imitation! We went back to the lodge in time to catch up on email and Facebook before a delicious dinner. Since it had been hot and humid during the day and early evening, that night I found my pjs extremely damp! This place was more humid than even Florida! But surprisingly I often used the fleece blanket around 4 am. Next post >> Previous post >> Learn more about this program >>