I did not end up on the back of a moto. I hired Gabriel Utria for $150 to show me the birds at El Dorado Lodge. He and his driver picked me up at 5am and within an hour we were axle-deep in mud. The Land Cruiser handled it with ease. There were spots I was sure we were not going to be able to pass, but we did. Gabo was very professional and our first birds were a Santa Marta Mountain Tanager and White-tipped Quetzal. In a few hours I had 27 new lifers. We stopped at a small home where a lady served me the best hot chocolate I have ever had. By 2pm were were back at Hotel Minca. I ended up staying there for 10 days. I walked each morning at 6 am. Along the road an old man was sitting outside his small yellow house. The smoke from his cooking fire smelled so good. He told me to come back at 9am because his yard was filled with birds. It was. He lived such a spartan life along a beautiful stream. There was a family of Howler monkeys near his yard. I watched them for 20 minutes. That afternoon the clouds gathered. Hurricane Matthew was offshore and gave us 15 inches of rain and heavy winds. No power on the last day so I decided to head back to Santa Marta for comfort. It is only 40 minutes from Minca. The sky cleared and I took care of some banking and had a great Greek dinner after sunset along the Caribbean. In the morning I was off to the east entrance to Tayrona Nationa Park by bus. A hot bus. They dropped me at Hotel Seineken. My cabana was rustic but sensible. I walked along the river and checked out how I would enter the park in the morning. Cottontop Tamarins played in the trees. Beautiful monkies. The park opens at 8am. Shit. You have to watch a video. Really? Then a taxi bus up to the beach area. By 9 am there were no birds as it was too hot. I saw a couple new ones but dipped on the lance-tail manakin and others. There are expensive hotels inside the park but I passed on that. Not worth it. I got back to my hotel and caught a bus to Camarones. An air-conditioned bus. It was a scenic ride along the coast and in two hours I was dropped in the sweltering heat of Camarones. I called the hotel and he sent two motors to pick me up. Now I have to ride on the back of a motorcycle. Bumpy dirt roads for two miles. A very tiny town. Everyone knew I was there for the American flamingos. My corner room looked at the sea and a bay. Just a fan to keep me cool. None of the hotels along the coast had hot water. It's ok. The lady at the Santuario Remanso gave me a beer and called a local bird guide for me. Jose Luis showed up quickly. He didn't speak much English but he knew the birds in English. At 4 pm I met him down by the bay where everyone fishes for sardine-like fish. They use a crab as a bait and their remains littered the beach. There was a dark storm approaching from the mountains. I spotted the flamingos and the contrast between the pink and the black sky was stunning. There were even snowy plovers along the beach. We had a great afternoon spotting migrants. Just as we got back to the hotel from the beach the storm let loose. I have never seen so much lightening. It seemed constant. The rain poured down. The electric went out. My room was illuminated by the lightening. Jose was coming by at 5:30 am to take me to search for endemics. I took a short walk in the dark before he arrived. I am always followed by animals at that hour. In Minca I had 5 dogs follow me at one point. Here I had two puppies and a kitten tag along. I added 17 more lifers by 9 am. Ruby-topaz hummingbirds! Crested bobwhites. Fantastico! At 1pm I had a taxi come to take me Rioacha, 30 mintues away. By 2pm I was in my hotel room.
I stopped along the beach for a beer, outside in the heat. I heard screams. People yelling. Now they were running. My table and beer knocked over. A kid threw a smoking bomb down the street. I wanted to knock the hell out of him. Glad I didn't. The riot police fired back with tear-gas. FUCK. Now I know what it feels and smells like. What to do. I causally righted my table and chair and went up to the counter to order another beer. To hell with them. The kid at the counter laughed at me and told me the university was protesting because they had not been paid. I don't give a damn, give me a beer. I wiped my eyes and sat down. I had the whole place to myself.
Rioacha is a dirty coastal city. I will leave tomorrow for........I'll sleep on it.
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