Back Home?

I just realized I left everything hanging from Paita, Peru, where I spotted the Humboldt's penguin. I had moved on to Cabo Blanco where I got very sick from food, then went to Mancora to get better, and, finally, back to Ecuador and Vilcabamba. I made my reservation to fly home and then spent a good week in Ayampe watching whales and setting bird records for the local Jocotoco Reserve. I have seen more species there than anyone else. I also went to Shaime and Cabanas Yankuam to find the orange-throated tanager. It took 3 days but I found the bird- three of them. I thought I had written about this trip but I must not have hit 'publish'. It was a  very remote area along the Peruvian border and a fantastic trip. Read about Arutam. I met Arutam. Google Arutam.
There is a book on the NYT bestseller list by Paul Kalanithi. When Breath Becomes Air.  I haven't read it, nor will I. He was a  surgeon with a promising career when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer at age 36. He kept himself busy until he died. When I came back home I had to jump through the hoops to have a P.E.T. scan. I went to the Lynn Cancer Institute for treatment. That was my second mistake. The first mistake was coming home. But I didn't know it at the time. It took 2 weeks to get an 'opinion' from a doctor. I have 4 tumors- two on my liver and two on my right lung. My surgeon at Shands decided an operation on my liver was not an option. I was given a prescription for a chemo drug with a $3,200 co-pay. I decided to go to Cleveland Clinic for another opinion. The doctors there were quick and efficient. My lung tumors are just too large and the only option was for Xeloda, which I have taken before. It makes you fatigued and nauseous. It possibly would slow down tumor growth. But then I found out there was a $500 co-pay. When I had a different health plan it was free. Humana sucks. I have decided to go bird watching instead. My doctor approves. Why fight what you cant win. Embrace it.
I bought the Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia. There are more than 1,900 species in Colombia. I intend to go to Santa Marta, which has the highest percentage of endemics in the world. It also has the highest mountains closest to the ocean. Snow-capped peaks visible from the beach. My resident visa for Ecuador will be invalidated today, September 10th., because I have been out of the country for more than 90 days during the first year of residency. I could do paper work and get a waiver, but I have seen the majority of birds in Ecuador. Time for new ones. I must admit that I am a bit more concerned about safety in Colombia, especially being so close to the Venezuelan border. I do not authorize any ransom more than $50. I'm just not worth it.
I fly on the 18th to Cartagena. I do not intend to come back until I truly must. I very much doubt I will see a Blue-bearded helmetcrest- a bird just recently re-discovered after 70 years. But I better see a fucking Royal flycatcher this time!

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Huanchaco and Paita

I took a Linea bus to Trujillo at 8 am. It was a double-decked bus with a nice Lazy Boy seat on the lower level. But you could not see out the window due to the busses' paint scheme. I could barely see the last snow-capped mountain as I passed over the cordillera headed west. In Trujillo I took a taxi to Naylamp Hotel in Huanchaco and arrived about 2 pm. She tried to put me in an interior room but I saw the corner room available and she gave me the key. $16.50 a night with a window to the sea and the sound of the waves. The bed was as hard as a rock but I could deal with that. The weather was near perfect with highs around 75 and lows about 58. I immediately scoped the sea for birds and was amazed at the number of Peruvian boobies off shore. There must have been a large school of anchovies as they torpedoed into the sea for a meal. Huanchaco has a lot of restaurants and hostels and caters to the young traveler. I found good food and plenty of Cusqueña. I asked the desk to provide a taxi at 6:30 am for a trip to Lomas de Cerro Compana. It was only 10 miles away and would give me a few birds to add to my list. Of course, the driver lied, they almost all do, about knowing where it was I wanted to go. Being shrouded in sea fog didn't help. But I found a quebrada to walk and did see Oasis hummingbirds. He returned 3 hours later to retrieve me. That evening I found a beach bar and watched the sunset with cheap rum. They tend to wash wood floors with a gasoline mixture. I have 'smelled' this in a few places around Ecuador and Perú. I don't know what the fuck they are thinking, when they do think, but this floor was so wet I slipped. My shoes smelled of gas for a few days. The stupidity is confounding at times. I stopped at another bar for a hamburger off a Charbroil grill. And a Pisco. And, well, a few more rum-n-cokes. And damn, is that Campari on the shelf? All bright-eyed in the morning, I decided to head to Chan-Chan ruins. Not a cloud in the sky. A bus dropped me on the main road for a 1 mile walk to the entrance. Anytime you do something 'touristy' there is always a Peruvian near by to try to rip you off. An old man with a car showed me a map and told me there are three ruins all about 5 miles apart. I didn't even give him a chance to throw out his price. I walked to the ruins. The place is huge and only about a fourth of it is 'uncovered'. At the entrance there were no signs, no guide book and no employees. One lady asked in English if I wanted a guide for 40 Soles. Nope. I had to search to pay the 10 Soles fee. Then walked and walked. It was all built around 1400 AD. An amazing place right on the sea. The Chimu, they were called before the Incas came and disrupted everything. Ropes indicated the areas closed off, but that doesn't stop a Peruvian kid. They sit on the walls, climb over the ropes. They generally disrespect everything. There were no guards or employees to watch over tourists. I avoided all contact with people. After an hour of my tour I headed back to the main road and a bus back to my hotel. Bar, beer, rum, pisco.
In the morning I watched boobies torpedo the water and spotted about 150 great grebe off shore. Bingo! I took a walk along the beach where they grow reeds in holes and spotted the many-colored rushbird. What a beauty. After breakfast I caught a taxi to Trujillo and a bus back to Chiclayo. Intiotel, same room as before. I arranged to go to Túcume in the morning at 6 am and catch a taxi to Bosque de Pomac for the Peruvian plantcutter. I arrived around 7 am and found a dirt road along a canal alive with birds. The Moche built pyramids here at Sipan about 700 years earlier than the Chimu. Greenery in the desert. But no plantcutter. No sheartail either. But I was happy to be birding. It was hot. Of course I took a lot of water. I walked about 8 miles, I think. When I got back to the gate I had to keep walking to find a mototaxi. A few guys were butchering something along the side of the road. I asked for a ride. Blood everywhere. No. Then one dude changed his mind and he took me to the main road where I caught a collectivo back to Chiclayo. Went to a restaurant with great steak in a coffee sauce. Campari, beer, sleep. In the morning a Linea bus, again, but this one had clear windows. I almost wish it hadn't. Peruvians are the worst litter bugs. The amount of trash along the highways is staggering. They give a fuck. It is really sickening. They have no respect for environment. They pollute, wash floors with gas, and dump their shit directly in the rivers and ocean. I thought Ecuadorians were bad. My opinion of the people has diminished greatly because of their trash problem. They will never learn. They don't care. I couldn't look out the window anymore.
I got to Piura around 12:30 pm and took a tiny, shitty taxi to another bus which would take me to Paita. "How far to Paita?" An "hour and a half". I don't know why I ask questions. The answer is never true. In 45 minutes I arrived in Paita and went to the old Miramar hotel. It is an old mansion along the shore. They had an interior room with a window to the street. Nope. I walked with my bags around the corner and found Anamar Suites. She wanted 80 Soles but I offered cash for two nights and got her down to 60 Soles. A room overlooking the bay and a private balcony. Soft bed, sounds of the sea. I like it here. Found a nice bar on the water to watch Perú loose to Colombia in the Copa America semi-finals.
In the morning I took a walk to the Naval Station. I just felt like relaxing rather than look for birds. At evening I strolled the pier and streets and finally stopped at the bar on the bay. Shrimp rolls and beer.  A few seal lions came looking for scraps. The moon rose above the cliff and a lone great grebe tucked its beak in its wing and went to sleep on the water. A lesser nighthawk took to the sky at dusk and swept for insects. Small bats poured out of the old buildings and bounced in the air. It is Saturday night but there are no people in the streets. They are gearing up for a festival for fishermen. Everything is getting a new coat of paint. Coat number 48 from what I can tell.

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There was music on the beach, somewhere, all night. Until 3 am. But I got up at 6 am anyway to a great sunrise and the intention of going to Islilla and Isla Foca. No one was here to give me breakfast, or let me out the door. I had to sneak out the restaurant next door. Caught a mototaxi to a minivan which took me to Islilla. After walking around town with my binoculars, the taxi drivers have been calling me Juan Jhony. I Like it. It is only 25 minutes from here. The drive is through barren desert. Desert along a deep blue ocean. Isla Foca is white-washed in guano. A beautiful sight for a birder. First new bird was a red-legged cormorant. Saw about 24 of them. A little boy came up to me and started asking questions. I let him look through my binoculars. He pointed to a boat coming in with a load of squid and said that was his dad. My dad would have been 99 on the 15th and today is Fathers Day. He told me his dad would take me out to the island to see penguins. Maybe 50 Soles. His dad later told me 100 Soles and I would have to wait for the tide to come back in around 1pm. A three hour wait. I had a mototaxi take me to a restaurant. No menu, just squid and octopus. OK, I'll have a tortilla of squid and octopus. Not bad. The rice saved me. I took a walk along the beach and looked out to the channel. Humboldt penguin! Close to shore and preening his feathers. He was just bobbing  along and gave me great views. Then all the cormorants on the island decided to go for a flight. Guanay cormorants! I estimated more than 18,000! Within 2 hours I had the only 3 birds I came looking for. No need to spend $30 for a boat ride around the island. Why look at 20,000 birds sitting on cliffs shitting when they are much more exciting in flight. Between the cormorants, gulls and boobies there had to be more than 50,000 birds. And the sea lions were everywhere. A dead one floated by. The Pacific glittered blue. This is where the Humboldt Current drifts farther from shore and the cold and warm water come together. Bountiful. The fishermen were bringing in thousands of large squid with huge eyes. Some were 4 feet long. But this little village in the desert, along the sea, is isolated. Garbage everywhere. Human waste everywhere. This is the only place in South America where I have seen cats outnumber dogs. Kitty's everywhere. I had a great day. There are few birds left for me to look for in Perú. The penguin might just be my last, great new bird. Number 1,332. 578 for the year. 416 for Perú. Not bad considering transportation has been a problem. With a car I would have added 200 more, at least. But I am satisfied. Juan Jhony got his penguin. Off to Cabo Blano tomorrow. Cheers!

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Chachapoyas to Huaraz

There is a museum-bird lodge in Leymebamba which I had wished to visit, but they never responded to an e-mail. Had I gone there I would have visited Cajarmarca and then to the coast, or Huaraz. But I awoke and decided to back-track to Bagua Grande-Jaen-Chiclayo. It was a long trip in a van and two cars. The last driver was an old man that drove like a maniac. I finally arrived in Chiclayo at 5:30 pm and checked into Intiotel to a large comfortable room for  $35 a night. I roamed and explored Chiclayo that evening and found it to be a vibrant, clean city with a nice climate. Not too hot and not too cool. In the morning I arranged for a taxi to pick me up and take me to the coast to search for the Great grebe. No luck. I did see many species of sea-birds and a few coastal migrants. I went to the beach for a beer that afternoon but found that all alcohol was prohibited the before, and the day of, the presidential election. The hotel bar waved me to the back room and provided my required refreshment. The people were very kind in Chiclayo. I had intended to visit Chaparri Lodge but found them to be very expensive. They are 1.5 hours from the city and transportation would be 450 Soles- more than the room at 335 Soles. That's more than $200 for a few birds. Naw.
I decided to head off to Chimbote, a few hours south along the coast. The bus took all day to reach Chimbote. I arrived about 4:30 pm. The highway wound through a desolate area of dry scrub, when there was scrub. I was shocked and angered at the amount of trash along the roadside. Peruvians and Ecuadorians are shamefull litter-tossers. Their mentality angers me at times. A true blight on the landscape. The taxi driver ripped me off for 10 Soles and took me to the best hotel on the water. It was a large building along the bay, built in 1946. I had a room with a beautiful view of the boats in the bay. The city was loaded with casinos. The fishermen like to gamble, I suppose. I roamed the city, again no beer or booze as it was Election Day. I ate an awful Chifa (Chinese food) and almost got a beer by batting my blue eyes at a pretty bartender. She complimented me, but no beer. In the morning I walked the jetty along the harbor and added a few new species. The Inca terns are so beautiful. No Great grebes. No Guanay cormorants. I am still after these birds. The Gardens in Chiclayo were closed on Monday. So, at 10 am I took a mini-bus to Huaraz. Arrived around 2:30 pm and checked into La Aurora Hotel for $35. I was in awe of the mountains to the east. WOW! Incredible scenery. I met up with my friend Cecilia whom I met in Vilcabamba. She was born in Lima but lived near Panama City, Florida. Indeed, we both had been to Wonderbar many times! She resides here in Huaraz now. This is a touristy-mountain town but in a good way. It isn't overrun with Gringos. You come here to climb and trek the mountains and valleys. Cecilia took me to a restaurant with Alpaca on the menu. It is such a flavorful meat. Had some coca-liqueur as well. Whew! Cecilia helps a girl named Anthula with her adventure company. They arranged for me to go the the Lazy Dog Inn for a night. Anthula drove me up the next day but had car trouble half way and I hitched a ride with a local.
I arrived at the lodge and was greeted by Diana, the owner and her black labs. She showed me my room but when she showed me the cabin with a fireplace I decided to splurge on that. $100 a night which included all meals. My iPhone indicated I was at 12,000 ft. I took a walk up the mountain in the afternoon to bird an immediately added new species. Ground-tyrants and a black hummingbird! The scenery was stunning. I was so close, but yet so far, from the glacial slopes of the Cordillera Blanca. The Inn is also stunning. They put a lot of money into the construction. Very, very nice. A young couple from Spain joined us for dinner. I had one beer and off to bed. I built a large fire and settled in my large, soft bed. But no air. I did not sleep well. I gasped for air all night. I wasn't acclimated. I rose from the bed at 5:30 am and ate the breakfast Diana had sent me to bed with. I began walking back up the mountain but after one hour decided to walk the lower road through the farm land. This proved better for birds anyway. Baron's spinetail, black-throated flowerpiercer. Golden wheatfields. Colorful quinoa. Truly peaceful. When I got back to the Inn Diana insisted I eat more breakfast. They grow everything themselves in greenhouses. Home-made granola with fruit. Great coffee. I then met Diana's husband Wayne. He had been away. He wanted me to review their bird list. I did and found it to be very accurate. I even added a specie of flowerpiercer never seen here. At 11 Diana gave me ride back down into town. I changed hotels to one at $18 a night. It is clean and comfortable.
Cecilia arranged for a private taxi to pick us up the next day at 8:30 am. We would drive to the Huascaran National Park and the lagunas. We drove through the towns leveled by the earthquake of 1970. It also leveled 95% of Huaraz. There are no old buildings here. Just one small street of colonial times remained. There have also been avalanches that have killed thousands. With beauty comes risk. After 2.5 hours we arrived in the river valley surrounded by steep granite cliffs and glaciers. I have never seen such glory. Stop the car!. An Andean goose. Two of them. Further on to the second lake and 16 more! I strolled around for 20 minutes birding then Cecilia and I hit the trails. The polylepis trees are covered in soft paper bark that peels off to reveal a deep cinnamon color. Gorgeous. I saw a rufous-eared brushfinch. They only live here in these valleys. The two lagunas are a deep copper-sulphate blue. The altitude was almost 13,000 ft but I felt fine. We walked the paths for 3 hours then headed back down to have lunch along a river. All the rivers are a clear, bluish glacial stream. And COLD. We came back to Huaraz about 5 pm and Cecilia and I met for a drink to celebrate my goose sighting. Pisco and Campari. Bar service sucks here as it does in Ecuador. Different mindset. After several drinks off to my room and a good sleep.
Tomorrow I head back to Trujillo and Huanchaco beach for a few days. I still need the grebe, cormorant and a Peruvian sheartail hummer. Cecilia has made my visit here very special and rewarding. This has been the highlight of my visit to Perú.


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Tarapoto to Chachapoyas

Moyobamba was such a pleasant small town a that I ended  up staying five nights. The birding was surprising. I said to myself that a red-capped cardinal would be a great find and within 5 minutes 2 popped into view. I smiled and thanked the bird gods. The more I explored the more beautiful Moyobamba became. But I need to move on so for $3.50 I caught a car to Tarapoto. The vistas along the Rio Mayo kept me looking out the window. We arrived and I took a mototaxi to Hotel Boca Raton. $24 a night and I had a good room with a large bathroom. The front desk told me they could help me with my birding pursuits but, again, they didn't know what they were talking about. The taxi drivers had no idea of the locations I pointed to on Google Map. So I dipped on a few species that were only 30 minutes away. I was very disappointed. I took a walk. I heard glass bottles being shaken about. They must be empties being loaded in a truck. I followed the sound and BINGO, a bar!  Across the street 2 more. Tarapoto is for me. Good food too. I watched the futbol championships between the two Madrids. Great crowd of people for the game. But birding was lacking so I  decided to splurge and go to PumaRinri Lodge and bird there one night. I stayed 2 nights. Again, I dipped on the species I was looking for but it was a very relaxing place. They gave me the best room- a kingbed, second floor with a balcony on the river Huallaga. Frogs sang me a sleep-song. A tropical screech owl woke me up. Food was good. As I uploaded pictures a very venomous snake crossed just beyond my feet. I saved it from the staff of snake killers. One young guy was about to hit it with a heavy stick and I yelled 'No!' They looked at me like I was nuts. I have learned how to assert myself in Spanish.
I am always amazed by the currents of the rivers. Swift and turbulent water. Again I was at 750ft in elevation which meant the river had almost 2,700  miles to reach the Atlantic but would only drop by that amount. Thank you river gods. But time to move on again. The owners have 3 hotels including Gocta Lodge. I would take their transport back to Moyobamba, then a van filled with folks and a spitting driver, including a fighting cock which shit everywhere, to Chachapoyas. Left at 8 am and arrived at 5:30 pm. Long day of travel and I don't enjoy days like that. Chachapoyas sits on top of a mountain above the Utcubamba River valley. It has been a dissapoinment. Hostal Revash is nice and cheap but the town is just a tourist trap. No birds. I found a nice bar, or 3, but I am ready to move on again. First, I must see Kuelpa so I am going at 8am tomorrow. I just came back from a bar called Reina and had a local liqueur called Pur Pur. I had a cat named PurrPurr. Lived to be 26 even after I had shut her in a freezer for 4 hours when I was 4 years old. She made the first page of the local paper. The bars here make their own liqueurs from so many different fruits. Aguardiente, all of them. Yummy. Going to sleep now and I will continue this after Kuelap (Quay-lap).

                                                               NEXT DAY
Went to breakfast at a small tienda and came back to the hotel for 8:30am departure. There were 8 of us- 2 'Mericans, 3 French and 2 Peruvians. We drove along the Utcubamba valley and then headed up a steep dirt road for 2 hours. The whole trip took 3 hours. It was a little scary. A French company is building a cable car system from the town of Rio Tingo and they hope to finish by November. It will make it a 2 hour trip from Chachapoyas. This will make it much easier to visit and increase visitation significantly. There were only about 150 people while we were there. Anywho, Kuelap was started around 550 AD by the Chachapoyas. The ruins are about 1,460 years old. This place was fascinating. It is a land-fill on top of a mountain built to ward off invasions. It is truly a fortrace with 3 entrances through narrow gullies. Our guide, Agusto, is a native and he spoke Spanish, English, French and German. The best guide I have ever had. Very knowledgable. There were 400 round houses built for the higher echelons. The peons lived in the valley. They buried their dead then dug them up years later and put their bones in a hole within each house. They were conquered by the Incas in about 1500. The Incas were a marauding, cruel group of bastards who borrowed all the customs of those they conquered. Even the spiritual aspects of living were taken from other peoples they enslaved. I was in awe the whole day. And we were so lucky it didn't rain. Kuelap is not as beautiful as Machu Picchu, but it was much more interesting considering it was built 1,000 years sooner. The views were stunning. There was a kid-25- named Mike from Montana who is touring Perú for a few months. We buddied-up for the lectures. After we got back to town we went out for a few drinks. He was a bright guy, math and engineering and I enjoyed having someone to speak English with. The town of Chachapoyas was a dissapoinment but the surrounding areas are beautiful. There are sarcophagi from the Incas nearby but I did not visit them.
I woke up this morning with the intent of heading toward Cajamarca. I am in Chiclayo tonight. I just didn't feel like a very long trip through more narrow mountain roads. I will have to skip a few birds but the Great grebe is next on the list. My car driver was and old shit and scared the hell out of me. We nearly tenderized a small pig and 2 chickens. It has been a long day. I walked around Chiclayo and sur-nuf they were parading a statue of Jesus and Mary around the Plaza. I like Chiclayo much more than Chacha. I will hang around the coast another week or so. It is cool here along the Pacific because of the Humbolt Current. I love a cool beach.

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Perú Bound

I packed a bag as light as I could, this time. I knew I would have to carry my two backpacks far, at times. The first leg was from my casita to the bus stop on the main road- about 1 mile. So at 5:30am on Tuesday morning I set off on another adventure. A Cariamanga bus, simple and clean, picked me up at 6:10 and we stopped at Izhcayluma and picked up a young gentleman named Dave. He would also be going to Perú. The road south of Yangana turns ugly. A narrow, muddy, bumpy and slow meander through the Southern Ecuador Andes. After 5 hours we arrived in Zumba and discovered that the collective to Balza would not leave until 1pm. Dave and I decided to share a taxi for $20 for the hour-long trip to the Peruvian border. Dave is a 25 year-old who works on Wall Street. In Balza we got Ecuador to stamp us out and walked over the Canchis River to have Perú stamp us in. We also exchanged money in Ecuador- 3.2 soles per dollar. And older gentleman welcomed us to Perú and for $18 he would drive us to San Ignacio, where I intended to stay the night. Along the route the streets were lined with coffee spread out to dry in the streets. It was a beautiful blue sky, a nicely paved road, as are all so far here, and dry warm air to clear my sinuses. San Ignacio did seem so welcoming. Very small with dusty roads. So I decided to continue with Dave to Jaen. We packed into a van with 8 other folks and headed south along the Chinchipe River. The topography leveled out into a valley of rice fields. At 3:30 in the afternoon we pulled into Jaen. Dave would continue to Chachapoyas so we said goodbye. I checked into the Pim's hotel for 70 soles-$21.50. Jaen was a pleasant 83 degrees and the town is surrounded by the Andes' foothills. In the morning I made arrangements for a mototaxi to take me to Gotas De Aqua for some birding. He would take me for 10 soles per hour. We set off at 6:30am and I quickly discovered he did not know where he was going. They lie here in Perú as well. He started to take me back toward the city so I told him take me to my hotel. It was now 7:15 am and my day was shot as far as birding. I gave him 5 soles, which pissed him off, and went to breakfast. The desk-girl called a man informed me 
that he would come see me. He was Luciano from Gotas de Agua. We met and he offered me a room for 60 soles, meals for 10 soles, and an entrance fee of 25. He said he would return to pick me up at 2pm. He arrived on a motorcycle. No, I don't think so buddy. He called a mototaxi and the driver took me to the reserve. Rustic. No water, no shower, but there were birds. Inca Jay popped up first, then a Pearl Kite. I took a walk before dark and settled in for a meal of yucca and bananas. Some meal. I brushed the spiders off the bed and went to sleep under a mosquito net- the first time I have used one. I awoke to Tataupa Tinamou calls. Breakfast was to be at 6am. Luciano did not show until almost 6:30. I was 
not happy. By the time he cooked an egg, some bananas and yucca it was after 7am. I told him I came here for birds not to eat and he snarled at me. Fuck you. I could have stayed in 
my 'nice' hotel and taken a mototaxi here if I wanted to start birding at 7 am. They just don't get it through their thin skulls. When I pay the higher prices at birding lodges they know that I want to be in the field by 6:15am and every minute counts. I hurriedly ate and ran off. He offered to be my guide for 25 soles but I didn't trust his knowledge at this point. I took a trail into the thick greenery where the mosquitoes were the worst I have encountered. Ran back 
to get the repellent. The trails were not maintained well. By 9:30am I was finished. I dipped on two important birds. No Marañón Crescent-chest or Little Inca Finch. Shit. Some college kids gave me a ride back to town where I exchanged more money and caught a car service to Bagua Grande, an hour away through the Marañón River valley. From there a van service to Pedro Ruiz along the Utcubamba River valley. The scenery here is spectacular. In Pedro Ruiz I took a mototaxi up to the Posada de Cuispes. Jarvi welcomed me and showed me to my room with a nice inviting fireplace. I would be here 2 nights. The cliffs along the mountains are high and dripping with waterfalls. Some fall more than 1,000 feet. Some of the world's highest falls are in this area. Stunning. I met some ladies from Spain- a lot of Spaniards come here- and we chatted a while about traveling. They had been to places I am going to. After a few Cusqueña beers we had a nice dinner and I slept well. At 5 am Fransisco came to take me to one of the falls in the deep montane forest. It took 30 minutes in the mototaxi to get to the entrance. The sounds of the forest just before sunrise are so incredible. Hooded tinamou, wrens, antbirds, thrushes, parrots and tanagers. Fransisco kept prodding me to move on and I finally took the lead. Birds are difficult to see but you hear them everywhere. I watched an Andean Emerald hummingbird build her nest with spiderweb. By 8:30 am the birds are quiet and hidden. I asked Fransisco to let me walk down the road for 20 minutes and he could then come get me. At the inn there were more Spaniards. We joked about language differences and I took a walk up the road in the afternoon. I let some kids look through my binoculars and they were so friendly. Even Jarvi was amazed by my binocs. A full moon rose and they watched it through the lenses. I made arrangements for a mototaxi to take me back up to the forest the next morning. A mother and her young daughter picked me up at 7 am and dropped me at the forest. I could bird all alone. I saw 11 species of tanagers. Andean Tyrant came into view. I watched the Andean Emerald again. Magical. My cancer went away. I am at peace alone in the forests of South America. Beaches, paramos and jungles too. 
In the afternoon I went back down to Pedro Ruiz and caught a van to Pomacochas. A taxi took me to a hotel on the lake and the rate was $60. Shit. Hosteria Pumacoches. Nice room but the place was in ruins. At first I was angry at myself for spending that amount but when the moon rose over the lake and I sat on my private balcony to glare at it, I was soothed. There was a dance performance by kids in the Plaza de Armas that afternoon. So much culture. In the morning breakfast at 6am and a mototaxi to Huembo Reserve for the Marvelous Spatueltail. It was a 20 minute ride and my chofer waited while I birded. A young girl of about 10 named Jenny took me down to the feeders where all the hummingbirds would come to feed. She filled them and the Hummers arrived quickly. First were many Sparkling Violetears. Then Green and Brown Violetears. Then a female Spatueltail. Go get your boyfriend. She did, he came for 3 minutes. Zowie! An iridescent male in all his glory. They live only here in theses valleys. I wished I had my old cameras and lenses. Jenny took me to a trail which I walked alone and saw a few more species of birds. Then back to the hotel, packed my bags, paid the high bill and told the guys that this community sure makes a lot of money off that hummingbird. They wanted $80 a night at Huembo Reserve for a very modest room. In all, I spent almost $100 just to see that bird. Worth every penny and the locals know that. Back in a van to Moyobamba down in the Amazon.
So here I am in Moyobamba at almost 3,000 feet in altitude. It is warm but cool at night. My hotel with a view of a park costs $12.50 a night. It is comfie and pleasant. With WIFI. I took a walk to the Plaza and found a bar. No food, just a bar. BINGO! A nice bar at that. Then I found another bar. Sunday night and the bars are open. Great local music. Tomorrow I go to a hotel in a bird forest. Then to Tarapota. I love Perú.

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Amigos

For the past 3 weeks I have had sinusitis. I have never had it before. It has been driving me crazy and has slowed me down. The pharmacy gave me a 2-day supply of amoxicillin. I knew better but took it. Made everything worse because you can't take an antibiotic for just a few days. So I went to a doctor and she gave me a 10-day supply. I am finally feeling better. As I spoke with the Doctor I inquired about haveing  my CEA levels checked via a blood sample. I went to Loja and met with a doctor who told me the public hospitals can't provide such a test but I could go to the Red Cross across the street. So I did. It cost $15. I had the results emailed to me yesterday. Not good news. 28.53 ug/ml. This is much higher than I had hoped. 10 ug/ml would have been barely acceptable.

My cancer has returned. 

I had promised myself that I was finished with treatments. But that voice keeps telling me I might be able to give myself another year with an operation. The only way to know is to have a CT/MRI scan. I can't have one done here. I just don't trust the medical system here. So, I will be coming back to the U.S.A.

Strangely, I am torn on making a different decision. Before I leave Ecuador do I want to see the orange-throated tanager or the Great grebe? Do I go after the chestnut-bellied cotinga which was recently seen north of Quito or do I head to Perú for the marvelous spatuletail? I have given myself a deadline for making the decision; Monday.

I embraced my cancer long ago. It has been nearly 5 years since my battle began. I would not be here in Ecuador otherwise. I would have never added the 778 Ecuador species to my life list if cancer had not invaded my body. And for the last 15 months I have not been tethered to a doctor. I have not been sick on chemo and have not had to make appointments. I have done what has pleased me and me alone. I have made numerous friends I would have otherwise never met. Wonderful people. Lorraine Caputo was the first to touch my life here and has been so very helpful. Darnell Dunn, Sharon and Scott McNeil, Nancy and Brian Lange, Charlito and Colleen. To many to name. And they are just the Gringos I have met. The Ecuadorians friends I have made have been just as embraceable. Thank you, Marcela. I love you all.

 I will not be coming to Florida until mid June, or so. I am going to hold off as long as I can. Firstly, I have to deal with insurance issues, which is a pain the fucking ass.

But before the hell begins............which birds?

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In an Instant

I met with Scott McNeil in Cuenca and we rode together on the Izhcayluma shuttle to Vilcabamba. I figured I might as well stay at Izhcayluma for a few days until I figure out my next move. The climate and scenery here are a perfect combination of warmth and beauty. I went birding in the hills behind Izhcayluma and found all the birds I was looking for. During this time of year the mountains are all verdant and lush. They will be brown again in a few months when the rains stop falling. I put the word out that I was looking for an apartment and immediately found a few to inspect. I have settled on a 2 bedroom casita which is minimally furnished, but comfortable. I have a yard, security, a view and birds. There are Andean Tinamou's in my backyard. My landlady is a New Zealander from Lima. I pay $265. I will stay here a few months. I finally found the Pacific parrotlets that live in the valley. They are a small, 5 inch green-blue ball of feathers which like the drier side of the valley.

Last night the moon shone through my skylight into my kitchen. Last month, at El Crater Hotel, my bed was directly below a skylight and the moonlight was like a tractor-beam shinning down on me. The full moon here is so silver and bright. Next full moon I want to be somewhere special. Maybe the coast of Perú.

As I lay in bed reading last Saturday night, I heard a strange noise. It was a low hum of vibration. Then it became a rattling sound growing louder. Then the floor moved, the bed moved and the roof shook. I ran outside to see the Cosmos flowers swaying side to side. It lasted about 30 seconds and stopped abruptly. My initial thoughts were of awe, fear and confusion. All at once a wave of varying emotions. Cry? Laugh? I got dressed and called my sister Sally and told her that we just had an earthquake and it seemed very bad, but I was safe. I pulled up USGS and within 8 minutes saw what had happened. 400 miles northwest was a 7.4 near Muisne, where I had been last January. Then they upgraded it to 7.8 and aftershocks followed. My thoughts flashed back to Mompiche, Canoa and Ayampe. Were folks I had met there safe? I went back to bed.

The news in the morning was emotionally crippling. I cried. Pedernales gone. Bahia de Caraquez gone. Portoviejo gone. Imagine you are on the beach watching the sunset. It is Saturday night and you hear music coming from a home nearby. You smile. In two minutes everything you have will be gone and buried in rubble. Your child might be dead. You, might be dead. Every aspect of your life will change in a matter of seconds. The ground moves so violently that you cannot walk. Now, what you hear is an eerie quietness. Then the screams begin, the crying amplifies. Calls for help. What do you do? 

There have been more then 28 aftershocks this week. All in the same area. Everything in Ecuador has just changed. I have cried each day. I can do nothing. Who do I give money too? I was asked to help in an environmental capacity but heard nothing back from officials. Ecuador is crippled. It took several days before I heard from people I know near ground-zero. All alive but some badly injured.

I am very distraught. There is nothing I can do. In the last week the people of Ecuador have proved themselves resilient and compassionate. Help has flowed to where it is needed most. So I hear. It will take years to recover. My heart aches for Ecuador. I hope I can contribute to the recovery.

In June the whales will return to to coast. I will visit Ayampe, San Lorenzo and Salinas. I am considering a trip to Peru. Maybe 2 weeks of hard-core birding. Marvelous spatuletail in Chachapoyas. Great grebe along the coast. I will probably go alone as I can't count on anyone but me. I am fortunate. My days are numbered, also. But at least I know it is coming.

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