Day 14
Mindo Cloud forest hotel
This is probably my favorite place of all time! The area here is so much more tropical looking than I imagined. I had come to learn that at any point in the day there is either dew on the ground, or it’s raining. The first thing that I noticed when we arrived to our hotel was the massive number of hummingbirds zipping by. There were several hummingbird feeders at the main entrance of the hotel so it was easy to catch a glimpse of their magnificent colored feathers as they stopped for a bite. Many times these pollinators felt very comfortable with humans around, zipping right by my head on multiple occasions. Indigenous people of the Amazon believe hummingbirds stole fire for humans. Tribes in the Amazon share lots of history with animals, subsequently creating many superstitions based around the surrounding wildlife.
I learned that originally all the native trees made the Andes a bird paradise. As you travel further east and the Andes start to end, a lot of water runs off into streams depositing into the Amazon region. There are a lack of bird in the Andes because introduced trees have no food and don't provide enough shelter.
The cloud forest has a few issues relating to the wildlife habituating there. For one, Tilapia is farmed in the forests creating a threat of being introduced to the wild and becoming invasive. Also, Spectacled bears in the Andes used to be in danger of endangerment due to people using the fat for medicinal purposes. Now the government is very strict about the treatment of wildlife. People used to catch condors, and monkeys and keep them as pets. Now you can go to jail up to 7 years if you try to sell wildlife. Certain animals like Pumas and Jaguars represent power and are held with the utmost respect. Pumas are a bit smaller and less powerful than jaguars. Pumas are mainly found in the Andes, there are not many in the amazon unlike jaguars.
This was a really eventful day for us. We got to explore the area a bit by taking a few hikes. I use this time as an opportunity to catch up on my notes for the week. In the late afternoon we got to go zip lining over the canopy which was AWESOME. I’ve never been zip lining before, but I can honestly say I will definitely do this again. There’s no other rush than the feeling of rain hitting your face as you zoom in mid-air over a rain forest.
This is probably my favorite place of all time! The area here is so much more tropical looking than I imagined. I had come to learn that at any point in the day there is either dew on the ground, or it’s raining. The first thing that I noticed when we arrived to our hotel was the massive number of hummingbirds zipping by. There were several hummingbird feeders at the main entrance of the hotel so it was easy to catch a glimpse of their magnificent colored feathers as they stopped for a bite. Many times these pollinators felt very comfortable with humans around, zipping right by my head on multiple occasions. Indigenous people of the Amazon believe hummingbirds stole fire for humans. Tribes in the Amazon share lots of history with animals, subsequently creating many superstitions based around the surrounding wildlife.
I learned that originally all the native trees made the Andes a bird paradise. As you travel further east and the Andes start to end, a lot of water runs off into streams depositing into the Amazon region. There are a lack of bird in the Andes because introduced trees have no food and don't provide enough shelter.
The cloud forest has a few issues relating to the wildlife habituating there. For one, Tilapia is farmed in the forests creating a threat of being introduced to the wild and becoming invasive. Also, Spectacled bears in the Andes used to be in danger of endangerment due to people using the fat for medicinal purposes. Now the government is very strict about the treatment of wildlife. People used to catch condors, and monkeys and keep them as pets. Now you can go to jail up to 7 years if you try to sell wildlife. Certain animals like Pumas and Jaguars represent power and are held with the utmost respect. Pumas are a bit smaller and less powerful than jaguars. Pumas are mainly found in the Andes, there are not many in the amazon unlike jaguars.
This was a really eventful day for us. We got to explore the area a bit by taking a few hikes. I use this time as an opportunity to catch up on my notes for the week. In the late afternoon we got to go zip lining over the canopy which was AWESOME. I’ve never been zip lining before, but I can honestly say I will definitely do this again. There’s no other rush than the feeling of rain hitting your face as you zoom in mid-air over a rain forest.