Macaw clay lick
The 5 o'clock starts were becoming the norm but fiddling around in a tent in the dark is no fun. We had no breakfast and had to be ready to leave by 5.30 in order to catch the parrots who visit the clay lick early each morning.

It was slinging it down with rain (it is a rain forest after all) and after taking the boat down river for a bit, we trudged through the mud and lashing rain for 20 minutes carrying our breakfast in tupperwares and flasks until we reached the lookout hut. Nicolas told us that we wouldn't see anything as it was raining so hard we settled down to breakfast and a lot of waiting around. It was warm and dry inside and I had brought a Thomas Hardy novel with me so I didn't mind too much. I was lost in Wessex and would occasionally look up and remember where I really was!

After 4 hours (really, I am not making this up), the rain eased and stopped and a flock of about 40 colourful macaws descended to feed on nutrients from the clay wall. It was really amazing to see them. They made loads of noise as if they were fighting, and stayed for almost an hour. We watched with fascination and couldn't leave until they did as we would frighten them.

After the parrot show, it was back to the boat and an hour trip to the lodge we were staying at. It was again, very basic but really beautifully situated. The weather really brightened up and we spent the afternoon on the wooden balcony drinking warm beer, reading and watching the wildlife all around us.

The last three people in our party, Vaila, Ann and Mark, arrived later that day. They had (perhaps sensibly) decided to fly in. Their arrival marked a sudden change in the food. The quality improved enormously and we even started to get puddings! We wondered which of them was from head office or writing for a travel magazine.