Day 9: Road to Gareno Lodge
Papallacta, known mainly for its hot springs, is located on the Cinnamon Trail, the same route that Francisco de Orellana took in 1542 when he crossed the Andean mountain range in search of gold and other treasures. This lead to the unexpected discovery of the great Amazon River. Our morning birding wouldn’t be nearly as ambitious.
Just after daybreak we rode the bus several kilometers up a narrow road located behind and above lodge property. According to a map of the trail displayed on a wooden sign, one could hike the road, and connecting trail system, all the way to Antisana Volcano and beyond to Cotopaxi, a journey that would take a minimum of five days. Tempting – but our time was limited to just a few hours.
The road cut through cloud forest. Today the emphasis was on the cloud part. It was overcast, a bit windy, and misting. Dressing in layers was mandatory. When José determined where we should stop, we unloaded and began walking back downhill. Birding was a bit difficult considering the weather but we did manage to add: VIRIDIAN METALTAIL, RED-CRESTED COTINGA. This would be the last day for adding Tawny Antpitta to our daily checklist.
We suspected that the road’s main purpose was to provide maintenance access to a water pipeline, which began in Papallacta. Drawing water from the Río Papallacta, the pipeline supplyies Quito, 40 miles away, with fresh drinking water. Papallacta is also key to the Trans-Ecuadorian pipeline with its pumping stations and administrative facilities. The pipeline’s terminus is in Esmeraldas, a seaport in northwest Ecuador.
I have to say that in spite of the weather, the views of Andean high plateau were quite dramatic. But, with time running short, we boarded the bus and returned to the lodge where a filling breakfast, and equally important, hot coffee and tea were waiting.
Those of us who had not yet retrieved our clean laundry did so. Steve and Rita mentioned that since we would be at a lodge with no electricity, that they were going to consolidate only that which they would need for two nights. Extra bags could be left on the bus. In addition to following their good idea, many also followed advice offered by José and Richard: before leaving Termas, be sure to charge camera batteries, electric shavers, iPods, etc. while we had the chance.
Re-packed and fully charged, we started to load up. Hoping to catch another good look at a dipper, I wandered over to the bridge for one last try. No dipper. But, I did find a new hummingbird: MOUNTAIN VELVETBREAST.
We were on the road by 10:30. Our route would take us from an elevation of 9,000 feet down to about 500 feet above sea level. There would definitely be a change in the average temperature.
The road to Gareno Lodge took us along Highway 28 through the towns of Chalpi and Mospa. The road surface was paved in some sections and seriously unpaved in others (awaiting new construction). We were duly impressed that road construction in Ecuador faced engineering challenges far different than those in Wisconsin.
Birding and stretch breaks in remarkably beautiful scenery proved rewarding: RUDDY-GROUND DOVE, MAROON-TAILED PARAKEET, WHITE-NECKED PUFFBIRD (heard only), CRIMSON-CRESTED and YELLOW-TUFTED and CREAM-COLORED WOODPECKER, BLACKISH ANTBIRD, OLIVE-CHESTED FLYCATCHER (heard only), SCREAMING PIHA, VIOLACEOUS JAY, BLACK-BILLED THRUSH, WHITE-BANDED SWALLOW, GOLDEN-EYED FLOWERPIERCER, BRONZE-GREEN EUPHONIA, GOLDEN-EARED and SWALLOW and MAGPIE TANAGER, YELLOW-WHISKERED BUSH-TANAGER, GRAYISH SALTATOR, PALE-NAPED BRUSH-FINCH, YELLOW-RUMPED and SUBTROPICAL CACIQUE, RUSSET-BACKED OROPENDULA, and OLIVACEOUS SISKIN.
In the town of Baeza we turned south onto Highway 45. Crossing the bridge in the town of Cosanga (we would stop there on our way back north) we pressed on through the towns of Sarayacu, Osayacu, and Mondayacu. We stopped to eat our box lunches along one of the many rivers we would cross. Added AMAZON KINGFISHER. From our bus windows, Steve picked up a FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER.
Arriving in the city of Tena past mid afternoon, a brief bathroom and shopping break ensued. Some folks investigated the availability of local food items like aji. Joan bought CD recordings of local music. Others, mainly me, wanted to buy an umbrella. Another general birding rule: buying an umbrella magically will cause rain to cease on a birding trip. I suppose, strictly speaking, an umbrella DOES stop the rain (from falling on me when open) so one might argue that technically, the wive’s tale is true. Either way, I wanted to be prepared.
Leaving Tena, we still had approximately 40 miles to go, mostly on unpaved roads. We turned from one gravel road to another and to another, which eventually lead us to Gareno Lodge. We caught occasional glimpses of the Río Napo as the scenery began to flatten out indicating our proximity to an alluvial plain. Flora was also noticeably different: Cinnamon, silkcotton, jacaranda and many leguminous trees and of course large concentrations of palms.
Gareno Lodge was built on oil company land leased from indigenous Indian tribes. We passed through an oil company checkpoint where we met Pedro, the lodge’s owner, who boarded and rode with us the rest of the way to the lodge.
In September 2000, Pedro Aquindo, and his sons, had signed a twenty-year contract with the federation of the Huaoranis (ONHAE) to build a lodge in their territory. It was a community project designed to establish a good working relationship with the indigenous community and provide medical assistance and education. Half of the lodge entrance fees paid by tours like ours directly benefit all Huaoranis.
We arrived at the lodge with probably less than an hour of daylight left. Richard had strongly suggested that we arrive before nightfall given that there is no electricity and attempting to negotiate the steep trail leading down to the lodge in the dark would be difficult, if not dangerous.
Lodge staff, including Rodolfo, one of Pedro’s sons, greeted us. Before we began our descent to the lodge, Rodolfo asked if we first wanted to see a pair of Crested Owls roosting not too far from where the bus was parked. He didn’t have to ask twice.
We had walked the road for about a hundred yards when suddenly, one of the staff scrambled up a very steep muddy embankment and beckoned us to follow. We followed, but “scramble” was not the adjective used to describe our movements – one by one, we had to be pulled up by staff. Once on top, we threaded our way through dense jungle. After about 30 yards, Rodolfo set up his scope. In view were two roosting CRESTED OWL. This was a very nice start to Gareno!
We slipped and skidded our way back down the embankment. On our way to the parking lot, we heard BLUE-CROWNED MOTMOT calling. After instructing Niko which bags should remain on the bus, we were led down a precipitous winding trail comprised of a series of steep steps carved into a slope. At the bottom of the trail we encountered a narrow wobbly wooden bridge, which crossed the Río Gareno. The one hard and fast lodge rule about the bridge: only one person cross at a time. And oh, yes, - don’t lean too hard (or at all!) on the railing.
With everyone safely across, the remainder of the hike to the lodge wasn’t long. The main lodge building was a two-story wooden structure raised on pilings. It housed a kitchen, a large open area for dining and wildlife observation, and an upper level where family/staff lived. All of this was open air – no windows or screens.
It took the staff several trips up and down the steep trail to finish hauling our luggage from the bus. Thank goodness we had thought to take Steve and Rita’s lead on reducing the number of bags needed. When all our bags were staged in the main lodge, we were assigned our cottages. These were located further from the main building, across another wooden foot bridge, and on either side of a trail constructed of wooden planks laid down to minimize walking in mud when it rained. Staff sorted and delivered bags to our assigned cottages. By now, nightfall had descended and we could fully appreciate Richard’s warning about not having to do all of this in the dark!
Based on descriptions we had of Gareno Lodge, the words “primitive” and “rustic” rang true. Candles and matches replaced electric lights. Cottage furnishings included wooden platform beds with comfortable mattresses and clean linen. A rough hand-hewn wooden night stand and similarly fashioned table rounded our the furnishings. In a word, spartan.
Each cottage had a private bath consisting of a toilet, sink, and shower stall. We were told to expect heated running water but unfortunately, heated water never was available. For that matter, neither was water running. Each cottage had a gas-fired heater and plumbing but for some inexplicable reason, water just never worked. Clogged shower heads or insufficient water pressure – whatever the reason, it was never available (contrary to staff assurances).
Given the heat and humidity of a much lower elevation, the loss of heated water wasn’t such a big deal. But no water at all was difficult. If we had stayed there longer than two nights, I fear there would have been a mutiny. Or perhaps people would have considered bathing in the river. However, the shower issue aside, the lodge was a remarkable experience. It would be one of those trip experiences high on people’s list as “memorable” (and I mean that in a positive sense!). However, Claire may have a slightly different memory when it came to the bugs in her cabin.
We had been informed that dinner would be served at 7:00pm in the main building. We made our way back by flashlight. Two long tables had been pushed together, with long benches on either side. Down the center of the tables was a row of candles. As soon as we were seated, members of the Aquindo family and staff began to set the table. A soup course preceded a blend of other traditional Ecuadorian fare. Given that we were miles from nowhere, the food variety and preparation (mainly by gas-fired stoves/ovens) was nothing less than what we had experienced prior to Gareno. Primitive and rustic it may be, but there was nothing lacking about the food. In fact, dinner by candlelight was very charming. We were joined in the dining hall by a couple from Switzerland who were also guests at the lodge.
During a stop on Day 7 at a supermarket near the “Mitad del Mundo” monument, we had stocked up on rum and beer (at incredibly cheap prices!). Each time we received a box lunch it contained bottled water and a bottle of Coke. Some of us squirreled away our bottles of Coke assuming that at Gareno, there wouldn’t be a bar to purchase drinks. Margaritas would have been nice but we were, after all, roughing it. So, we came prepared to make out own evening beverages. The tricky bit was finding enough glasses. No ice was a foregone conclusion.
While candlelight for dinner was charming, it proved insufficient for doing our checklist. We elected instead to do our daily bird list at lunch the next day. As for our next day’s agenda, we were offered two options. Option A was to try for a Harpy Eagle’s. Option B was to bird the immediate road and trails around the lodge. Wow! A Harpy Eagle sure sounded like it might be the choice to follow! However, after José and Richard explained the conditions for option A the group settled on option B.
Option A would require a two-hour walk to a nest site. Sounded simple enough until it was explained that the “walk” would be through dense jungle, in the dark (by flashlight), on a primitive trail (the word “trail” was used rather loosely) through conditions like (or worse than) our short “scramble” up the steep embankment to see the Crested Owls. It would require leaving at 3:30 in the morning. The chance of seeing a Harpy Eagle (a young eagle had fledged but was still hanging around) was about 70% so there was no guarantee. Then there was the return 2-hour trek with the same “trail” conditions, although by then it would be daylight. Rodolfo would be happy to lead anyone who wished to go.
Perhaps if we had more time, option A might have been the choice for some. A nighttime jungle hike used to be right up my alley some years ago. Yes, option B seemed a more logical and practical choice. But, oh, my, the chance for a Harpy Eagle....
We disbanded for the evening, back to our cottages. Fireflies were out and frogs were calling. The cottages had large screened windows with overhanging roofs. No need for curtains, shutters, or fans. Evening air temperature, much warmer than in the high Andes, was not nearly as humid as we had expected. I for one slept soundly, occasionally waking up to the sounds of the jungle nightlife including FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWL and SPECTACLED OWL. The Spectacled Owl had been a “heard only” on my checklist for too long. I was determined to see one at Gareno.
About the sounds: To find, differentiate, and identify birds, birders rely heavily on learning bird vocalizations. Birding in the tropics is no different except that it presents many new and challenging calls and songs from what we had come to know in Wisconsin. Yet one more compelling reason to rely on the skills of a professional guide when birding in unfamiliar territory.
The technology for both storing and using recordings has vastly improved. These days, we have access to small portal digital players and speakers instead of large clunky analog tape players, which were more prone to failure.
José used a number of recorded calls and songs he had stored on his Nano (iPod) connected to a portable speaker. Richard used a portable digital player/recorder with small clamshell-style battery powered speakers. In a pinch, I could use a small digital recorder to capture a bird’s call and immediately play a call back. Steve was carrying a recorder and mic to capture calls. Steve had also cleverly built a small charger using an empty Altoids tin and two double-AA batteries to recharge an iPod on the fly when no electrical outlet was available (such as at Gareno).
In addition to recorded sounds, José possessed an uncanny ability to mimic birdcalls using his voice (very handy not having to depend on batteries!).
Birdcall and song recordings are available from a variety of sources. But short of buying bird song CDs (if available), where does one go to hear bird songs? Well, most everything seems to be on the Internet these days and birdcalls are no exception. The folks at xeno-canto have a web page which lists many of the bird calls we heard during our tour.
There are other sites out there but none seem to be as helpful as xeno-canto.
