Swamp Things

When we first arrived at this lodge, Bode announced that he was going to ‘work’ here. He immediately ran into the kitchen like he owned the place an announced his intentions. It was a big hit.

Pretty smart move, actually. Making friends with the kitchen staff has benefits. Any time he wanted something, he got it.

Anyway, more animal watching today. The variety of animal life here is pretty astounding – especially the birds. I’m no “birder” – just the idea lulls me the sleep – but I can start to see how this can be interesting.  Giant falcons roosting in treetops. Massive storks guarding their huge nests (for the record, there were none carrying newborn children or eating pickles). Toucans flying overhead. All sorts of birds diving in the water. Lot’s of activity. If you don’t want to look up, you can look down and watch pink dolphins. Yes, pink dolphins.

At some point during the day, we tried to see just how dirty Bode could get. It wasn’t really our choice, but we’re in a swamp for Pete’s sake. A kid can get pretty dirty… that doesn’t make us bad parents. When his 4-year-old buddy loaned him his machete and we took photos instead of taking it away immediately… that makes us bad parents. Ah, boys and their machetes.

Later, we went out to check out the swamp at night. Spotting caiman eyes with flashlights was pretty cool. Mostly, it was just an excuse to watch the sunset in the swamp.

And, it wasn’t long before Bode really did seem to be working here. “You’re going to drive the boat today, kid?” Claro.