All of my Stories

Many years of different places, adventures, journeys, mishaps and friends all summarised into too many words to read. But here they are should you wish to pick through my rambling mind.

  • Last Weeks in Ecuador

    March 26, 2020 by

    I had agreed to meet Diana in Quito before we headed off for my last 2 weeks in Ecuador. Diana didn’t have long either and was on limited funds for her trip. Her brother owned Pacifico Hostel in Colombia where I had volunteered for a month and a bit the previous year. Diana was in… Read more

  • Mompiche, Ecuador

    March 17, 2020 by

    I was heading to Mompiche with the intentions of spending Christmas and New Year there and most importantly, I intended to surf every day. Mompiche is a small fishing village with a wave that breaks off the point of the cove and rolls in towards the beach. It had a reputation for its waves and… Read more

  • Northern Ecuador

    March 3, 2020 by

    Leaving the Yasuni National Park, and El Coca, my route headed along the road in the direction of Tena. There are lots of little towns, villages and indigenous communities along the way with loads of waterfalls just a short walk from the main road. The local people charge a minimal fee for entering the private… Read more

  • Yasuni National Park

    December 17, 2019 by

    I woke up on the morning, one day before I needed to leave Colombia, relaxed and ready to go. Colombia had been amazing and had captured my attention as a place I could quite easily live and enjoy without any effort. But traveling is about traveling and not staying put, so after a year in… Read more

  • Finishing off Colombia

    December 9, 2019 by

    Having overcome Giardia, the quick weight loss diet otherwise known as a parasite, I was ready to head to the Pacific coast of Colombia. In the past when I have headed to the Pacific coast it has been with the excitement of the opportunity to surf and relax on the beach. Ironically, I am on… Read more

  • Southern Colombia

    December 3, 2019 by

    Ok, so upon starting to write this I have realised that these parts of my travels started around three months ago. Hopefully, I can bring you up to date as I am starting to make my way to the border and across to Ecuador. And hopefully, I can remember what has happened within the last… Read more

  • Nature Reserve – La Isla Escondida

    October 21, 2019 by

    The long bus from Bogota had the expected delays that come with everything in Colombia. I wasn’t going to arrive in Puerto Asis in time to get the bus to Orito and then catch the last bus I needed to arrive on this day. This meant I had to jump off the bus in Santa… Read more

  • Back Enjoying Colombia

    July 14, 2019 by

    I am currently sat on a bus about to start a 24-hour journey that will hopefully mean I end up in the Amazon. The bus I am on has just left Bogota at 4:30pm (actually 5:00pm) and will arrive in Puerto Asis at 8am the following day. That gives me 15 hours to fill you… Read more

  • Back in the Panamanian Jungle

    May 31, 2019 by

    Before I had even arrived at the lodge, I had met up with a friend from the previous times in Panama. He had informed me of some sort of problems that Jungle Land was having with the Panama Canal Authority. He had read an article or two in the press and was under the impression… Read more

  • An Unexpected Holiday

    January 13, 2019 by

    So the time had come to take a 3 week vacation in my native homeland of England. Other than my Mum, who had helped me organise it, only my cousin knew because she helped book a room in the same hotel as the olds. The secret was set, and the time was upon me to… Read more

  • Heading South Through Colombia

    December 23, 2018 by

    So going back a long time now, I was trying to work out what my next move was going to be and Medellin was the plan. That soon got put on hold as I became intrigued by the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, which is basically a big swamp between Barranquilla and Santa Marta. It… Read more

  • Colombia´s Caribbean Coast

    September 18, 2018 by

    I have now been in Colombia for over 3 months which is the standard length of a tourist visa. However, for 96 mil pesos you can extend the visa by 3 more months with no questions asked or hassles caused. I will use the next 3 months to hopefully see the rest of Colombia away… Read more

  • Finally South America

    July 10, 2018 by

    I have made it through the busy season at Jungleland and the rain and customer numbers are starting to drop. With the dry season now behind us, the customers have dropped from a potential 100 per day (during spring break) to maybe 20 people, maybe nobody. With the tourists leaving, so have Shane, James and… Read more

  • Mum and Dad in Panama!

    January 26, 2018 by

    Having had the amazing pleasure of seeing Mum and Dad over the New Year period, I thought it was only fair that you can get a perspective of Panama from someone else. Plus I am relatively lazy so I asked Mum to send me what she had written up about her trip. Before we get… Read more

  • Un Año Hoy!

    October 13, 2017 by

    It has been a long time since the last time I wrote something but I feel now is a suitable moment to write something. One year ago today, I left England for Mexico with a girlfriend and a backpack full of things I didn’t need. One year later and I am waiting in Panama for… Read more

  • Seeing more of Nicaragua

    April 26, 2017 by

    Bags packed and ready to move onto Playa San Diego, I awaited the arrival of the captain of the boat to arrive. The meet time was 10am but, as with the whole of Central America, it was bound to be a bit later than that. When he arrived, I said my goodbyes to everyone and… Read more

  • Next to Nicaragua

    April 9, 2017 by

    Five months after originally planning to arrive there, we were eventually on our way to Nicaragua. It was our initial first stop but due to Visa issues and costs, for a changeover in America, we decided to fly to Mexico instead. After spending a few more days in San Pedro La Laguna, we made the… Read more

  • Flowaine’s Visit

    March 27, 2017 by

    We had arranged to meet Flo and Owaine (or Flowaine for short) at the airport at 10am, which we did, but we were unable to leave the airport until much later due to Flo’s bag being left in America by the airline company. It fortunately arrived when they said it did but we ended up… Read more

  • Biosphere of Montes Azules – Part Deux

    February 21, 2017 by

    Having eventually made it to Metzabok, we were dropped off at the ladies house who owned the Eco-Touristic Centre, the only accommodation available in the community we were told. She told us that, currently, the centre was not running so we asked if we could camp there. She let us know that there was no… Read more

  • Walking towards the Biósfera Montes Azules

    January 29, 2017 by

    With little information available on the internet and only a basic map that we had found in a hostel in Palenque, Alex and I planned to walk our way through the Biosphere of Montes Azules and the Lancandon jungle. The idea was that it would be cheaper to walk and you would have time to… Read more

  • Kiichpam K’aax to Palenque

    January 21, 2017 by

    Having spent nearly 2 months at Kiichpam K´aax, it seemed better to spend Christmas day there, with the Mayan part of our family, rather than alone in a random Hostel or Posada. I awoke in the morning, at stupid o’clock Mexican time, and made my way to the restaurant area where they had internet. I… Read more

  • Merry Christmas from Kiichpam K’aax

    December 25, 2016 by

    So we are volunteering at Kiichpam K’aax, an Eco Touristic Centre with acres of jungle surrounding it, owned by Damian, which then joins onto more Jungle, owned by Don Sebero, who works at Kiichpam K’aax most of the time. I will mention Don Sebero much more later, as he is an amazing specimen of a… Read more

  • News on the Passport

    November 22, 2016 by

    We arrived in Bacalar knowing it was going to be an intense first 5 days of volunteering. The Hostel we were helping at was turning into a Hotel with rooms starting at 60 US $ per night. Its first guests, a group of 11 Mexicans and 2 couples, were arriving on the 1st of November.… Read more

  • Still no news on the Passport

    November 5, 2016 by

    We decided to stay in the Cabanas Mecoloco, next to  ‘El Meco’ archaeological site, for an extra day seeing  as the Cabanas further up Isla Blanca were 1000 pesos a night (or $60). Basically, they are a rip off. We visited the Mayan site, built approximately 1400 years ago, and were amazed by the amount… Read more

  • What a week!

    October 16, 2016 by

    Its coming to the end of our third day on Mexican soil and a thunder-storm is illuminating the sky. I’m currently lying in a hammock, between two palm trees, deafened by the flora and fauna going nuts around me.  It’s been quite an ordeal to get to this stage, and the difficulties might not be… Read more

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Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus) I came across these friendly fellas on my way to my hostel in Mocoa, Putomayo. They weren’t too afraid of us and just made sure there was at least 10 metres between us. I don’t think I would want to get too much closer or touch these guys, they have some strange habits. It is common to see them urinating on their hands. But it doesn’t stop there. They will then rub that stuff all over their bodies and into their fur. If they were humans it would be called a fetish or a weird perversion, but it serves several purposes for the squirrel monkeys. Cleaning, communicating, cooling and displays of dominance are a few of the advantages of this behaviour. In another chemical communication technique, the male will pin the female down and inspect her genitals to determine her reproductive status. Although the males are only a little bit bigger than the females, squirrel monkeys are female dominant. The males will also have a social hierarchy but the top dog is not necessarily the one who gets to mate. Generally it is the fattest males who get the girl, or the males who gained the most weight during the period just before breeding occurs. This period normally coincides with the rainy season with an abundance of fruit becoming available. Fruit is a main part of their diet although they are omnivores and will pretty much eat anything they can get their hands on.

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The Andean Cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola Peruvianus) Most words about these birds will never be as interesting as they are to look at, watch and listen. The video shows their equivalent of what happens when a page 3 model walks onto a building site. The males completely lose their sh💩t. Generally they can be quite hard to spot despite their bright plumage. But when the browner, duller and boring in comparison looking female enters the foray, all bets are off. The males start making lots of different noises, bowing, jumping, dancing and flapping their wings. This is known as lekking and during this the males will often separate into pairs and have private dance-offs trying to impress the female.This is pretty much all the males do, leaving the females to build the nests, incubates the eggs and bring up the young all by themselves. Although these birds can be hard to spot, it is only because of their shy nature. They are not deemed as endangered or threatened as a species, and can be found throughout the cloud forests of the Andes between 500-2400m. Also thrown in at the end are a couple of pics of a Barranquero (Blue-crowned Motmot) just because it gatecrashed the party and I love this bird.

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Opiliones are more commonly known as Harvestmen but they can also be known as daddy longlegs. If you are English, don't confuse these with what we normally know as a daddy longlegs for these are actually crane flies and are distant relatives from a different group of arthropods. Contrary to the myths and similar to the cranefly, opiliones don't have venom glands and their "fangs" are actually claws used for grasping and holding things. These claws won't have sufficient size or power to pierce the human skin meaning they are completely harmless to us. These omnivorous beings can be hunters but they are also heavily preyed upon and therefore they have many defense mechanisms. As well as primary defense mechanisms, which prevent detection, they also have many secondary techniques to help the harvestmen escape. One of the techniques they possess is the ability to exude a pungent smell (just like my father), which can put off any encroaching predators wanting to eat something tasty. As well as releasing foul odors, they practice autotomy which means they can release their limbs at will. But this would be a last resort for survival seeing as their limbs will not grow back or regenerate once they are lost. But once severed, the limbs will continue to twitch for at least a minute, maybe up to an hour, distracting the predator and allowing a discreet escape if not with a little bit of a hobble.

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Cinnamon Prionid – Long-Horned Beetle (Callipogon (Orthomegas) cinnamomeus) This beautiful beast can be encountered in Central America and the northern half of South America with this specific dude calling the Colombian Amazon his home. Now I am under the presumption that it is a male as generally it's the males who are attracted to the artificial lights that we produce at night. The females are less prone to being drawn to the lights making them more difficult to be seen. They get the cinnamon part of their name from the similar flavour they give off when you boil them with mulled wine. That's a completely fabricated lie! Although I am sure they have been eaten by locals, I have never tried one so can't comment on their flavour. The name actually comes from their colouration which is more obvious when face to face with them. And what a stunning face they have, resembling an alien out of a Hollywood movie, it truly is a face only his mother can love.

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These can be found around La Isla Escondida, a hidden paradise located between the Andean peaks and the Amazonian lowlands. There are a few of these around but the species of Millipede is hard to determine. Thought to be the Bumblebee Millipede, around here they come in at over double the size of their supposed maximum. They also don't have the red legs normally associated with this species but colour variations are nothing strange. Whatever you wanna call this beautiful creature, it's behaviour is similar to other Millipedes. When it feels threatened, it curls it's head in first, and if needed, the rest of the body will follow. With a tough outer shell and a soft vulnerable underbelly, this technique protects it's most vital parts, it's internal organs. Interesting fact, monkeys will crush these guys and cover themselves in the juices. Probably not the most attractive perfume, it is thought to act as an effective insect repellent.

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As funny as this furry fella looks grinding himself all over the place, he has just overcome a traumatic experience. Tamarin Monkeys are not necessarily known for being clumsy jumpers, but the ones around here are regularly getting it wrong. Having just rescued this ungrateful dude from the water, he proceeded to try and dry himself off. Not the best technique, but when you don't have a towel, what's a monkey to do? (I did offer him a towel but he refused) Their swimming technique leaves something to be desired too, barely managing to keep his head above the water as he fought for survival. The panic was real, and understandable, as these guys know full well who, and what lurks beneath the water's surface. Eduardo and Steve, two American Crocodiles, regularly frequent the waters and the banks around this monkey island. For Eduardo, he would have been the equivalent of a furry carrot stick dipped in hummus. For Steve's size, the tamarin would have passed off as a decent starter. Not wanting to be food, these fellas will avoid the water at all costs. Unless they get it completely wrong as this guy did on this occasion. (Side note – Steve is the croc formerly known as Stephen. After something (maybe Eduardo) devoured half of his tail, his body became much shorter. Therefore, accordingly, it only seemed right that his name was shortened too.)

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A Mantled Howler Monkey mother with her baby Howlers normally hang around in troops that can consist of maybe 20 monkeys, if not more. Generally, there will be more females than males in the troop, but all adult females are subordinate to adult males. Females have their own hierarchy, with the youngest being the most dominant female. The dominant male can reign for a few years and, with his troop consisting of more females, he can father upto 20 young in his time at the top. Infant females have a higher survival rate than the infant males but the main cause of infant mortality (40%) is infanticide. This means dominant males killing off the other male's babies when taking over at the top of the troop. Of all the monkeys in Panama, the howlers are the only ones that actually choose to swim. The other species will only do it when needs must. That is why I believe this mother and child to be where they are. I found this Howler on a small island, perfect in size to act as a creche and bring up her young without the risk of large predators being around. She swam to this island to give birth to her child and raise it all by herself. Why would she do this when she would be better off with the support of her troop and family? One reason could be that she has been a naughty little monkey and has been fooling around behind the alpha males back. Another reason could be that her troop has just been taken over by another male. Both of these mean that her offspring is under threat and with that said, the mother has taken drastic measures to protect him. The maternal instincts of this monkey have helped her young have a chance of survival in the future. Maybe one day the baby will return to the troop and become the dominant male.

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Mia – the beautiful Panamanian Night Monkey Mia has been looked after from a very young age due to the slightly different behavioural patterns of these nocturnal monkeys when they are parents. The father will take care of the young very soon after birth, only passing the infant to the mother so it can take some milk. It is thought that if anything were to happen to the father, the mother would not carry the infant or teach it how to be a successful monkey. Maybe a male family member may take up this role but there is no significant proof of this. Most nocturnal animals have a quality to their eyes called tapetum lucidum, which is a fancy scientific term for layer of tissue sitting behind the retina that improves vision at night time or in the deep seas. Mia and the other species of nocturnal monkeys do NOT possess this quality which means their eyes do not reflect light (like crocs and cats) making them harder to spot at night. It also means that scientist believe these guys have fairly recently, in the terms of evolution, changed from day dwellers into night walkers. Night Monkeys also interest scientist because of their natural resistance to parasites that can cause malaria. Unfortunately, this has made them subject to testing since the 1960s with our efforts to prevent malaria. Another way that our furry friends prevent malaria is with their lightning quick, ninja like reactions. Mia is a huge fan of plucking mosquitos out of the air as they fly past. She may not be the most effective and efficient, but she is a very natural mosquito repellent, and the only one I know that has a personality.

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A Juvenile Green Iguana This very young Iguana was rescued whilst trying to cross the Panama Canal at rush hour. The jungle can be a tough enough place to live without having to worry about man-made dangers too. Iguanas may be fairly common in the Americas and sometimes deemed as a nuisance. But they are really interesting creatures that have some bizarre behaviours and characteristics. Juvenile Iguanas have been known to eat the feces of adult Iguanas. This is not because of it tasting delicious but because it is a way of gaining specific bacterias to help them digest their vegetarian diet. Iguanas have a 'third-eye' on top of their head that helps them sense solar energy from above. Although they are unable to see from this eye, it does serve a purpose for detecting predatory birds from above but sensing the shadows in this solar energy. Female Iguanas can save sperm for several years which allows them to fertilize eggs at a later date. Male Iguanas like to hang out on trees, sunbathing and hopefully catching the eye of an attractive female. Sometimes a male will approach behind them leaving them two choices, Fight or Flight. Although they can't fly, they will happily jump out of trees, hopefully hitting water at the bottom, so they can escape a larger male and potential death

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