It is a proven fact that people generally don’t look upwards and tend to keep their eyes forward or down. It is a shame sometimes as they are likely missing out on some beautiful scenery. We’re not saying that we are better than others at it, but we do try to look up at times, especially when we go hiking. We have seen a variety of birds and other animals by scanning the tree branches above us for anything that might be moving. Although things don’t appear to be looking up in general, here are a few images to help us all look up.
Hiking in the Amazon Jungle of BoliviaObelisk Reaching to the Sky in Luxor, EgyptSeabird OverheadAspen Leaves and Blue SkiesIn the Ecuadorian JungleAutumn Tree in Koblenz, GermanyBird Taking Flight in Panama
We happened to be in Acapulco over Valentines Day, so we decided to do a sunset cruise to make it a romantic evening. The cruise left from the marina, which was about fifteen minutes from our resort. The cruise takes you out through the bay and into the ocean where the views are amazing. We have taken many similar tours over the years and usually people just wander the upper deck to enjoy the scenery, however this tour had chairs lined up on the deck, so the earlier you arrive, the better your seat.
Sun Reflecting off of the ResortsSeagulls Flying with the BoatSun Setting Over the OceanStadium Seating to Watch the SunsetsColorful Sunset
The cruise had an open bar with unlimited drinks, so we enjoyed a nice, cold margarita to help offset the heat. Once the boat started moving and heading towards the ocean, there was a nice breeze that also helped to cool us off. As the ship moved its way out of the harbor, you past by the various cliffs along the bay all of which had beautiful homes and resorts perched along the clifftops. Watching the sunsets in Acapulco is extremely popular, whether from a cruise, resort, beach, or home, but there is even an area with stadium seating just for people to gather and watch the sun as it sinks below the horizon.
Seagulls Filing the SkyHomes and Resorts on Top of the CliffsSitting in the MarinaStart of the SunsetViews of the Coastline
We were joined on our cruise by not only a variety of tourists, but also a flock of seagulls flew along side of our boat as well. At times, there were so many seagulls that they pretty much blocked our views of the shoreline. The waters were very smooth during our tour and we were able to see the sun setting over the open ocean as well as behind some of the cliffs that line the bay. It was certainly a perfect way to end our first full day in Acapulco and we would highly recommend taking a sunset tour anytime that you visit the Pacific coast.
Enjoying a MargaritaPeak of the SunsetResorts Along the BayMore Buildings on the CliffsLeaving the Bay and Entering the Ocean
When visiting Yasuni National Park in the Amazon, one of the tours will take you out to see the parrots and parakeets licking the clay on a cliff along the banks of the Napo River in Ecuador. The tours are organized by the Napo Wildlife Center, whose property is where the licks are located, and the best time to visit is just after dawn in the morning. Activity at the clay lick is even more abundant on mornings when it isn’t raining, so we were fortunate to have a clear day during our visit since it is called a rainforest for obvious reasons.
Colorful ParrotsHundreds of Parrots at the Clay LickFlying In and Flying Out
The night before our tour, our nature guide offered us the choice of sleeping in an extra thirty minutes and having breakfast on the boat or getting up at 4:30 am to eat before departing on the tour. Since we had be up so early every morning, we gladly chose to stay in bed for any extra time that he would offer us and the chef of the lodge prepared a variety of food for us to eat on the boat. Despite being in the jungle, it was surprisingly cool on the water as we made our way to the first of two clay licks that we were to visit that day.
The parrots, parakeets, and macaws visit to the clay lick almost daily because the minerals in the clay counteract the toxins that are in the berries and fruit that they eat in the jungle. Without the clay licks, the birds wouldn’t survive the toxicity that builds up in their small bodies. The birds certainly seem to fully enjoy their time at the clay lick as they chirped and squawked incessantly as they hopped around and flew in and out of the group. There were so many birds that it was hard to distinguish one from another at times. We sat there on our boat for almost an hour as we ate our breakfast and watched the birds eating and playing.
Birds Flying Towards Us
Afterwards, we went to the second clay lick where we had to hike our way into the jungle to get a spot in an observation deck. There was the possibility of a variety of animals from birds to mammals coming to the location, so our group sat there quietly waiting for anything to appear. At one point, we saw a couple of parrots come to the clay lick, but that was all that we saw. After seeing so many birds at the previous clay lick, sitting quietly for three hours to see two birds was a little anticlimactic.
Birds Huddled Together
We saw so many different birds and animals during our time in the Amazon, but watching the feeding frenzy at the clay lick was certainly a highlight of our time in the rainforest. It is hard to believe the way that animals learn to adapt to their environment, eating things that are toxic to their systems and then finding ways to counteract what is poisoning their systems. If only there was a clay lick for humans who have gone out at night and had too much to drink, wouldn’t that be nice 🙂 .
