With the exception from insects, they are the animal with the highest metabolism

A  hummingbirds heart beats 21 to 24 times a second

They’re wings beat about 75 times a second (although depending on the species this can range from 12 to 90)

Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards

They inhabit the entire Americas, ranging from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska

The smallest hummingbird (and the smallest of all birds) is the Bee Hummingbird that has a length of 5 cm and weighs only 1.8 grams

“Labeled by National Geographic as the most biologically intense place on earth”

“The largest river on the hike [River Sirena] is a neighbourhood hangout for sharks and crocodiles, so cross with caution”

“We constantly receive mixed reports from travelers detailing life-changing and life-threatening experiences in Corcovado”

“Corcovado is also prime territory for the deadly fer-de-lance snake”

“Every season travelers to Corcovado become injured, sick or even dead”

“The largest herds of peccary are reportedly on this trail. Local guides advise that peccary sense fear, but will back of if you act aggressively. Alternatively, if you climb about 2m off the ground you will avoid being bitten”

“[Ticks] approach megalithic sizes in Corcovado [...] it’s inevitable that you will pick up a few dozen”

I am happy to tell you though that we made it in one piece.

1. There are two kinds of sloth you should know of – three toed sloth and toe toed sloth (and to generalize over sloths is blasphemy amongst sloth-enthusiasts)
2. It takes a month for food to pass through the alimentary tract of a sloth
3. A sloth only defecates once a week, and comes down to the ground to do so
4. Sloths are afraid of coming to the ground
5. Sloths are better swimmers then they are walkers
6. Three-toed sloths are the only mammal with 9 vertebrae and can turn their head 270 degrees
7. Two-toed sloths are more intelligent than three-toed sloths (there is no real evidence to support this argument)
8. Two-toed sloths like dog food
9. You only need to bath a sloth once. But you can choose to bath it as many times as you like. In fact, they like taking baths
10. Sloths only sweat through their nose

Stop over in Miami. Took a trip down to Miami Beach and almost got a tatoo..

These are the questions they made me answer from the transfer visa.

A) Do you have a communicable disease; physical or mental disorder; or are you a drug abuser or addict?

B) Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offense or crime involving moral turpitude or a violation related to a controlled substance; or have been arrested or convicted for two or more offenses for which the aggregate sentence to confinement was five years or more; or have been a controlled substance trafficker; or are you seeking entry to engage in criminal or immoral activities?

C) Have you ever been or are you now involved in espionage or sabotage; or in terrorist activities; or genocide; or between 1933 and 1945 were you involved, in any way, in persecutions associated with Nazi Germany or its allies?

D) Are you seeking to work in the U.S.; or have you ever been excluded and deported; or been previously removed from the United States or procured or attempted to procure a visa or entry into the U.S. by fraud or misrepresentation?

E) Have you ever detained, retained or withheld custody of a child from a U.S. citizen granted custody of the child?

F) Have you ever been denied a U.S. visa or entry into the U.S. or had a U.S. visa canceled?

G) Have you ever asserted immunity from prosecution?

The land was parched and consisted of farming terraces mixed with a vegetation of shrubs and cacti. Most of the trail was serpentine gravel paths meandering up and down the canyon. It was a wonderful trek that offered stunning views and a bit of exercise. That trekking the world’s deepest canyon for three days might be somewhat strenuous and would require a bit of effort was not an idea that had dawned on the rest of the group. They suffered from a whole assortment of diseases ranging from knee-injuries and back pain, to altitude sickness and misfortune. Luckily, the villagers had a few donkeys to spare which were able to carry the fallen up and down the gorge.

One of the highlights of the trip was a lookout point called ‘Cruz del Condor’. Here we were able witness the world’s largerst bird, the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus), take off in flight and graciously soar through the air just a few meters over our heads.

Nöjda och glada åkte vi vidare till Titicacasjön där vi bland annat besökte Urus-folket, som märkligt nog spenderar sina liv på flytande öar ute på vattnet – som de bygger själv från det fantastiska byggmaterialet… vänta lite… lite till… trumvirvel… spänningen stiger… vass. Just det. Den som tvivlar på dess mångsidiga duglighet bör åka till Titicaca och ta sig själv en titt.

Amazonasdjungeln är en plats som bjuder på en unik atmosfär full av harmoni och mystik. Det är en plats där varje grönskott, buske, blomma och träd utkämpar en oavbruten kamp om solens livsgivande strålar, till den milda graden att endast två procent av solljuset når marken. Om Amazonas kan man säga att det är lika mycket ett spektakel för örat som för ögat. Dygnet runt ljuder skogen i en kör med alla skogens väsen, men för att någonsin få syn på en av huvudrollsinnehavarna krävs både en otrolig lokalkännedom (förmedlat av vår fantastiske guide Carlos) och en generös portion tur. Vad gjorde vi då? Sammantaget gjorde vi väl inte mycket mer än att vandra runt, timme efter timme, och upptäcka lokalområdet. Och fantastiskt var det.

Här kommer några bilder…

Om man tittar noga kan man skymta en Hoatzin i bildens vänstra del

Det här är en bild på en Fork-tailed Colibri, lite ur fokus

Vad kan det här vara för spår? Uteslutningsmetoden ger oss puma, tapir eller människa..

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