[ Dec.2016 ] We spent hours in nature during our hike from Barichara to the village of Guane in Colombia.
Oswaldo, our guide was an expert on the nature around here like an encyclopedia of plants and animals, which reminded me of our walk in Bariloche in Argentina a year before.
Oswaldo seemed anxious to share his knowledge with everyone and he was explaining things to some passers by, too.
At one point, there was a small incident that my husband was asked the way by some strangers.
This often happens anywhere in the world actually.
Oswaldo said to him “Because your face is universal, people thought you are the guide leading a Japanese, a Spanish and an ethnic”.
Our interpreter looked 100% Spanish.
As for Oswaldo, apparently he was a mixture of Arab, black, native and Spanish.
One time when he guided a Japanese man, this man was shocked to see him and said to him “You are a dead ringer of my grandfather!” and gave him his hat.
Surely, he would be able to blend in the surroundings if he worked in some fields in Japan, wearing working clothes.
And I was surprised to hear that there was another Japanese person who walked here with him.
We learned great many things during this walk.
I cannot remember all, but one of the interesting things I remember is about ants called Hormiga Culona which they eat in this region.
Male ants come out of the nest and start cleaning around there just before the rainy season.
Various insects will be pushed out by them from that area, so many birds come to eat them.
When the temperature goes up, the female ants come out of the nest as well.
After that male ants start flying and female ants follow them.
The flying ants are so many that it looks dark in that area apparently.
Many of them are eaten by birds, but the surviving ones mate in the air and the successful males die happily.
The pregnant female ants dig holes and make nests in the ground.
She will lay as many as 10 – 12 millions eggs there and within a few days new ants will be born.
The local farmers know the coming of the rainy season by the ants’ movement.
Oswaldo eat ants, too, but he said “This is not the season now, so you had better not try”.
While we were walking, we came across a board with pictures of two endangered birds.
One of them was Colibri.
It seems that in English it is called Violetear.
Apparently they are rarely seen, but when we were resting and drinking juice at a farm house, we saw one flying in the garden.
It was a very small beautiful emerald green bird.
To see one is lucky, so even Oswaldo was excited.
On top of that, a little bit further on the road, we saw one beautiful blue butterfly called Morpho, which is apparently another sign of good luck.
It was really a full lucky walk.
