Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine January 2016

— Continued from previous page
Uphill and downhill we went, indulging in our favorite thing: slipping and sliding
through the mud like kids. Only after we got deep into the rainforest at the back of
their property, did the lovely wife begin to tell us the horror stories of the venomous
Interesting fact: During the countless
miles of hiking we logged in the Eastern
Caribbean, the only snakes we ever
encountered were boas. For example,
several years ago we saw a ten-foot boa
guarding our path to the highest section
of Fort Shirley in Dominica. We
had not seen any venomous snakes
during our travels, until now.
We have become accustomed to the
island cruising life, and cruising near
the Central and South American mainland
is a new experience for us. We do
not want to alarm you with all of this
talk of wild creatures, but just make
you more aware of what is out there,
since some guidebooks do not provide
this information. After all, seeing
beautiful wildlife in its own environment
is one of the reasons we are all
cruising. Furthermore, we hope you
appreciate wild animals as we do, but
also respect the fact that they will
employ their defensive instincts if
need be. Admire them from afar!
We hope all of you get the opportunity
to experience your own exhilarating
“National Geographic moments”
and make great memories of your own
with the amazing creatures of the
western Caribbean!
JANUARY 2016 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 38
Hiking in Tayrona National Park, Colombia, we heard what sounded like a baby
screaming. It was a frog being eaten by a very long, bright yellow snake
snakes in these parts. Yes, stories of enormous cows falling dead within minutes of
getting bitten by deadly vipers. A local gardener had recently moved some debris and
was bitten by a Bushmaster snake and died instantly. In this dense rainforest full of
thousands of twisting vines hanging from the canopy and the webs of tree roots on
the forest floor, we were getting quite anxious for the tour to come to an end. Armed
with only our Teva river sandals and a walking stick, we wished we were wearing
some steel-toed boots that laced up to our knees! We were extremely happy to reach
the forest exit and arrive back on their beautifully manicured property. Yes, it was a
spectacular adventure and we are always ready for a challenge, but knowing there
were these extremely venomous snakes lurking out there made us remember to
always take care and watch out for deadly creatures. We had not known that the
previous night!
JoAnne and Bill Harris are from Clear
Lake, Texas and both hold 100-ton
USCG Master Licenses. They enjoy
writing cruising articles and sharing
their experiences. Visit www.jandbyachtultraadventure.blogspot.com
to follow
their sailing adventures.
Among our animal sightings were
sloths and numerous reptiles
including a giant toad and
a poison dart frog