River lodge to Lethem and then on to Boa Vista

This will be very brief since today consisted of 10 hours driving with intermittent stops for earthworm sampling – a pretty standard day if it wasn’t for the magnificent scenery. The jungle is as magnificent as you can imagine and when it gives way to a flooded savannah, it is just breathtakingly beautiful.

The drive was quite intense for George since we were scheduled to put Reshama (the local Guyana Master student) and the Guyana samples on the plane to Georgetown leaving 4.30 pm with check-in at 3 pm. This meant each sampling stop had to be timed to the minute – limiting earthworm sampling is something that is never popular with George. The other challenge was the weather – most of the night before it had rained – proper Amazonian rain that make it sound like someone’s playing drums on the roof. The road was not good and in places just – well just a river. One of these areas I had to walk in front of the car and check depth – really fun until someone reminded me of the prevalence of Cayman – I think I qualify as an edible professorial depth gauge.

But Rashama dropped off, we head for Brazil. I managed to leave Guyana and enter Brazil immigration in a fraction of the time that I know I will face in Heathrow when I return…..but then the tarmac started – glorious smooth tarmac – it felt so good. Suddenly our speed doubled and a hour later took us to Boa Vista to meet up with our next helper, a Venezuela student working in Brazil – another Luis, but more about him tomorrow.

I have included a picture of a “bushmaster” snake – it’s a more interesting level of road kill in this part of the world. Did see a giant ant eater – but that like the snake had met a messy end on the road and it’s a picture that wouldn’t have made good viewing.