- Am I starting to obsess about my upcoming trip to the Caribbean?! Probably. lol :] Anyway...my friend always told me in so many words, Draw strength and inspiration for new voyages by celebrating successful trips of your past. THE LAND OF EL TIGRE! PART ONE - “ Plenty tigers, plenty tigers Mr Hammersten “ I was assured. With a stop in Key West to pay homage to Ernest “ Papa “ Hemingway, then off to Central America to catch a vision of the elusive black and gold jaguar. Though it is widely believed all his race retired before man, jaguar have been known to stalk him in our time. He is second to none in fierceness and second to none in beauty of the cats in the ‘ new world ‘. The Land of El Tigre was unfamiliar to me. I knew nothing of the 6 foot deadly habaria snake and wondered if I would be able to distinguish it from the branches and roots of the strange and unknown vegetation. And what would I do if I heard the heavy hissing breath of the colorless forked tongued boa? And when I had to ford the river, would I be able to stay clear of the, strange to me, electric eels? I trusted the many laps I swam in the assisted living wellness center’s pool and those I would swim in the pool of the small cruise ship and walk around it’s promenade deck would prepare me for the jaguar trail. When I entered the Land of El Tigre, the red howling monkeys would surely be silenced by my presence. PART TWO - I had a ticket for Central America in my pocket for months. The day finally arrived when, with an abrupt transition, I found myself leaning on the railing of the promenade deck gazing out over a limitless sea. The raw chill of late Northern November had given way to spring like temperatures. As Sharon, my wife, and I strolled the promenade deck the ship cruised past the western tongue of Cuba. Again I became sharply aware of how little I knew of the country just beyond the horizon. After perfect days and divine nights at sea...flying fish, new constellations, lazy hours basking in the warm tropical breath, we entered the bay. On either side of the ship a dense green jungle wilderness flowed down to the waters edge. You could feel the heat waves, but a cool breeze also swept in from the ocean. The palm fronds rustled overhead and the blue green waters murmured ceaselessly as waves broke upon the beach by the pier. The path from the pier to the hut led through a riot of tangled branches and thickets, vines, creepers and orchids. PART THREE - “ No good day to follow the trail of the El Tigre Mr Hammersten. No good...maybe tomorrow. “ On leaving the hut of my “ guide “ , I stepped over an empty rum bottle rolling on the dirt floor. Returning to the pier, I became conscious of an unwanted feeling...the same as I had the summer of 1963 when we arrived at Chapais, Quebec to discover our prearranged guide for the 9 week wilderness canoe trip was not on the railroad station platform to greet us. He too was on a toot! I was young then but now I was old and sometimes it is difficult to bear vacation hardships with cheerfulness. I shared with Sharon my fears of following the jaguar trail with out a guide. An old man resting beside us on a bench spoke up, “ I have seen El Tigre 3 times in the wild. I will take you. “ Following Rudi I crossed the river. It was swollen and chocolate colored because of the rains. We fought our way through the mangrove swamp until we came to the grassy savanna. We covered several mile in the hottest part of the day then stopped on a hill of rich soil on which grew a solitary ancient cashew tree. In the shade of the tree, Rudi made iguana soup with mango and coconut. When Rudi woke from his nap, we pushed on as far as the edge of the lagoon southeast of the inland lake. It was there we clearly saw the jaguar sign! Like the cheshire cat, in the blink of an eye the jaguar vanished. “ Rudi...do you think he is still there watching us? “ Oh yes my friend...and waiting! “ PART FOUR - The following day, Thanksgiving Day 2010, we celebrated the jaguar trail in one of the best places on earth...the island of Roatan. We joined the Garifuna { Black Caribs “ } in ancient dances from Africa. It is said the first settlement of Garifuna began when a British ship purposely marooned a small group on the remote Central American coast in 1796. youtu.be/W8NpnJYj17w
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 20:01:00 +0000
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