Luis was in his element, praising the poisonous mushrooms for the work they do for the forest floor and showing great pleasure every time we found something new. At one point, I heard Luis exclaiming with delight over some bright yellow berries. He challenged me to try one, and when I did, my mouth was flooded with intense passionfruit flavour!
After spotting two serene crested owls roosting in a tree, we learned about Macadamia nuts, whose large casings fall to the floor and fill up with rainwater. These casings become the perfect habitats for beetles to lay their eggs. He also told us about as a seed known as “the candle of the forest”, which burns long and slow when it’s broken apart. Amazon communities use these in their homes for light.
There were so many magical things to discover. One of my favourites was a fungus called “mouse ear”. It looks exactly like a little pink ear, if you peel it in half and stick it to your skin, it acts just like a plaster, and will stay until your cut has healed.
Back at the lodge, we ate a delicious meal, including some of the best sirloin steak I have ever had, before collapsing into bed, our brains overflowing with fascinating new knowledge!