Most Inspirational Moment
(Many moments)
Soundscapes: At home I instantly and unconsciously recognise every bird call whereas in CR I was back to being a complete beginner, unable even to guess what kind of bird was making each sound. With Glenda's help I was able by the end of the trip, to differentiate quite a few, enriching the experience.
Favourite songs: Montezuma Oropendula & Black-faced Solitaire.
The various nocturnal choruses of frogs and crickets were astounding, sometimes synchronizing to a pulse like some ambient electronica, at other times more like a warehouse full of misfunctioning radios & striplights. Frogs that sounded like Space Invaders or little carpenters hammering boxes...
I forgot the Howler Monkeys at dawn...
The unexpected: Scarlet Macaws suddenly appearing when I thought we had little chance of seeing them. Flocks of unexplained nighthawks passing over the coast one evening; another invisibly camouflaged on its next just beside a busy path. A Masked Falcon gleefully cackling as it carried a snake to its perch.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Brilliant: Glanda Araya is a great asset.
Smartly turned out, punctual, well-prepared, efficient, conscientious, attentive to the needs of tour participants.
Subject knowledge excellent, but communicated with heartfelt enthusiasm, hence my title.
Glenda's excitement at the amazing things we saw and heard was authentic and infectious.
Her social skills were excellent: cheerful, humorous, with the ability to make relationships seem personal as well as professional. She & driver Luis seemed like old mates so I was amazed to find they'd never met before this trip! She was friendly with and respectful towards hotel personnel.
I benefited greatly from her enthusiasm for bird-watching & she often went out of her way to show me things or just spend extra time looking for birds.
The great majority of nature guides are male, and there were occasions when some of them seemed less respectful of Glenda because she's a (small) woman. I feel though that she is a shining example to which other female guides could aspire.
I hope and expect that Exodus actively compensate for gender imbalances in the companies they deal with but there are some structural impediments to this, one of which is companies' preference for guide & driver to share a room.
In order to pursue an inclusive policy I would expect companies to absorb the extra expense of separate accommodation in the case of female tour leaders. Another approach would be to employ female drivers.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Read the trip notes. Not all had understood that a "wildlife" tour might involve stopping to look at wildlife. They imagined it as a hiking holiday and got restless. This was not a big problem, and was solved quite easily thanks to the leader's flexibility.
Only a few brought binoculars. Glenda compensated with very adept handling of her telescope, enabling everyone a good look at the more static animals.
