Moon River

Out at 3:00, a half hour later than usual to allow the crew to watch Brazilian football--World Cup action: Brazil defeated Serbia 2-0. They are all happy.

By 3:30, we watch a female jaguar on a sand bar lounge, then move. She reaches the end of the sand bar and swims for a bank across a narrow inlet. She climbs effortlessly up the bank and turns right.

We follow her along the bank; she disappears. She reappears and we catch a fleeting glance of her. She disappears into the brush again. They, down river, she is on the bank again. So it goes. We are with her for a half mile to a mile; I'm not sure. Finally, she settles down and just watches us.

Later, a caiman swims by as if to hit the beach where she is ensconced. She forgets all about us. The drama plays itself through chapter 1: appearance, chapter 2: approach, chapter 3: jaguar ready to pounce, chapter 4: caiman spots jaguar and dives below the surface. Epilogue: jaguar relaxes, knowing that there is more to come tomorrow; stay tuned.

It is dark or nearly so and time for us to make the half hour run back to Jaguar Retreat. When darkness falls, the insects come out. But we are speeding along the river at, maybe, 30 miles per hour so there is no way they can bite. Instead, they smack into you as if out boat was a car and we are the windshield. Thank goodness for floppy hats. They slide down and protect us as we make our way home by 5:55 with just the moon on the river to light the way.