Where is Nancy Drew when you need her?... (posting from the road)

There is only one type of bear that lives in South America – it is rare and reclusive. It seemed like a good idea to try and find him. So Leila and I, with the help of our helpful guide Jorge descended from the cloud forest to the rain forest level and headed to one reserve where the elusive Spectacled Bear had been spotted.
The road to the reserve should have been our first indicator to turn back. High rains in the area had resulted in massive washouts. The dirt road was complete mud now with erosion actively occurring while we drove – that is when the road wasn’t replaced with a river. I kept chanting the travel mantra “anywhere worth going will be difficult to get to” over and over while taking occasional peeks out the windows.

Just before we crossed a rickety bridge over a raging river Jorge parked the truck and announced that we had arrived. After my wobbly legs carried me out of the truck I pretended to drop my lens cap to cover for kiss I felt the needed to give the ground.

While we weren’t going to drive across we still needed to walk across the bridge – it was here that we encountered an Asian man. I mention this as it seemed very out of place given the setting, but he seemed friendly enough. Jorge went to register our intentions with the staff at the lodge on the premises and returned a few minutes later yelling “Buenos dias” over and over. No answer. We helped Jorge search the grounds and the massive lodge – no people. It was as if they vanished...the tables were set, books left open...it was very eerie. It looked as if they had just vanished. We did find a large quantity of Boric Acid and a shovel. I took a few snapshots of ‘evidence’ to be safe and mentally tried to recall the Asian man’s features – for the sketch artist later.

Seeing no reason to stay in what was surely now a crime scene, we set off in search of the bear. Our first encounter with nature occurred in the first few minutes of our hike. Ants, billions and billions of little red fire ants - those who have been regular readers know my ability to attract these things, so I was naturally weary. Never have I seen so many ants in one spot...in fact there were so many that as the long trek wore on I began to rethink the mystery that was unfolding.

The Asian man was the prime suspect for the simple fact that he was the only suspect. But now...it was farfetched granted...but what about the ants -certainly that many ants were capable of carrying around a few Ecuadorians. My dehydration increased as the hike progressed – the humid jungle combined with an inadequate water intake and a pesky GI issue had left my mind able to clearly process the facts of the crime. We walked through the dense jungle as toucans and various other birds chirped around us but all I could focus on was trying to prove the guilt of the jungle ants? I would need to ditch Jorge and return to the ants to search for more clues.

I slipped and slid through the mud, plotting my future investigation until Leila noted my parched appearance and began to force water into me. As I became hydrated my investigative capabilities dissipated. All the facts that had seemed to clear before were all jumbled now.

We never did find the bear – lots of evidence of the bear but the actual creature alluded us. Someday I will return to this lodge and find that bear – but only after the mystery of the missing caretakers is solved.