Camp Canopée

Being Finnish and growing up in the suburbs of Finland meant that I spent an awful lot of time in the forest and up trees. To be honest, the most vivid childhood memories I have from Finland (before we moved abroad) are more or less all from the outdoors. Whether it was climbing and swinging in trees or swimming and sauna-ing (where I come from this is a valid verb) at our summer cottage, the outdoors was always where I felt most at home. Being out in nature, as you can imagine, is thus something that still is a very important part of my life.

So...  my birthday was way back in October and Anthony had promised to take me for a trip in the trees as a birthday present. I didn't really know what to expect from it. What I had understood was that we were going to have some sort of treehouse-type experience. I wasn't really sure what to expect from it but I was really excited all the same. It's an organized trip by a local small organization called Camp Canopée, follow the link if you're looking for more info http://www.canopee-guyane.com/ .

So one weekend in May we set out from Kourou on a 2 hour boat trip up the river. It was a rainy morning and we were both a little apprehensive about whether or not the weather was going to hold up. Nobody wants to spend a weekend in the trees in torrential rainfall. Luckily however, it cleared up nicely.

The boat or pirog, as it is locally called, is a long-wooden boat, seating three-abreast at maximum width. We loaded in the gear up front, including large ice-boxes carrying food for the whole group for the weekend. And in we popped, little sardines on a wooden stick!

The eager crew heading out. Our captain was extremely skilled at dodging the lolling trees and branches which floated along the river. There is really no "coastline" or sandbank to speak of usually, it is just vegetation. This means that trees basically get pushed into the river by its fellow comrades behind it - "Off you go Billy!" SPLASH.

We did get rained on from time to time but that is only to be expected; we were, after all, traveling into a breathing sponge of humidity. A pair of wild Macaws actually flew right above us. If you haven't ever heard a Macaw screech, check it out because these parrots make quite a racket! I took it to be the welcome cry of the jungle.

About half-way up the river we came across this golden sand-patch just when the sun was coming out. "Palm Beach à gauche!" Our bohemian tour-guide shouted.

A naturally formed smooth sand-patch was a welcome break... and incidentally, an apt moment to empty the boat from leaking water - all quite standard practice we were assured. Something to always be weary of in Guyane. Standard practice often takes on the sense of "we'll just see how it goes. I'm sure it will be fine".

It seems funny to think about how remote these places actually are. Standing on a teeny tiny beach two hours up an amazonian river in French Guiana. A rather unconventional weekend trip!

We landed our pirog beside a small wooden pier, complete with this makeshift wall, designed to keep the edge from collapsing I suppose.

Just casually heading up to our "rooms" :)

There were two different tree-house sections in which to sleep in, linking the two was this suspended footbridge.

No treehouse would be complete without a giant dream-catcher.

I'm no architect but it looks sound-enough to me! :) Can you imagine building this, in the middle of the forest, without any modern use of cranes or such. That's only after you've transported the building materials by boat. Very impressive!

The entire camp had a lovely peaceful ambiance to it.

I mean who wouldn't enjoy doing the dishes when you're looking at this?

Not to mention doing your business up in the trees. Talk about natural ventilation! (The documentation ought to be complete, so I had to include this picture - apologies to the prudish!).

Now, at night, the place really comes to life! Candles are set up all around the camp, in the trees, down below and everywhere. I don't know if you can even imagine it, but... it is utterly magical.

So far, I'm feeling right at home in the trees! ... Anthony likes to pretend he is not scared of heights, but really he is. I'm thinking... YES! I found SOMETHING he is scared of! :D

We had a wonderful lunch and then set out for the days trip - a hike in the surrounding forest. We had the choice of a small, medium or long hike, and luckily we were with an athletic group so we did the long walk. And although we were not the luckiest, groups have sited Macaws, snakes and all sorts of animals... but unfortunately, we did not manage to see much. A lizard. And maybe heard a forest-dwelling wild chicken creature... but we weren't actually sure... so there.

We saw plenty of different types of trees and plants though, so it was a very nice walk all-in-all.

Like this "little" guy. Finger for scale :)

After our hike, we travelled back to the camp via (a very unstable) canoe. But neither of us fell in, and I dare se we managed the two-person wooden canoe paddling technique quite well :)

A delicious dinner, complete with acoustic music was waiting as we arrived back to camp. 

And there we go, our five-star beds for the night!

Next morning I was up bright and early. I figured what a perfect spot to go and salute the sun with some invigorating morning yoga by the river. Obviously I was not very deep into my meditation as Anthony managed to disrupt me mid-session.

The Kourou river... et moi

Now for the real fun - tree-climbing and zip-lining through the trees!

Getting geared up... this stuff is very tight... but I gathered better that than a flattened Sarah.

First zip-line down. One more to go... but first, up we go!

 

So yeah. I was maybe not the most fantastic climber ever. But looking down a 40m drop when you're just attached to this one line (which you hope to God is not going to break on you) is really REALLY unhelpful. You are also regretting that extra Nutella that you spread on your pancake that morning for fear it is definitely going to be the tipping point and you are most probably going to fall to your death in the middle of the Amazon rainforest because of it. 

Yup, a 42m climb upwards. Heave!

Here is a clip of Anthony reaching the top of the platform. It gives you a sense of what we were going through.

Finally up, we could enjoy the sights of the canope from all around. Of course, safety first! I wonder what happens if you put three people on the bridge O.o

It's ok to look down... once you're attached.

You do end up treading carefully, just incase you would put something out of place and the whole structure would collapse.

Taking the final ladder up to the very top.

and now all there is to be done is enjoy the view!

Coming down the zip-line was absolutely nothing compared to going down it. Now I've been mountaineering in Scotland and even gone skydiving, so I'm not a complete virgin with heights. But. And it's a big but, that initial swing off the ledge, resting your weight into the harness and the single rope... terrifying. Absolutely every instinct is telling you to not step off that ledge.

I had understood our trusted French-speaking guide the whole while but in that moment, when he was explaining what to do. Just no. Brain failure. I spoke no French. Anthony had to translate whatever he told me. A part of me was absolutely sure I was going to die there. Let go of the wrong rope and fall splat to my death. Needless to say, everything went just fine. Anthony and I descended side by side facing each other and everything was fine. It was quite romantic actually, in a sort of extreme-sense :D

 I do however have a new found respect for extreme-mountaineers and tightrope walkers. And a small subtle message: "You people are CRAZY!" There. I'm done.

Now I joke about it, but really it was a fantastic experience. This memory is certainly going to stick around for a long time to come! At least until Anthony takes me on some other life threatening adventure.

On our way back we got to zip-line straight into the camp. Here is a clip of Anthony coming in.

Portrait of a boy in a boat.

Couldn't have asked for a better (or more original) birthday gift!

Thank you munchkin! ;)

The Parents Visiting Guiana

As well as visiting Guadeloupe my parents also came to visit our home in Kourou. Guadeloupe was actually a bit of a bonus... originally they were planning on just coming to visit us (at least that is what they claim!). But all jokes aside, it was a wonderful experience having my parents come to visit me in another country. It all seemed a bit topsy-turvy actually. There I was welcoming my parents into the house I live in all the way across the world. Funny, seeing as they used to take me from country to country when I was growing up; ha-ha! the tables have turned! 

Here we are standing just outside the entrance to the zoo, which was really well kept actually. I'm not the biggest fans of zoo's as I don't like the idea of animals being cooped up in cages just so we can have a look at them once a year. I much prefer the idea of a safari. But, taking my parents on a Guyanese safari wasn't really an option. They would probably have caught some terrible obscure amazonian disease or get eaten by an anaconda or something similarly gruesome. I didn't fancy having to explain that to my siblings. So, we went to the zoo instead.

... which, as I mentioned was really very well kept. The grounds were clean, organized and very well planned. I also happen to really like water-lilies.

The first creature we encountered were these little guys. Capybara, or locally known as Cabiaï. Personally, I think they look like a mixture between a huge hamster and a beaver. Which is essentially actually what they are, a species of water&land rodents. They are very cute. I suggested we get one, but Anthony wasn't thrilled at the idea so I let it slide. (I'm still working on my alpacas.) They were not shy or squeamish in the least, just kind of happily trotting along, lounging in the sun. Just as well probably because these fellows have the luck to be excluded from being roasted and presented on a dinner plate. Oh yes, they locals eat them.

In the enclosure of my rodent friends was also a tree, where I spotted this Iguana. Later on, we counted about five Iguanas in the same tree. They are very common in this area and we have plenty in our backyard, small and large. Actually, last month I had one rather sizable one run right through our living room. I probably gave him the fright of his life, poor fellow. 

Next up, birds! 

We walked into an aviary where lots of different species were free to fly around and do birdy things.  They were a bit skittish at first but got very friendly by the end of our stay. They started off by licking the salt (and presumably sweat) of our hands and then all of a sudden flew right onto my dads shoulder.

It was quite amazing actually. These birds were just fantastic looking; sporting colours you'd have trouble even imagining. We concluded that my dads ears must be very dirty indeed, to hold such an enticement!

The yellow and blue Ara (Macaw in English) is the largest type of Parrot.

They are highly intelligent and very social birds. You can see the two red Aras grooming each other behind the crowd of tourists.

The Macaw has long tail feathers that span way below their body.

 

And the prestigious Toucan, a national symbol.

The Yellow-Ridged Toucan.

This funny looking fellow (an ant-eater of some sort, I presume) also reared his face.

I also managed to catch this pretty snazzy shot of a red-eyed dragonfly.

The zoo featured a small jungle pathway through which you are able to spot  different animals if you are vigilant. I think we made too much noise to spot anything bigger than an Iguana. But the flora was as much of a treat as any fauna would have been.

We also had a visit from this curious Squirrel Monkey.

Mum and dad having a look at some fresh-water turtles who also reared their faces.

After all the animal excitement we drove down to Cayenne and had dinner at my now favourite restaurant, Kon Tiki. So, so, so scrumptiously tasty!

If you are lucky (or patient) you get your own little private hut overlooking the sea. Fantastic view, service and food. 

Scrumptious! ... the food too :)

- - - - - - - - 

A day trip inland: Cacao

So we decided to head up to Cacao to visit a more rural village. It's a small "town" lying on the Comté river to the south of Cayenne. Most of the town's population (which was at 950 people in 2007) are Hmong farmers, refugees from Laos who were resettled in French Guiana in the 1970s. See, French Guiana is very international; it's really quite the melting pot!

The market is small and charming with excellent prices for quality food.

The Insect Museum is quaint but absolutely worthwhile. Yes, my hand and a beetle.

The most exciting discovery however, was this man. Cacao's own little potterer. He collects his own earth/mud nearby and mixes and dries his own clay. He is very charismatic and seems a lovely addition to this funny village essentially in the middle of the Amazon.

Then... oh dear, yes, we went trekking in the rainforest. So we had heard of a little "waterfall" which is a small trek into the forest from a friend of mine (thanks Vanja!). So we decided why not? 

It wasn't long, but it wasn't an easy trek either. Especially in the rainy season. My mother, bless her, who is in her prime but sadly has balance and nerve issues because of disk-problems in her back, made a real effort to advance. Suspended logs and river-crossings, no worries! Golden sticker, right there. Was it worth it?

Yes.

It's not big but it is beautiful. A naturally formed basin and runs clear fresh water.

I didn't think I'd ever be sitting in a place like this, never mind getting to show it to my wonderful parents! What a gift.

Quite something special this place.

Dad, feeling like Tarzan I suppose :D

I think its safe to say they rather enjoyed their stay :)