Pitufa.at

According to our initial plan we wanted to sail up the Perica and other rivers watching out for wildlife encounters. We pictured ourselves waiting motionless in the dinghy for hours to get a glimpse of some jungle creatures. Things turned out quite different: after a week we’re still anchored in the first spot we picked in the Perica, because the animals come round to our boat, usually when we’re doing some noisy work. They seem to be as interested in our behaviour, as we are in theirs. When we were adjusting our rain protection/water catching canvas, a group of otters swam near to the boat. They straightened up in the water to hip level and started snorting loudly–a sound you’d rather expect from a horse than an otter. In the afternoon I was washing some clothes in a bucket when a group of monkeys appeared on the other shore. We don’t know what kind it was, but they were about half a metre in height, with dark brown fur and lighter coloured, long arms. They were also quite noisy, chatting with each other and swinging from branch to branch.

So you don’t have to be silent to see animals here, because a jungle itself is an astoundingly loud place. Insects and birds constantly chirp, screech, shout and cackle all day long–and at night it’s even more extreme. It’s slightly eery to listen to all these sounds without knowing who causes them. Leeloo also seems very cautious, she seems to instinctively understand that she’d be prey rather than hunter in these surroundings. On the boat we’re near enough to the events to listen in, but far enough away to feel safe. Once we nevertheless impregnated ourselves with mosquito repellent and ventured out into the night in the dinghy. We expected caimans and snakes, but encountered only bats in the light of the moon and in the torchlight. The soundscape was impressive though.

In the meantime we’ve managed to dry our wet things, even though it still rains a lot. But we found the right tactics: as soon as a few sunrays come out we open all hatches and quickly put the clothes on the clothesline. When the first raindrops fall we start running, close the hatches and snatch the clothes down. This program is repeated about every half an hour