Rhianna Banana

Both snakes were active, but not very interested in us. I’m glad that they weren’t aggressive or defensive, or seemed inclined to try to strike. The first snake seemed to follow our movements, but didn’t move from the branch it was sitting on. The second one, which was much larger, just slithered away into the underbrush before I could take a picture. I was not going to chase after it either!

The managers at La Perla have started letting me lead hikes on my own. It wasn’t too bad the first two times I did it, we didn’t encounter anything too scary. Trisha and I also got stung by wasps last night. I got stung on my arm and leg. Seeing the fer-de-lances and being attacked by the wasps makes me hesitant about leading hikes on my own again. If another bee or wasp attacks me, I will probably just flip out. And I don’t really want to run across another venomous snake without a guide with me. Don’t need to make my mother worry more than she already does!

According to one study, Bothrops “are responsible for more human morbidity in the New World than any other group of venomous snakes.” (Campbell and Lamar 1989).

My Extractor kit (Peace Corps issued snakebite kit) manual says that every time a person is stung by a bee or wasp, the venom causes your body to build both a greater tolerance and a greater intolerance for the next sting. This tolerance decreases in about 6 months, but the intolerance continues to build throughout your life. So, since my bee and wasp stings occurred within 6 months of each other, my intolerance must still be high, and the wasp stings didn’t hurt as much as they might have. They still hurt, and put me a foul mood. But, at least I know my tolerance is up for the next 6 months! I think I’ll be a little jumpy about any buzzing sounds I hear the next time I am in the jungle, but that is not going to stop me from going to the Amazon 2 more times this year! And I will continue to hike in La Perla at least once a month.