Wild Bear Chase

This morning's bird walk yielded sightings of yet more colourful avian life in the Maquipucuna Reserve, including a buff-throated saltator, a palm tanager, a swallow tanager - gamely trying to eat an aguacatillo fruit whole, and perhaps giving a clue to its name - a masked tityra with its distinctive frog-like call - as well as a hawk and a whole tree full of black vultures, perhaps sensing the scent of death on the air.

Masked tityra

And that was largely where the day's wildlife observations ended. After a breakfast of Swiss muesli and quimbilitos - sweet corn cakes with raisins steamed in a folded banana leaf until they burst out - a small film crew arrived from Quito Tourism to feature the reserve in a promotional video.

Quimbilitos

The crew had arrived on the promise of the rarely sighted spectacled bear that had made an appearance in the forest over at least the past two days. However, despite sending out a vanguard to locate the elusive bears, they remained resolutely camera shy.

Evidence of bears

However, the crew didn't go home completely empty handed, as they went to take photos of the coffee plantation and processing, which does not hide or run away.

Lunch came in the form of a Thai-inspired vegetable coconut soup, followed by a red cabbage leaf filled with a slightly sweet yuca stir fry and red rice.

The afternoon saw a reprieve from walking as K was not feeling well - despite having being plied with local homeopathic remedy, hierba del perro (dog herb) - and so we took the opportunity to, literally, hang out in the afternoon reading books in the hammocks.

Relaxing at the lodge

As dusk fell, dinner of aubergine gratin with rice and vegetables was served, with strawberries and cream to follow.