THE RIVERS

The practice of using river courses as borders between countries has created many of the political “tangles” and concomitant squabbles between The Guianas and Venezuela. Rivers change their courses often and leave mapmakers scratching their heads in dismay.

Politicians see their lands shrink and swell and their hopes for either recognized borders or expanded claims rise and fall with those changes Rivers are obviously not the best border demarcation lines between countries!

Despite the troublesome political problems caused by these rivers, they are still wonderful phenomena to behold. They are huge and mighty in water flow and their banks, both when overflowing and in the dry season, harbor the most marvelous flora and fauna.

Gorgeously colorful birds, amusing and amazing monkeys, enormously tall trees buttressed by fanlike structures which support their weight despite very shallow soils and root systems, magically flamboyant flowers, like the aptly named red “hot lips” and the birds of paradise abound in these river basins.

Perfectly camouflaged jaguars and ocelots prowl the damp jungle floors while tapirs, agoutis and capybara practice their own stealth tactics to hide from the hunters Strangely fascinating insects and spiders live in their own eerie world in the leaf litter and suspended from the profligate growth abounding everywhere Just imagine a close encounter with a pink-toed hairy tarantula bigger than the palm of your hand! Serpents of all sizes, from the prodigious anaconda to tiny eyelash boas slither, slide and lurk everywhere, their heat-seeking organs working overtime to distinguish prey from enemy amid the constant rain and drips.

The incandescent blue morpho butterfly and all his “wannabe” cousins flit and flicker from one outrageous flower to another adding to the unimaginable color palette that a jungle uses to display all the life within its embrace. Hummingbirds dart and flitter on invisible wings with slender beaks formed to find the nectar at the bottom of trumpet flowers and heliconias The life is so prolific in Amazonia that it is hard not to believe that this area is still like the first day of creation!