We went straight out on the bikes this morning to the salt flats. When I say straight out I mean after a moaning session from Claire about my snoring, lots of breakfast, some reading of books, and showers.
We are pleased to report that we have now had our fill of birds. We've seen flamingos, spoonbills, little egrets, white storks and various other birds including the "Clairebird" a.k.a. the tallerbird. The Clairebird is actually called the black winged stilt and has ridiculously long legs with slightly odd knees, which it likes to hide below the water if possible.
During our ride round the salt flats, we spotted some much more serious birdwatchers hiding in a ruined shack next to one of the salt pans. They were obviously watching some flamingoes there, most of which flew off when we approached. We had a cycle round the rest of the area, stopping occasionally to try (unsuccessfully) to sneak up on birds.
Unfortunately, our random route took us right back to the serious birdwatchers, but after a short discussion we decided to just ride past them. Partly because there was no reason why we shouldn't, and partly because it was easier to get away quickly if they set upon us with their binoculars and zoom lenses .
I enjoyed myself much more than I thought I would riding along all the little pathways between the salt pans. This did involve a certain amount of pain and leg injury from various thorny bushes at the side, but nothing a bit of Savlon cream wouldn't fix.
After lunch we eventually made it back down to the local beach. We had a swim in the sea and then tried to sunbathe for a while to dry off. Unfortunately, it was a bit too cold and we gave up when we started shivering and retreated to the apartment for showers and warm clothes.
This evening we set out for our last meal here. We wanted to go via reception and for some reason Claire decided to take the alternative route round the back instead of past the pool. I thought that was a bit strange but just followed anyway. As we walked round the side, we saw a small white poodle start crossing the road on its own. Both of us were holding our breath and watching intently, and just as it reached the other side safely, Claire fell over in a heap on the floor. It turns out there was a step that she had fallen down whilst distracted by the dog. After refusing all offers of assistance, including ice packs, we limped on to Copacabanas where we had food and a variety of cocktails (for medicinal purposes only of course).
We're now sitting in the apartment drinking tea. I'm feeling a bit light headed from the cocktails and Claire is obviously in pain from her foot but is trying to put on a brave face.
Tomorrow (if the foot can take it) we're going to potter around Cabanas until it's time to head over to the airport.
We're both dreading going home and wish we could stay longer.
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Location:Cabanas
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