Jungle handicraft-making

We had a fun little session of handicraft-making this afternoon, at our campsite in the jungle. Our guide, Orlando, helped us to fashion some rings, and to create some traditional (looking) necklaces. All we really did was a bit of sanding — the rest was already done for us, or was done after we finished sanding — but it made us feel like intelligent artisans nonetheless. And we got to keep the handicrafts.

According to what I've heard, for centuries the local people of the jungle have fashioned rings out of the nuts that grow in some of the trees. The nuts are carved into ring shapes, which are then heavily buffed and polished, until they are smooth and black. Same with the necklaces: they're made out of beads which are fashioned from nuts, as well as little ornamental wooden pieces, which are carved from the wood of certain trees, and then polished until golden brown. Not sure how much of this actually occurs today, apart from what they do for the tourists.

The handicraft-making took up most of the afternoon. We didn't do anything much this morning — just went on another romp through the jungle, pretty much the same as yesterday's romp — except no exciting animal sightings this morning.