We were up before the sun today, for an early morning boat ride along the Marañon River to look for wildlife in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve. This reserve is about a hundred miles from Iquitos; it is a triangular-shaped area between the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers and is fed by two more rivers, the Pacaya and the Samiria. Confused yet? Just imagine being there and having no idea where you are ...This area of over 5 million acres has been protected by the Peruvian government since 1940. It is the largest reserve in Peru, and its size assures that it is ecologically and genetically representative of the region. In short, the Reserve includes a huge amount of territory virtually untouched and unchanged over the years - and protected for years to come.
Off we went and almost immediately, we stopped to speak with a couple of fisherman rigging their nets. Once again, we gave them bags of salt.
Into the mist, we headed down an unnamed creek to see what we could find.Surprise - we found a different kind of fisherman - this fellow was spear fishing, with lightweight spears he had made himself. We watched him at work - and enjoyed his success.
Along the way, we spotted some monkeys - actually they were Saddleback Tamarinds. We got a quick look before they scampered off into the bush.
We also saw all sorts of birds, but photography was difficult. This Mealy Parrot sat still long enough for a quick snapshot.
We went back to the ship for breakfast and then headed right out again for another short excursion - a walk in the jungle. Before we got across the river, we spotted another opportunity for interaction with the locals - a homemade raft piled high with kids and bananas.
It was a family of eight, 200 bunches of bananas and a handful of chickens - heading downstream to the market in the town of Nauta. The family will sell the bananas and chicken - and the raft - to get the cash they need to buy food, clothing and other items that they can't grow or make themselves. They'll catch a water taxi to go back home - to repeat the process as needed.
The youngest boy, Willy, is the real entrepreneur of the family; he sells tee-shirts in the market when he's not in school. He speaks English (a rarity in these parts) and promised that we'd see him in Nauta when we go there on Friday.
After exchanging gifts - we gave them salt, they gave us bananas - we went on our way to visit the National Reserve. Our walk today was on terra firma – only 25% of the rainforest is high ground NOT subject to annual flooding during the rainy season. It seemed that our small excursion boat pulled up at a totally random spot on the edge of the river. But there two men were waiting near a landing area they had just finished building - and across a small clearing, another elaborate set of handmade steps leading up the muddy bank to the beginning of the jungle trail.
We were met by a local guide, armed with his trusty machete. He accompanied us on our walk - whacking away the encroaching jungle and spotting wildlife.This walk took us deep into the rainforest and there was all manner of interesting wildlife - a huge snail (about 6 inches long), a tiny poison dart frog, and a spectacular Blue Morpho butterfly.
And there were plants, plants and more plants. Plants may not seem all that exciting, but in the Amazon, they are endlessly fascinating. Many of them are used by the shamans for medicinal purposes and many more are being studied by researchers as possible cures for cancer and other diseases.
We even saw the fer de lance plant – an antidote for the bite of the jungles most dangerous snakes. A few of our favorites: the walking palm, the ear mushroom, and a seriously big fig tree.
It was hot that day, so the REAL favorite plant was a vine that provided water - this single piece of vine gave a cool drink to everyone in our little group.
As we headed back to the boat, we stopped to gather leaves from a wild bananas tree. These will be used in a recipe for tonight's dinner.
What a surprise - by the time we got back to the river, the whole clearing was full of activity. Kids, dogs, and handicrafts ...We passed some more interesting boats as we headed back to the ship: a couple of boys in a dugout canoe, a water taxi, and a string of dugouts.
After lunch, the chef came out to give us a participatory lesson in how to prepare a favorite local dish known as juane. Jaune is a mixture of rice, chicken, raw and boiled eggs, ripe olives and assorted spices - all wrapped up in a banana leaf and then boiled til everything is done. Not bad ..
After a little siesta, we headed over to San Regis Creek, just behind the village of San Regis. As we arrived, the canoes gathered around us - a whole gang of local folks came out to take us for a ride in a dugout canoe.
Off we went - each of us paired up with one of the locals. Fran's partner was a delightful woman named Elda, who was determined to carry on a conversation ... in Spanish. She also was a great guide, pointing out some beautiful birds along the way - a great kiskadee, a yellow-rumped cacique, and a pair of nesting herons.
We saw several houses along the creek, as well as this huge raft of logs ready for market.
As we completed our one-mile round trip, we even caught a glimpse of Margaret and her partner Lilda as they made their way back to the starting point.
Two of Elda's kids were waiting for her ...
Back in our motorboat, we rode past the main village of San Regis - lots of houses, lots of boats. Hard to imagine a comparable town back home where the locals would loan their cars to foreign tourists to drive around the neighborhood. Trying to equate experiences along the Amazon to everyday life back home just isn't possible.
Back on the ship, another spectacular sunset ...
And more entertainment - tonight's band was billed as the 28th of July Band. Yes, it's the same guys as last night, but tonight we're celebrating Peru's independence day - Feliz Navidad Patria!
No comments:
Post a Comment