During our second day in the Amazon basin, we experienced a lot of different activities. Early in the morning, we visited the Amazonas Natural Park, a private protected area just north of the Pacaya Samiria reserve, on the opposite shore of the Marañon River. There, we rowed in twin wooden canoes across a lagoon where the locals raise fish for their personal consumption, in order to reach a very special jungle trail. We hiked through the terra firma, an area of the tropical rainforest that never gets covered by water during the annual floods. The naturalists explained about the numerous medicinal, edible and otherwise useful plants that the local people still use on a daily basis. This incredible variety of useful resources is one of the riches of the Amazon. We encountered several different kinds of birds, mushrooms, butterflies, moths, dragonflies and even a baby fer-de-lance, one of the most feared venomous snakes in the region. However, one of the highlights of the hike was an elevated suspended bridge that gave us the chance to walk above the hot and humid ground, closer to the canopy, where environmental conditions are different due to the more abundant light and breeze.
In the afternoon, we visited the small community of Amazonas, where the local inhabitants gathered in the main plaza to talk to us and to show us their way of life, particularly the women. After listening to their stories, they brought a lot of natural fibers taken from the chambira palm tree of different colors and explained how they get and use natural pigments to obtain beautiful yellows, brown, reds and greens. Later, a number of women showed us how to roll those fibers in our knees and wave them to make bracelets and other products. Surrounded by curious little kids, chickens and palm fibers, we all had a wonderful time laughing and waving, and we gained a stronger appreciation for the skills and effort involved in making these pretty handcrafts. And with our new point of view of the cultural aspect of the wonderful Amazon basin, we ended another great day in the Pacaya Samiria reserve.
