We heard the wake-up knock at six in the morning and prepared to take full advantage of another day on the Amazon River. The day started with an early skiff ride through the Marañón River and then into a much smaller tributary called Marayali River.
Between small rice plantations and tall jungles, we searched for different forms of life. Oriole blackbirds, muscovy ducks, and wattled jacanas were some of the birds we saw. A small troop of squirrel monkeys showed up briefly but did not stay for long.
After breakfast, we had our first cultural experience at a village called Amazonas. We walked through the village learning about the local community. One of the highlights was to visit the school where we donated some school supplies for the children. Everyone welcomed us and sang songs for us. As a tradition, every time we visit and children sing for us, we sing for them as well, after introducing ourselves and sharing information about the places where we all come from.
We continued motoring up through the Marañón towards the place where the Amazon River is formed by the union of the Marañón and the Ucayali Rivers.
The afternoon brought brief, but powerful tropical rain. The elements come to life as the river rises and the riverbanks slowly fall apart into the increasing water current.
We deployed our kayaks and our skiffs for a new exploration of the Ucayali River. The weather was very pleasant, and the smell of wet jungle soil floated in the air. Squirrel monkeys looked for food on the trees, and hundreds of yellow-rumped caciques congregated in a small-forested area. As always, pink and gray river dolphins appeared here and there sporadically breaking the water’s surface.
We decided to go for a swim at a nearby arm of the Ucayali, which has turned into a lagoon. We were refreshed and had great fun jumping from the skiffs and taking silly pictures of each other.
To end the day we went for a night walk through the jungle! With our flashlights we could find the glistening eyes of insects and spiders. Fish-eating bats flew around and the sounds of the jungle made us wonder if they were emitted by frogs, birds, or unknown creatures of the night.
