Today after breakfast, we visited the community of San Francisco, on the river’s edge. Nobody seems to agree where the name of this remote community originated from. Some local people told us that they named the town to honor some visitors from San Francisco, California, who came to help the people here some years ago. San Francisco also happens to be a famous and popular saint among Catholic people.
Water literally rules the lives of the people here, and the San Francisco community is really blessed by being located on higher ground. It remains dry throughout the year, out of reach from the river.
The Delfin II docked just by the town, and after a short walk up to the small community, we were able to walk the only cemented sidewalk that goes through it. The school is in the center, the only building made of concrete and the main building in town. On both sides of the sidewalk, many thatched roofed, wooden houses, where the people live, and higher up, at the end of the path, a small Catholic church.
During our visit, we found the community very active, celebrating the independence of Peru. We arrived just in time to witness a parade with all of the kids from the elementary school dressed up in colorful costumes, and the high school teenagers, very formal, in their uniforms, wearing red berets, and white gloves, marching down the single cemented path carrying the red and white national flag of Peru.
We were also welcomed to visit some of the homes of the people, and then see and purchase some of the fine souvenirs, handmade with material gathered from the adjacent jungle.
Really a very enjoyable and interesting visit!
This early morning and evening we spent exploring by skiff the very diverse tropical rainforest adjacent to the Amazons tributaries, where we added many more sightings to our life lists.
In all, a superb day!
