This morning, we visited the San Jorge community for a first-hand look at how people live nowadays in the Amazon region. Our visitors marveled at the how the little things in life that we take for granted can mean so much to people in a different environment.
The highlight of this cultural visit was a touching encounter with a welcoming committee formed by the town’s representatives of Minga Peru. Founded in 1998, this non-profit organization promotes social justice and human dignity for women and families in the remote rural areas of the Peruvian Amazon. Minga Peru trains women and community members in agroforestry, crop cultivation, and the construction and management of fish ponds has proven to be invaluable to the livelihood of many people in the Peruvian Amazon. Listening to their testimonies, we admired their determination.
Navigating downriver, we arrived at the confluence of the Marañón and the Ucayali rivers. We all gathered at the ship’s bridge to admire the exact location where the mighty Amazon River gets its name and to make a celebratory toast before turning into the Ucayali.
In the early afternoon, we arrived at Clavero Lake, where the more adventurous among us went for a refreshing swim. Afterward, during a skiff ride around the lake and in nearby small streams, we saw three-toed sloths, several bird species, elusive pygmy marmosets, herons, terns, and more.
Late in the afternoon, we returned with unforgettable memories to our home away from home this week, the Delfin II.
