Today we had the opportunity to meet the humans who inhabit this vast South American greenery. People have lived in this region for around 10,000 years, and they have conquered the the jungle and rivers. They are not nomadic people anymore, instead they are mostly farmers and fishermen who live in small settlements along the rivers. Their women are excellent weavers, and they use palm leaves to make a variety of handicrafts.
As we landed, we were received by a group of children. Our presence is an exciting event for them! They are smiling and running all around, and their parents invited us to see and to participate in a local dance tradition. They were wearing typical clothes made of palm leaves—all of these pieces of clothing were crafted by their mothers. It was not easy for us to keep up with the dance, but we all had fun.
Later on, still at mid-morning, we navigated to a special area, which is the meeting point of two large rivers: the Marañón from the north and the Ucayali from the south. This point is the beginning of the Mighty Amazon River! It was time to celebrate this moment in the iconic geographical area where Francisco de Orellana discovered the largest river of South America, and we toasted the occasion with a traditional Peruvian drink: the Pisco Sour!
In the afternoon, we explored Clavero Lake. This body of water is part of the Ucayali River, which is the continuation of the Amazon. This fresh water lake in connected to to the main river, and we often find river dolphins here. We also watched as flocks of large-billed terns hovered above the dolphins, waiting for the dolphins to bring fish up to the surface. It was mesmerizing to watch this interaction between species.
What a fascinating day!
