Flor de Castaña and Belludo Caño
This morning was a time to understand a bit about the people who live along the rivers here in the Amazon basin. Known as ribereños, they lead a very unique life in which they deal with an environment with massive changes throughout the year due to water levels in the river. We visited a community called Flor de Castaña, named after the many Brazil nut trees growing in this area. The village is set back from the river, and we passed through vast agricultural lands including yuca, bananas, camucamu, and corn to reach the terra firme, safe from the yearly rise in the water.
Here we learned the life history of a few families and how they make a living growing the various crops. This village is set in an ideal spot, with a nearby spring and stream, wonderful views, and abundant areas for crops. Rice, corn, and watermelon seeds were all out in the sun to dry as villagers were harvesting some crops. We got the opportunity to meet one of the teachers and the children in first and second grade. They shared a bit about what they are studying and we traded songs. They certainly had a bit more volume than we did!
Before lunch Delfin II traveled further up the Ucayali River, and we learned how to make juanes, a traditional tamale type dish. Certainly, dining on Delfin II is a treat with all the amazing flavors of the Amazon that were new to many of us, and it was fun to make a bit of it ourselves.
Our afternoon destination was the area called Belludo Caño where we divided and some went on a skiff ride and others went for a walk in some flooded forest. Many new discoveries awaited us. Whether monkeys, plants, birds, insects, or just the overall scene, a rewarding time was had by all. As we ended our afternoon a gorgeous sunset with some massive thunderheads finalized another glorious day.
