It is our third day of exploration in the Upper Amazon. Today we visited the local community called Amazonas, after the main river. These people are very happy to have us visit. The night before they prepare their tools to perform and show to us what they do on a normal day. The kids of the place come very close to the riverbank to admire the beauty of our ship along the shoreline. We disembarked to learn how locals survive in these ecosystems, how they fish, how they harvest products such as cassava, fruits, plantains and all related to the cycle of nature. They do not have electricity here, no pharmacy, no cars, etc. The way they live is very interesting and we learned how to get the medicine from the plants, or how to get the juice from the sugar cane or fruits without a blender.
Minga Peru is an organization that helps these communities to improve the way they live and to be more efficient in the way they plant and harvest their products. The organization also reinforces positive values and social behaviors to make a nice atmosphere of co-existence.
Later in the afternoon we moved to Yanayacu River. The exploration was great. Squirrel Monkeys were our first encounter with the incredible wildlife found here. Later we found a mother sloth hanging on a very tall cecropia tree, carrying a little baby with her. Baby sloths stay with their mother for about six to eight months, then they become independents, usually their feed on different types of seeds and vegetation and one of the major predators are the harpy eagles.
Another attraction at the entrance of the creek is the pink dolphin and the grey dolphin. These aquatic mammals are always feeding in these areas, because tributaries bring a lot of fish to the main rivers. We stayed about 10 minutes, just enough time to see them swimming around us. Finally at the end of the end exploration we found many terns flying around our boat. It was time for a Pisco Sour, a very refreshing cocktail endemic to Peru. We exclaimed: Cheers! Perfect to celebrate a wonderful day at the Upper Amazon.
