Our expedition continued today with a visit to the Amazonas Community in the morning. We had a blast observing firsthand how people live nowadays in Amazonia. In fact, we had a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We visited a local school, and the home of a villager who invited us to try some local dishes. Some community artisans explained how they make their beautiful handcrafts using fibers and colorants from the rainforest. The community is beautifully organized and well-maintained. Along the way we observed several bird species in the many trees of the surroundings.
We had a brief but meaningful encounter with the Minga Peru welcoming committee as well. They are a non-profit organization, founded in 1998, whose mission is the promotion of social justice and human dignity for women and families in remote rural areas of the Peruvian Amazon. They have been developing valuable projects in the area for many years. The technical training for women and community members in agroforestry, crop cultivation, and the construction and management of fish ponds has proven to be vital to increasing the economic sustainability of many people here.
In the afternoon we explored a seasonal varzea forest, an area that is flooded for most of the year. We observed huge trees, tarantulas, poison-dart frogs, and more. It was a very hot and humid walk but we truly enjoyed it.
