Atun Poza and Exploring
Early the birders set out with a rising sun, an orange globe burning through the cloudy sky. Parrots flew in huge, noisey flocks overhead, caciques, the jesters of the rainforest, squawking and whistling, hidden in the trees. A troop of squirrel monkeys was suddenly spotted climbing nearby. They even stopped to look at us, but without binoculars.
The morning after breakfast was spent visiting a community known as Atun Poza, or on some maps spelled Jatunpoza. Walkers followed a level trail, behind the community, into the forest. We passed by thatched houses on stilts, where we could see the cooking fires burning – important for giving “signs of life” to the home, although no-one was seen close by. We continues though a banana and manioc plantation and finally into the cool 85 or so degrees of the forest. High humidity, granted, but comfortable. A trail occasionally muddy (thank goodness it hasn't rained for a day or so), had evidence of rubber extraction, one tree with healed scarring twenty feet up the trunk. Amazon lilies bloomed in the dim light. Movement! Saddle-backed tamarin monkeys gripped the narrow vines and sat in forks of a tree, the better to view us. A bit further on, two Monk saki monkeys were spotted up ahead high in a fig tree. Hardly moving, the lighting was excellent for seeing their very old-looking faces peering back at us. Furry, non-prehensile tails hung straight down. I'm sure we looked just as strange to them as they did to us.
We passed several Amazon lilies before reaching a huge ceiba tree with buttress roots too large for us to encircle – and we were a group of 12. Maybe we could have reached half-way around. Another 15 minutes beyond the tree was a small stream/lagoon where the bizarre hoatzin were rustling and ruffling feathers and creating a ruckus over the water's edge.
Back in the village we visited the one-room schoolhouse. The teacher – government-appointed, was there to inform us a little about their year, and what grades were currently being taught (4th and 7th grades not needed this year). The children were all there – they wouldn't want to miss a moment of our visit, for sure! - But since it was a Saturday, they were not dressed in uniform. All of us exchanged frank looks and gazes during our visit, trying to span a difference in cultures, for the most part unfathomable to both sides. Stilted conversation was had; information and song exchanged, and everyone came away from the experience having learned something about the other.
The afternoon presented us with a true Amazonian thunderstorm at its best. The ship tied up to shore to “weather” it out, but gusts of wind reached up to 60 mph accompanied with lashing rain. We battened down the hatches and for a half-hour watched the trees whip back and forth along the shore, whitecaps formed on the river surface and lightning flashed.
When it was all over but the rain, we set off once more downriver and saw how trees had tumbled down the red-clay banks and riverlets ate troughs down the sand banks. By late afternoon all was clear for our last riverside exploration by skiff, while others relaxed on board and visited with the Captain on the bridge as the ship continued her stately way as well.
Tomorrow we visit a village known as Puerto Miguel, where excellent handicrafts of local materials are made by the members of the community. The Delfin II has worked with them for years to help improve the quality and variety of items. In fact, they've been seen all week long on the ship! By late afternoon we will be flying our way back to Lima and on. Many memories, many laughs and much food for thought (and the waistline!).
