Rio Nahuapa and Nauta Caño
The early birds got out at 6:00am once more, and out on the Rio Tigre, started stacking up more sightings: short-tailed parrots, chestnut-fronted macaws, lined seed-eaters, crimson-crested woodpeckers, spot-breasted woodpeckers, red-capped cardinals, dusky-headed parakeets, mealy parrots, drab water-tyrants, white-winged swallows, white-banded swallows and yellow-browed sparrows joined many of the others we already recognized.
After breakfast the skiffs took off up the Nahuapa River, a small tributary, a “black-water” river, meaning its origin lies within the Amazon rainforest, as opposed to the Andes Mountains. We are traveling through a region known as “terra firme,” which means this land is never covered by water, never flooded. As such, the ecosystem that has grown up on these nutrient-poor soils is quite different from that found in the flood forest, which receives annually a new layer of sediment with a fresh resupply of minerals. Hiding in a hollow half-way up a tree trunk, leaning over the water, the driver spotted a yellow-crowned brush-tailed rat, cute as could be, just watching the avid faces of the humans below, perhaps disconcerted by the many pairs of very round, shiny eyes looking up in its direction. Some other special findings for the area were the magpie tanager (black & white), pied puff-bird, speckled chachalaca, hook-billed kite, plum-throated cotinga (incredible iridescent blue), blue morpho butterfly...I could go on!
But we were expected as visitors to someone's house, and so headed back...a lone house on the banks of the Rio Tigre had offered us the chance to come ashore and see what an Amazonian lifestyle entails. The very generous host offered us fresh-squeezed sugarcane juice and mashed cassava (as yet un-fermented). Beetle grubs were searched for in the rotting Aguaje palm tree on the ground, but alas! None found (the children had perhaps raided it earlier?). We did get to see the process of harvesting manioc, also known as cassava, or locally as “yuca” (be aware! Do not confuse with the Southwest's desert succulent “yucca” plant). We saw the slender tree cut on a diagonal near the base, leaves intact, because in that form the stems can be placed once more into the soil for immediate regeneration. The tubers were dug up, peeled, and the bright white flesh was ready for the boiling pot/ grate / knife. There are probably 1,000 and one recipes for the preparation of manioc. Left in the ground, its thick protective and crusty skin allows it to remain without damage for months due to toxins in the outer layer. Those grown for regular consumption ripen in around six months and after a little boiling, the toxins are removed and the plant is ready for anything.
Once back on board, and with thoughts of food in mind, our executive chef, Raul Rodriguez, invited interested folk into the dining room for a demonstration of how to make the typical dish of the Amazon, “Juanes.” On a clean, lightly warmed broad leaf, one places colored rice, olives, chicken, hard-boiled egg...wrap it well around all sides, tie with leaf fiber, and into boiling water it goes. Several people tried their hands at it...and at lunch we tasted the result!
The afternoon was spent at another location downriver. We are now on our journey downriver towards the junction of the Ucayali with the Marañon, at which time this massive amount of water becomes known worldwide as the Amazon River. However there is another stop we want to make just across from the town of Nauta where we embarked: Nauta Cano, or “Nauta Creek” we could say.
At 3:30p.m. the skiffs took off up this narrow canal with water lettuce on both sides, tall grasses and water hyacinth reflecting in the mirror-calm “black” water. I've discovered most people are not happy with the common terms used to distinguish the two types of river colors: black and white. I gave a talk on this before lunch, but it’s still confusing. They are neither black nor white, to be truthful. Black water is more like a brew of strong black tea, a result of the tannins leached out of the vegetation into the still clear waters of the Amazonian lowlands. “White” is more cafe au lait or hot chocolate, the result of the sediment brought down from the high Andes, eroded and ground to fine particles. There are no stones found in the Amazonian basin. As we were taught by the residents of the house this morning, a stone to sharpen your machete has to be imported from great distances; purchased in the marketplace of Iquitos.
Anyway, Nauta Caño is like black tea, and the further in we traveled the more magical the surroundings. Squirrel monkeys leaped tremendous distances between branches, A Cuvier's toucan sailed after its beak across the river; anhingas, capped herons and many other friends were spotted. Howler monkeys roared their territorial claim, but didn't come nearer. A beautiful delicate frog found its way onto our skiff, stayed for a photo session, then hopped off at the next stop.
By sunset we were back on board, and before dinner we heard the legend of the pink dolphins, a story to keep young people in line, yet romantic. The evening finished with music from the “The Teenagers,” the ship's band on board. Feet were tapping, hands clapping, and I believe nearly everyone went to sleep with smiles on their faces.
