Cedro Caño, Flor de Castaña and Iricahua
With high spirits we started this brand new day with an early pre-breakfast outing along a small but beautiful calmed water black tributary that gave us some wonderful rewards. Along this paradisiacal creek, locally known as “Cedro Caño,” our guests had two options to choose from, kayaking or a skiff ride. Those kayaking had a blast for today it was so quiet that mirror-like high reflections were seen everywhere. Some kayakers had the thrill to hear and see some pink river dolphins that were around. Those guests who opted for exploring the creek by skiff had many highlights as well. A tonic in this week has been the extraordinary good weather that we have had.
After breakfast we went to ¬“Flor de Castaña” Town. This community has a privileged location; it is one of the few along the riverbanks of the Ucayali River that is not flooded at this time of the year. We certainly had a great time for we observed how the locals live, visited a few houses and shared a smile with the many kids of the settlement. We even had the time to spot some herons, like the one pictured today, that was seen fishing in the tiny small lagoons that are formed in this high water levels season in the town.
Today was very special for we had a brief session with the shaman of the community. He showed us, with the help of the translation of one of our naturalists, how he cures the soul diseases using cigar smoke and medicinal plants. After that we all gathered around the children in the local primary school and had a memorable intercultural exchange. Children sang songs to our guests and they sang back. School supplies and other goods were donated as well. At the end we all had the feeling that we had a great experience sharing time with the inhabitants of this remote community.
After the visit I had a short talk being creative using any kind of camera, especially small ones taking advantage of the many buttons, settings and dials. I gave some tips for better photography as well. This week we have a wonderful mix of experienced photographers with high-end equipment and many guests who are learning little by little to lose that common fear of pushing the wrong button on their cameras.
We had another beautiful bright afternoon that made us forget that we are in one of the wettest ecosystems on Earth. We visited Iricahua Caño; this narrow stream is covered with thick vegetation with many bromeliads, orchids, and huge bush trees that form arcs here and there. We spotted several Blue and yellow Macaws, Dusky headed parrots, Squirrel Cuckoos, and many caiman lizards.
We can’t wait to see what new adventures and surprises tomorrow will bring to our expedition.
