Atun Poza and Pacaya River
We awoke to beautiful partially cloudy morning with our ship tied next to the entrance of “Atun Poza.” Out in the skiffs at 7:00, we had a quick crossing of the Ucayali River with life jackets on, then into the calmer waters of Atun Poza with life jackets off. The river level seems to be lowering for we can see some land patches already.
After some time exploring and admiring the area we stopped under a big shade to have our breakfast outdoors! It was not just a regular breakfast picnic for we even had a complete set with ceramic plates, cloth napkins, and with white gloves we were served by our drivers, naturalists and dining staff: Amazonian exotic juices, coffee, and a splendid meal of many different exotic and unusual delicacies like sweet potato and cassava breads and almond cookies. We had the cover of the rain forest sounds under the shade of a couple of tall trees. After this memorable meal we continued to explore a little more. Our rewards were great for we observed Blue and Yellow Macaws, several raptor species and many Horned Scremears.
After this certainly productive morning the clouds all cleared up and it was time to head back to the ship. Once onboard our Chef Israel Lituma taught us how to prepare a local dish known as “Juane.” Several guests helped to prepare this delicious meal with their own hands. This meal is a very complete one, it consists on a big ball of rice, chicken, and olives all wrapped up in a local Amazon leave, known as “bujio” and then boiled in hot water. During lunchtime we had some of the “Juane” we prepared as a side dish to our main course. It sounds great? Isn’t it?
In the afternoon we visited the Pacaya River. We went as far as we could and ended up in a black water ox bow lake called Yanayacu Lake (black water lake). It was quite hot so we donned our bathing suits and went in the water for refreshing swim! All around us in the water were pink river dolphins passing by in the distance. It was a certainly special time to float in the middle of the Amazon surrounded by the greenery and the magical sounds of nature.
In our way to the lake and to our great delight we found many Giant Victorian Water Lilies (Victoria regia) as well. There were also numerous horned screamers (Anhima cornuta), which are a relatively large goose-like bird who brawls like a donkey and a raucous mixed troop of Squirrel and Black fronted Capuchin Monkeys as well. As the river’s water level is dropping this time of year, we had a real adventure pulling the skiffs on grassy marshes trying to reach our destination. Meanwhile we were helping each other to cross several animal species off our wildlife lists like Black capped Donacobius and a miniature Glass frog (Centronella sp.).
As we returned to the ship, we can feel but happy to have seen and experienced the full spectrum of life and joy that inhabits a day in the Amazon.
