Zapote River and Progresso Village
One untold story here in the upper Amazon are the local people. For most of us they are an unexpected highlight of the trip. Sure, we all love the monkeys, birds, dolphins, iguanas, and massive trees, but the people are an unexpected treat.
Throughout this trip, we have experienced people fishing along the small rivers we visit. They always meet us with a smile and willingly show us their catch. This morning, being Saturday, many young boys were out fishing. As we slowly kayaked around them, we examined their catch and they were very happy to show us their fish. Quite a wide variety of piranhas and catfish, as well as many other things were enjoyed. One man even had a couple of massive catfish weighing over fifty pounds!
In the afternoon we visited the community of Progresso to get a feel for what it is really like to live here in the Amazon. This is a small village of about thirty families, who unfortunately have had two difficult high water seasons. Both of the last two years they have had to endure many months of being flooded, and quite a few families have abandoned their houses and moved to higher ground.
However, the folks still there were incredibly welcoming to us and even invited us into their homes. We learned from one woman about being a mid-wife, another man about fishing, and a third about what crops he raised. Of course, the children were fun to watch and many smiles were returned. Though they have experienced some tough times, they were a happy bunch.
The other important local folks are our amazing crew. From our guides to our bartender, skiff drivers to the Captain, they are a super group. To end off our evening, we were singing and dancing with the sounds of the crew. Once again, “the teenagers” amazed us with their talent and left us with a wonderful taste of the people here in the upper Amazon of Peru.
