Pacaya & Zapote Rivers
For the greater part of the night, a lightning and thunderstorm provided a show for all who slept with the curtains of their picture windows wide open. The rain was also fierce, but had slowed to a steady drizzle by dawn. By the time we had had breakfast, there was only a bare light mist that soon disappeared and allowed us to go on our way up the Pacaya River. To my amazement, when I looked at the mouth of the Pacaya River I remembered so well from last year, it had completely changed! The Ucayali River had eaten away at the banks and broken into a curve of the Pacaya down river. As a result, the entire Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve Park ranger station has to move house to this new opening.
We sped our way upriver, spotting macaws, sloths, squirrel monkeys, jabiru storks, and those most unusual of birds—the hoatzins. The opportunity to swim in Yanayacu lagoon was taken up by only a couple of people (Don and Reny), who shared it with some pink dolphins who kept a shy distance, but never too far, either.
Once back home on the Delfin II, we wet sail down the Ucayali. For the first time in a few days we were no longer fighting the current, but rather traveling with it, as we had turned around from our farthest point, the Pacaya River.
Rudy, one of our local naturalists, gave a talk on medicinal plants with lots of samples to see, touch, and smell. In the afternoon we reviewed our wildlife checklist (took a while), and Reny recounted several Amazonian legends from the region and spoke from experience that many are still believed today.
Our late afternoon was an excursion by skiff to the Zapote River. This river is being cared for by a community who live at its mouth. Don and I chose to explore the river by kayak once more—how absolutely peaceful. There was barely a current, and no mechanical sounds for a long while, so the shrill squeeks of squirrel monkeys pointed the way to their tree, while other, more mysterious sounds, unidentified, came gently through the green wall as well.
Our visit to the community was two-fold; to see their houses as well as a last chance for some handicrafts. The kids were fascinated with us, as expected, and gathered around to help me fill the frame of my daily photo, as you can see!
The one last opportunity on offer before dinner was “pisco sour-making” demonstration by the bartender…and drinking the results afterwards, of course.
