Pacaya River
We had left the Delfin II at 6 a.m. to enter the Pacaya River. By seven we were far into the reserve when we encountered a group of fishermen in their little dugout canoe waving to us, screaming something like “Boa upriver.”
Our guide understood the message, and a little farther up we stopped at the fishermen’s campsite to ask for details.
They had accidentally caught a snake in their fishing net last night. They had it in a bag until they could manage to release it. And they did not mind sharing it with our guests.
I was a bit confused (to say the least), but then I remembered that the term “boa” and “anaconda” are used interchangeably in Spanish-speaking Amazonia, although technically, an anaconda (Eunectus murinus) is a water reptile, while the boa (Boa constrictor) lives on land.
So I ended up in front an impressive seven-footer, the largest of all the New World snakes, a legendary Anaconda, Yakumama in Quechua, or mother of all water beings. For people from the Ucayali region, anacondas are capable of transforming into humans and give us special powers. If Yakumama is angry she gets all the fish in her belly and goes to the bottom where she buries herself. At other times she goes into the sky and swirls around and causes so much rain that the yuca (cassava root) is damaged. But when she is in a good mood, she allows people to fish all they want.
These fishermen won’t hurt her, and I am 100% sure they will send her back where she belongs; it is not a good idea to upset Yakumama! So, as she was already there, why not to take photographs and see every detail of her golden brown skin? This was an opportunity of once in a lifetime!
Pacaya had more surprises, like hoatzins, horned screamers, howler and squirrel monkeys. We also jumped in the black waters of Yanayacu Lake.
We know that Anacondas avoid humans at all cost, always taking shelter in deep water. They are not particularly skilled swimmers and capture prey by lying in wait long quiet, muddy and marshy riverbanks. We are safe from Anacondas while we float in the refreshing waters of the middle of the lake, with pink dolphins swimming around. But I notice that we are quieter than usual; it wouldn’t be a good idea to wake-up Yakumama.
