Piraña Caño, Puerto Miguel & Cedro Caño
After raining much of the night, we awoke to clearing skies at the confluence of the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers. We were at the mighty Amazon! Here, although being about 350 feet above sea level, we were still over 2,000 miles from the ocean. The river is swelling with the rains in the Andes, with many logs drifting downstream. It is beginning to spill over its bank in places, allowing us to access many exciting places.
Before breakfast, we entered Piraña Caño, a beautiful narrow stream with a lake completely covered in water lettuce. Jacanas and herons walked on the floating vegetation while flycatchers fed on the edges. Many beautiful butterflies passed overhead, as the sun began to breakthrough.
After breakfast we visited the village of Puerto Miguel. They have planted large amounts of palm trees to harvest the tasty Aguaje fruit that we have enjoyed as ice cream. Lots of Red-bellied Macaws appeared to find them tasty as well. It was fascinating to wander through the village and visit with the folks here. This village has developed an incredible diversity of quality handicrafts, and we certainly helped the local economy.
In the afternoon, another gorgeous side creek was on tap, this time Cedar Creek. Here the water is inky black, and there are many different side streams to explore. Kayaking was exceptional as we were able to paddle through the flooded forest. Paddling amongst the trees with flowers all around was a unique way to explore this forest, and we were lucky to have perfect conditions.
A very diverse and exciting day!
