This morning we woke up by San Francisco, this time San Francisco of the Amazon, although obviously San Francisco is a very common name in Latin America. After a great breakfast, we jumped into or skiffs for a short ride to the village. These people of San Francisco are fortunate to live on higher ground adjacent to the river, so the even the higher water level this year does not affect them. It is really great to be able to leisurely walk among the people from this part of the world, and to get a little glimpse of their daily lives. During our visit to the village, we where welcomed into many homes to see up-close how these people have managed to adapt to the tough conditions around them. Indeed they have very few material possessions, but they seem to have enough to eat, and they are healthy and happy. The river and the rainforest is everything for this people; nature provides many kinds of fish, wild animals for meat, trees and palms also for food as well as construction material for their homes and boats, fresh water to drink from the abundant rain, and on top of that, the rivers are the roads on which they can travel. Everything is flooded, it is impossible here to get around any other way.
Visiting their homes, we couldn’t help being surprised by what we found in their kitchens, unrecognizable seeds and fruits, and the meat of animals such as caimans. We also could see how living in such close proximity to the jungle has made them prone to adopt some of the wild animals as pets, such as sloths, monkeys, and capybaras.
We learned also during our visit to this community about ongoing initiatives to improve the livelihood of these people, particularly the women, who make incredible crafts to sell to visitors. We also visited the local school, where we where received by several happy kids.
After returning to the Delfin II for lunch and some rest, we repositioned for our afternoon activities at Clavero Lake. An afternoon of some heavy rains didn’t stop us from taking skiff rides and kayaks to explore some more of the river. It is the rainforest after all!
After this full day, we settled in for a comfortable night on the Delfin II, taking time to rest and meditate about what we learned of the lives of the people who call this region home.
