Our day began bright and early with a sunrise walk through the rainforest. The mosquitoes were ready to meet us, swarming in hungry clouds as we strolled to a small lake. Here we boarded a couple of "catamarans.” We paddled a short distance across the lake, watching for interesting birds along the way. On the other side we found our trail and walked forty-five minutes into the forest. A local man from the neighboring town of San Francisco accompanied us, demonstrating how the local people weave their roof thatchings from palm fronds and gather the materials for weaving their beautiful baskets. Our naturalists pointed out interesting vegetation, and we learned about medicinal plants at a small clearing where the locals are planting a medicinal garden. We even found a sturdy vine and several guests tried a swing, Tarzan-style, through the trees. Retracing our steps, we paddled back across the lake and headed back to the ship for breakfast.
Having fueled ourselves for another round of activities, we hit the shore and entered the small town of San Francisco. Here we got to meet many friendly locals of the community who invited us into their homes to show us their way of life. One family shared samples of fresh catfish, which was very popular. We visited the local school, where the students sang songs for us and the teacher explained what they were learning. Many guests brought gifts to share with the children, and those were delivered to the school. At the end of our visit, community members shared information with us about what their roles are in the community and how they are working towards advancing a variety of social and environmental issues for their people. Some of the women also showed us how they dye fibers with natural vegetable dyes. On the way back to the ship, we got to enjoy some local music and dancing and walked past many local folks selling their hand-made items. We definitely contributed to the health of the San Francisco economy. Before lunch, we sailed to the confluence of the Marañon and Ucayali rivers, and got to see the two rivers flow together into the Amazon.
After lunch, there was a hands-on session for photographers and a tasting of many local fruits and nuts. It was a fascinating experience seeing where the fruits come from, learning how they are harvested, and how difficult some of them are to process. Later in the afternoon kayakers headed out to paddle the river, and the rest of us loaded into the skiffs to enjoy a cruise upstream in search of wildlife. Many exciting birds were seen, in addition to a wide range of monkeys and a distant sloth. A beautiful sunset wrapped up the day, and a stunning moonrise began the evening.
