Right before breakfast we loaded the skiffs and went to explore a little creek. The sun had just started to show its rays through the clouds. The village people of San Jorge had gathered on the shore of the Maranon River for their morning activities. Some to carry water, some to bail water out of their dugout canoes, and others to take a morning bath and wash their clothes.
Along the creek, several fishermen already had good results from their fishing, which they showed to us. Red-bellied piranhas, peacock bass, armored catfish and many other species. It seemed to be a great morning for fishing.
We continued exploring the creek, where a number of bird species were having breakfast. Colorful yellow-hooded blackbirds and red-breasted blackbirds had a feast right in front of our eyes. The different bird calls were loud and clear and mesmerizing. After the lovely concert we returned to the Delfin II for our own breakfast.
Our morning activity was a visit to San Jorge Community, which has been supported by a nonprofit organization known as Minga Peru. We had the great privilege of visiting the homes of several villagers. They were so kind to us. We learned a lot about their daily lives and how they can manage to live so simply with the minimum and yet always have a smile to share with strangers. We had the opportunity to hear what Minga Peru has done for them, such as empowering women to become leaders of their villages. A very educational morning.
Back on board, we continued our navigation down the Maranon River. Soon we arrived at the intersection of the Maranon River and the Ucayali River, where we drank an Amazonian toast with the local Peruvian drink, Pisco sours.
Shortly after lunch we arrived at Clavero Lake, where we boarded skiffs and explored the lake. More fishermen opened their nets and showed their catch to us. We also caught sight of the smallest primate of the Amazon, the pigmy marmoset. Next to the marmosets was a yellow-crowned brush-tailed rat that spied us as we took pictures. The lake had many things to share with us.
The sun began to set with lovely colors as we waved good-bye to Clavero Lake and returned to the Delfin II. It was another great day in the Upper Amazon.
