This morning on the Supay River and Iricahua Creek we added not only to our list of sightings for birds, we added to our mammal, reptile and butterfly list as well. All of these sightings are wonderful to behold, but another sense was utilized and that was sound. We have gravitated from pointing and asking “what is that bird?” to quietly listening and inquiring “who makes that call?” This is a full sensory experience, and we have put all of our senses to work. From the rainforest comes the camu camu fruit, which we have enjoyed as a fresh juice each morning. We have feasted our eyes with the landscape and its wild inhabitants. The sounds of the forest have enchanted us, from the high-pitched squeaks of the squirrel monkeys to the low donkey like brays of the Horned Screamers. Into the black waters we have literally dove in and swam amongst the pink river dolphins and their explosive flatulence-sounding exhalations.
Lastly, there have been the people. The people of the rainforest have been our hosts as well as a source of local knowledge. The quote of the trip, however, has to be from a young boy we met this morning. As we navigated up the Supay River, we came to a home where a woman was busy with the family laundry as three small boys played in a canoe nearby. The youngest of the boys called out, and our guide translated for us that he had been asked, “Where did you find all the Gringos?”
The sights, sounds, flavors and people of the Amazon basin have left us with a smile on our face, and they have found a place in our hearts as well.
