At sunrise this morning we enter the small river known as Zapote. Gray river dolphins are feeding at the mouth as fish are jumping high into the air, some landing inside our boats! We pass through the narrow entrance, and the stream is lined with egrets, much like channel markers. Adding into the color pattern are wood storks, jabirus, jacanas, and cocoi herons. Once we enter, a whole other world is revealed. The current drops away, and we slowly make our way, searching for wildlife. Some of us paddle by kayak, while others relax on the skiffs, coffee in hand.
Soon, we are spotting more wildlife. An iguana is basking in the early morning sun. Small in size but long in name, a yellow-crowned brush-tailed rat peers out of its hole. Kingfishers rattle as they fly above while black-collared hawks scream at us. A beautiful red-and-orange flowered vine is attracting quite a lot of attention, and two species of monkey are feeding together. We silently sneak up in our kayaks to a bug-eating machine, an iridescent bluish-fronted jacamar. Sharp eyes spot a sloth, feeding on young leaves. Soon, it starts moving down, coming nearly to the ground and giving us our best views yet of a sloth. After a quick visit to a local village for some handicrafts, we make our way back to home sweet home, the Delfin II. As we are sipping fresh squeezed cocona juice, we watch capuchin and squirrel monkeys feeding beside the ship.
Today is our final day here in the Amazon. We have had many incredible encounters, met some special people, enjoyed some spectacular sunsets, and explored some wild lands.
I cannot wait to do it again.
