This morning several of us opted to sleep in and skip the early morning fishing adventure for more piranhas. When the fishing crew returned the announced and displayed the best catch yet along with the promise that these beauties would be on the lunch menu today. We all enjoyed a great breakfast and then headed upriver to a spot along the riverbank where we had been promised we would see and maybe even meet some of the famous pink river dolphins.
We arrive mid morning at a floating house. There were a couple of other small tour boats already there and several people in the water. The owner of the business had established a relationship with the local dolphins and in exchange for the fish she fed them they agreed to swim with her guests…smile. We were all excited and got out of our clothes and into our swimsuits. There was an underwater platform attached to the house the projecting into the river. From it one could stand or swim out and meet the beautiful creatures. The pink dolphins are indeed pink and the large fresh water dolphins in the world. After a bit of bribing slowly the approached and within moments we are surrounded by these playful critters, curious about us and even more directed at the free meal beginning handed them. We got to touch and experience these animals in this unique way for about an hour.
After our encounter we dressed and prepared for a canoe trip up the river to visit a local native family who live in the traditional jungle way. There we would enjoy a tour of their home and gardens as well as a demonstration of how they harvest the manioc roots and process them into the food staple they all need for survival. As we left the dolphin lady and headed upriver it began to rain…not just a light rain, but a torrential rain that ended up lasted for hours.
By the time we reached the native family’s home we were drenched, the canoe was full of water, and there was no relief in site. We were all amused at how much water had come down and was still coming down and were all welcomed the covered area where a warm fire and the local family was beginning to show us their lifestyle. We stayed with the native family for about two hours were we watched as manioc and Brazil nuts were processed. We got to each fresh tapioca pancakes and fresh huts. And we stood around and simply were amazed at the rainstorm that still have not ended or even subsided in the least amount.
Finally we simply gathered our things and headed out into the rain and back to our canoe. By the time we got back to the boat we were laughing and still drenched. We dried off and had lunch as the rain eventually ended and the sun came out to dry things up a bit. After lunch we enjoyed our usual siesta before boarding our canoe once more for a late afternoon river safari up into another part of the national forest.
We headed upriver past a large and historic jungle tower hotel. Past the hotel we suddenly pulled over to the riverbank as we had spotted a large group of tree monkeys. As soon as we landed we were overcome by dozens of the little guys as they climbed over us, sat on our heads, and searched for what we soon discovered was a hidden supply of bananas that Wayne has brought aboard. We all thoroughly enjoyed the "bribe" and the opportunity to get some great photos and video. We all especially laughed as Sara screamed through her first up close and personal "wild" animal experience...smile.
Back to the boat just as it turned dark, we witnessed yet another amazing yellow to red sunset. Tonight was costume night and we each appeared about an hour later in costumes we had invented from what we had brought with us and from what we had gathered during our walks and adventures. The picture will tell the read story and John and Amelia easily walked away with first prize!
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