January 7th - OMG! Part 4

During the night our boat had moved farther upriver and we awoke to find ourselves anchored in the middle of quiet little tributary with birds flying and singing overhead.  We enjoyed a quiet and peaceful canoe trip further upstream sighting many new species of birds, parrots and macaws, as well as a few turtles and more small mammals.  We returned to the boat for breakfast.

After breakfast we were briefed on our next adventure, a jungle walk deep into the forest and through both the low and high jungle areas.  Around 10AM we were joined by our jungle guide Fernando and his son Isaac.  Local natives of the area, they were both charming and interesting.  Neither spoke English but their smiles and the light in their eyes was disarming.  We suited up for our hikes, inset repellent, sunscreen, long pants, long sleeves, and CLOSED toed shoes.

On shore we were once again told to walk in each other foot prints, not to venture from the trail, and to stay in a straight line.  We would soon understand why this time the warnings were even more serious and for good reason.

We begin following Fernando as he lead the way with machete in hand, occasionally cutting through overgrowth on the path.  During our hike we encountered a giant tarantula hole and its inhabitant, although hesitant to show itself fully, we could see its front arms and that was enough.  There were tree frogs and termite mounds, giant hand hills and the biggest and deadliest black ants we'd every seen.  A found a nest of huge red carpenter ants and were warned to stay well back.  

We were introduced to rubber trees, cinnamon trees, clove vines and other spices plants, flowers, birds, and the traces of larger land animals.  The jungle was hot and VERY HUMID and as we were melting in the heat one more new thing and the story behind it kept our minds off of the sweat dripping from every pore and what was undoubtedly laying the leaves and forest litter just feet from where we each stood!

Our forest walk lasted about two hours and when we returned to the boat we were told we could swim for awhile.  Without hesitation we jumped into the dark water once again clothes and all and took advantage of the swim to not only refresh ourselves but also "wash" our clothes.  On deck Isaac and Fernando quickly set up a beautiful display of the jungle jewelry and artifacts they make and we all enjoyed a truly unusual and not at all "touristy" opportunity to admire the quality of work and make purchase.

Lunch followed our morning adventure and then the moving of the boat to yet another anchorage with a lot of free time to relax and marvel at the ever-changing Amazonian landscape.  Every turn in the river had a different look and occasionally a native hut or floating river village gave us another pea, into a way of life so foreign to us.  We eventually found our anchorage on the border of a national park territory and set off on a late afternoon canoe cruise into the park.  The cruise was once again an opportunity to see birds of all kinds and more of the river.
Upon our return we enjoyed some free time before dinner and a special celebration Amelia’s 60^th birthday.  Gifts and cards were offered and we all had a great time welcoming this pretty lady into a new decade of her life.  The rest of the evening was spent enjoying each other’s company and the spectaclar star filled sky.