Today, we started our morning with a skiff ride in the nearby creek known as Marayali. Its name comes from the merged names of two rivers, the Marañon and the Ucayali. In time, these two rivers merge to form the Amazon, and the big surprise of the morning, is that we are not too far away from where all this happens!
After enjoying the pre-breakfast ride, we returned to the ship to have breakfast and to quickly prepare for our next visit. Our guests have been looking forward to this particular location, as it was our opportunity to see and learn how locals manage to live in an area that is so isolated.
The village carries the name of the most important feature in the area, “Amazonas”, and despite its isolation, this group of people have managed to establish a well-organized community, and to develop their lives according to what is available to them in these surroundings.
Houses are not too big, and they are made out of wood from the area, as expected. They are all supported by “tilts” as the danger of “crawling” creatures is an ever present threat to both children and adults, especially during the night when they are sleeping.
The villagers are extremely friendly, and they were very happy to see our interest in their way of living. One of the representatives from the community spoke to all of us in one of the houses, sharing information about their customs and giving our guests the opportunity to ask questions about their daily lives. Farming and fishing are the two most important activities, and the main sources of food, work and money to almost all the inhabitants of the village. However, a group of entrepreneurial women of the community started an “artisan development program” a few years ago, and nowadays, tour and expedition ships, like ours, stop by the village periodically to purchase their products.
After such an interesting learning experience, we headed back to the ship and repositioned to the entrance of the Amazonas River, precisely in the area where both, the Marañon and the Ucayali Rivers, merge to form the mighty Amazon!
For the rest of the early afternoon, we enjoyed a very pleasant navigation up the Ucayali, until we arrived to a location known as Clavero Lake. Our skiffs took us through the lake and up to a narrow creek where two rare species of primates were found, the pigmy marmoset –also known as “leoncito”– and the dusky titi monkey. Once again, a very successful expedition day in the Amazon!
