After navigating for part of the night, we woke up this morning at another section of the upper Amazon River, though this morning we had a very interesting twist to our regular morning outing. As usual, we departed before breakfast, but this time instead of returning to the Delfin II for breakfast, we had our breakfast come to us. Not just snacks or sandwiches, but everything—a full breakfast! A smaller boat with a couple of the waiters waited for us in a shaded section of the canal, and then they tied all of the skiffs together, put on white gloves, and started passing around plates, silverware, coffee or tea, juice, etc. A delicious and memorable breakfast in the middle of the Amazon jungle.
After our return to the ship for lunch and some rest during the hottest hours of the day, we ventured out again in the afternoon on our always-reliable skiffs. We went much farther into the upper Amazon this time, to reach the Yanayaku Lake.
This is one of the most scenic sections of the Amazon. Black, mirror-like water, that contrasts with the leafless, white-barked trees at the rivers edge, and a blue sky full of interestingly-shaped storm clouds in the distance.
At the Yanayacu Lake, we stopped briefly, so we could quietly and truly soak in all this gorgeous scenery, while enjoying a cold “cusqueña” (local beer) and taking a refreshing swim on the dark tannin rich water, among the occasional appearance of pink dolphins…. A magical moment!
As the sun started to disappear behind the tall trees, we returned to the Delfin II. It was a wonderful ride indeed. The speeding skiffs, the warm breeze, the intense blue and orange hews in the sky, all enhanced the magical moment.
We also spotted several of the animals that live here, some of which were in the process of getting ready for the night. Herons, parrots, macaws, terns, hawks, and other birds were seen flying and settling in to their usual roosting trees. We even found a troop of red-howler monkeys reaching the top of a tall tree to get a last snack before the night of the tender new leafs that grow there.
What a day!
