Yanallpa & El Dorado River
It is Thursday, it is Yanallpa, at the Ucayali River, and it is the day when we may see Blue-and-Yellow Macaws. Since before sunrise I am on the search, and we are all rewarded with these beautiful birds as well as Roadside Hawks (which should be known as Riverside Hawks, as in the Upper Amazon, rivers are the real roads, and better to keep it that way), White-Chinned Jacamars, and Pigmy Marmosets, my favorite primate (well, second favorite!).
Back on board, frogs of various colors decorate the tables of the Delfin II dining room while pink and gray dolphins keep us company.
After breakfast I choose to go for the hike in a flooded area, while half of our guests embark in a longer skiff ride. Flora and fauna all around are adapted to yearly inundation. The trail I walk was, only months ago, populated by fish, and probably dolphins. It’s like a fairytale; creatures from the water move in, make a living, fertilize, and when the water level drops, just leave.
Palm trees are abundant, very well adapted to the eternal floods. They are widely used by people from Amazonia as thatch for houses, wood to support dwellings, ropes, strings, weavings, hunting bows, fishing lines, hooks, musical instruments, and various kinds of food and drink. Just to name an example, the Aguaje (Mauritia flexuosa) is a very productive one, which bears up to 10,000 fruits per year, good for the most delicious uses, from ice cream to jam.
We untie the Delfin II from its tree to begin a long navigation to El Dorado River.
By 4 p.m. we take our skiffs to explore. We have learned that there are more than 2,400 species of fish in the Amazon River and its tributaries. I wonder how many species there are swimming underneath the boat. So abundant they are that we’ve even had fish jump into the skiffs! There are piranhas, for sure, with a reputation of ferocity that is more a reputation than a reality.
When the night falls we realize that spectacled caimans also inhabit the river. Our guides find every caiman in the area, so we can come back on board, fulfilled and ready to enjoy a lovely Thanksgiving Dinner, Amazonian style.
