Cedro Caño, Flor de Castaña Village & Iricahua
This morning we once again took advantage of the early morning beauty to explore before breakfast. Some of us chose kayaks for a quiet exploration of Cedro Caño while others went by skiff with our knowledgeable naturalists. This morning’s highlights were the various birds (both sights and sounds) as well as the scenic narrow channel.
After breakfast we had the pleasure of visiting the local village of Flor de Castaña, which means “Brazil nut flower,” in reference to one of the local foods they grow there. Unlike many of the villages that are built right along the bank of the river, this village is hidden from view. Access is easy this time of year (high water season), there is a small entrance stream, just big enough for skiffs, that goes right to the village. The rest of the year they have to walk to the river.
What a treat it was to visit with some of the local people and learn about some of their daily activities. We were shown how roof thatching is created out of palm leaves and visited with a gentleman who was cooking fariña, a way of processing cassava to enable it to be stored for a longer period of time. For sure the highlight of our visit was a trip to the local school to meet all the children. In an unexpected sharing session, they sang us one of their favorite songs, and then it was time for us to sing one for them! Having never sang as a group before, we stalled for a moment and tried to think of a song to sing, but thanks to Judy’s suggestion we provided a fine rendition of “If You’re Happy and You Know It (Clap Your Hands).” Then they sang their national anthem and we shared ours. As we have seen among our onboard crew, music is something that many of the local people are good at, so it was fun to participate in this cross-cultural sharing.
After lunch today Rudy gave us a hands-on presentation on the local fruits. This was a great way to learn about foods that we have been eating this week. Foods that we have never heard of, let alone seen before. There were a couple of familiar ones—like Brazil nuts. But who knew that they came in a group of 10 or so in a shell the size and weight of a small bowling ball? Then there were edible fruits like peach palm, zapote, chambira, cocona (which we know makes tasty ice cream) and aguaje (that flavored our jam this morning).
This afternoon we went on a beautiful and sunny skiff ride up the Iricahua. We saw (and heard) many birds, as well as a green iguana, the largest lizard in Peru! Ours was more than three feet long, but they grow to more than six feet. We also saw two new monkeys—the red howler monkey and the white-fronted capuchin monkey. To top off a wonderful day we were treated to a beautiful sunset as we returned to the Ucayali River and the Delfin II.
