Amazon 2015: Amazon

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Day 5 Sloths, Monkeys, Then After Dark

Pacaya Samira Reserve
The Pacaya Samira Reserve and is bordered by the Marañón River to the north, the Ucayali River to the south and a third river to the west. It consists of 5 million acres protected by 60 rangers who live there for 40 days at a time. We are exploring the southern perimeter.

Our guides explained this is a Reserve, vs. a Park - the difference being that people live inside the Reserve. Our guide (Segundo) told us there are 208 villages and 92,000 people at the Reserve. 92 villages (24,000) people live inside, and the remaining live outside in the edges called buffers. 95% of the Reserve is flat forest; so the mammals have a hard time when water is high like now.

Sloth Day!

On mid morning skiff ride at Atun Poza we saw LOTS of sloths. I think we counted 9!

We found Dr. Seuss' Lorax!

Monkeys

On mid morning skiff ride at Atun Poza we also saw several species of monkeys!

Post trip note: We saw 9 of the area's 15 species of primates!

Pygmy Marmoset
Saddle-backed Tamarin
Night/Owl Monkey
Dusky Titi Monkey
Monk Saki
Brown Capuchin
Common Squirrel Monkey
Bolivian Squirrel Monkey
Red Howler Monkey

Monk Saki

Saddle Back Tamarin

Spider Monkey

Festive Parrot

Red Capped Cardinal

Horner Screamer - Amazon's version of Canada Goose!

Amazonian King Fisher

Straight Billed Woodcreeper

Frogs

Sunset/After Dark (Pacaya River)
Tonight we park the skiff in the middle of giant lily pads (Victoria Amazonica). Our boat driver and guides pass out hot ginger tea and snacks at sunset. After sunset it is Mosquito Happy Hour (!), followed directly by the arrival of many bats. Many bats.

long-nosed bats
jamaican fruit eating bats
fishing bats

Bug Band!
<To my sister, Jenny!>: The Bug Band performed flawlessly!!! Here is a second link from the Bug Band at Dusk (aka Mosquito Happy Hour!)

Photo by Renzo

Caimin. Segundo scooped it right out of water, in the dark & in moving skiff!

Eyes glow read - just like I read about!
This was a White Caiman. Other two species are Black & Dwarf.

Stargazing
Stargazing that takes my breath away. The guides tell us they use the southern cross there, not the north star to navigate. Makes sense. I laid on my back to take in the full night sky.

On the skiff ride home, we pull the skiff up under a Great Potoo (nocturnal bird and related to the nightjar) perched high in a tree. I am in awe at the skiff driver's ability to night-navigate through the creeks, with trees limbs and night wildlife, back to the river and big boat.

Anti-Malaria Pills

Few of us are still taking these. I am though. Several were ill (top & bottom ill) and attributed it to their pills. I have had no side effects, and suspect it may be because when given the choice between the two, I chose the one (Malarone) with fewer/diminished side effects.

Hot Sauce

At the end of every dinner’s buffet, there is freshly made hot sauce or pico de gallo. Each night it’s a different color and heat; and I have enjoyed them all. Colleen and Kim from Canada speculated this was intended as a natural flush of potential parasites from our bodies. This was later confirmed by the crew.

Dung Beetles are ALL over the top deck's floor when we wake up. The crew sweeps early morning; so most guests never see them. I was fascinated with the quantity and daily recurrence!

Moth on my patio window

Link to next post: Swimming & Piranha Fishing!

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Day 2 Tour Lima, Flyover Andes, Board Boat

Breakfast buffet at hotel

8:30 a.m. meeting with Expedition Leader (Renzo) and 19 expedition mates from 3 countries (USA, UK and Canada). Introduced to our Lima tour guide: Sonia - our guide, for morning drive and walking tour of Lima.

Lima has no street drains, because it almost never rains. Their lush vegetation does not get their water from rain; but from the glaciers.

Lima has 700 gambling houses - predominantly owned by Chinese and Korean.

Government

Peru has 25 regions (like the US' states) and the province of Lima. Each region, including Lima, has an elected representative. Lima has 43 districts with 43 mayors and one ‘big’ mayor.

Casa Aliaga, a private home dating back to the Conquistadors

Plaza de Armas of Lima

Pretty Steet

Man was photoing me/our group across the street; so I photoed him.
Outside Catacombs of San Francisco

Ashley noticed... that is a copy machine (!) laying on its back

Buffet Lunch at Sheraton in Lima. Then, off to the airport - to leave this city of 9 million (larger than NYC's 7 million) and fly northeast, over the Andes... to the Amazon!!!

Guns N' Roses in Peru

There I was in Lima, Peru's airport - among thousands awaiting various in-country flights. Not only was our flight delayed; but we had shlepped our sweaty tired selves - and gear - to yet a third newly assigned gate. There I was - when I heard it. Whistling. The song "Patience" by G&R!

I scanned the crowd to ID the source, and it was a handsome, muscular, young dad playing with his toddler son. Earlier I had heard the dad call his son Eduardo. Eduardo waddled over to our group, and started playing with the hair on Logan's leg. Logan is 13 and traveling with his grandparents. When I asked the pervuvian dad about Guns N' Roses, he told me he did not speak english. In the absence of spoken language, we did as many do - and shared the language of laughter and smiles at Eduardo's extended affinity for Logan's leg hair! I asked, "Dos años?" and the dad told me the boy would be two next month.

Salut, Axl Rose - to your music reaching Amazonia!

After the weather cleared atop the Andes Mountains, we took a late afternoon flight over the Andes to Iquitos (90 minute flight / 630 miles northeast). The Andes are the world's longest mountain range. Iquitos is said to be the largest city in the world that cannot be accessed by road - it is accessible only by river and air.