We spent the morning exploring more of the
delta and were lucky to come across a troupe of (in spanish)
Cappuccino monkeys parading across the trees in front of us and a
python snoozing nearby. I even managed a few semi decent photos
although I've concluded wildlife photography is not my calling. In
the afternoon we donned wellies and headed into the jungle where the
mosquitoes were out in full force. While we walked, swiping randomly
just about kept them at bay but whenever we stopped for more than a
few seconds, when Lui would tell me about the medicinal properties
that seemingly every plant in the jungle had, they descended with an
almighty fury. After Lui had cut down a few plants to make medicine
for some of his family we made a quick retreat back to our boat and
the haven of the river, whose tranquillity I now appreciated all the
more for its lack of mosquitoes.
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| If you squint you might be able to make out a monkey somewhere in the top of the tree |
Having surveyed the damage, I then tried my
hand at pirana fishing, my first attempt at fishing of any kind in
fact. Although Lui told me there was a very slim chance that we'd
catch anything, since it had rained a lot, within ten minutes or so I
felt a snag on my line, flailed wildly like I'd seen people do on tv
and was rewarded with a tiny pirana! Having exhausted my beginners
luck, we failed to catch anything else but I did get to taunt Lui
that he needed more practice. So again, while I probably won't make
fishing my full time profession, it was definitely a great experience
and I got the photo to prove it.
We watched another spectacular sunset while
chatting about Lui's current lack of a woman. Turns out Lui is 26,
has 3 kids aged 5, 6 and 7 and his wife has left him so the kids
live with him and their grandma. I've got a lot of catching up to do
in 2 years; I feel like a child in comparison and maybe something
about travelling and seeing new things has brought back a child like
sense of excitement in me. I also have to keep reminding myself that
“real life” (or starting a family) starts a lot earlier here than
back home, and its normal for indigenous couples to have 5-6 kids
before they even hit their 30s. I told Lui he should try and snag a
rich tourist, which is easier said than done in the scope of a 3 day
excursion but if he milks that sunset I reckon he's got a chance.
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| I think there may be a monkey in this tree too |
Life in a river community has its own pace, one
which is unsurprisingly slower than elsewhere. Although some of the
indigenous people living on the river are involved in tourism, the
majority still live a more traditional lifestyle, working on the land
or fishing (Lui's family used to farm melons before the earth became
less fertile). This obviously goes hand in hand with ownership of
many modern conveniences like television, and buying “western”
clothes from town, but Lui said a lot of the food and medicine still
comes from the surrounding area. Lui also told me that the majority
of people still spoke the indigenous language and that the children
always spoke it with their parents which is in an interesting
contrast to the community we worked with in Santa Elena where the
language and the majority of the customs were being overpowered by
outside influence. I would guess a lot of it has to do with
proximity; maybe the river provides a natural barrier (its a 1-2 hour
trip to the nearest town from Lui's house) so the unstoppable march
of globalisation will have to wait a little longer before every
indigenous community on the river has a blackberry.
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| Chillin and fishing with Lui |
We also discussed the fact that this would be
my first Christmas away from my family, something I hadn't really
given much thought to until now. According to Lui, Christmas and New
Year around here are good fun, as each community up and down the
river organises a fiesta and, since it seems everyone knows everyone
else, its a great excuse to say hi to the neighbours, have a drink
and have a dance with the chicas. The the sense of community here is
amazing and something that is sadly missing in a city. After a dinner
of fish (a slightly more impressive specimen than the one I caught) I
fell asleep to the sound of the jungle and wondered where I'd be for
Christmas and if I'd enjoy life on the river. I concluded that, no,
within a few more days I'd be bored out of my mind, but the
experience was memorable to say the least.
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