The World Wide Will Amazon Adventure – Day Eight
Posted on November 9, 2009
As the sun came up this morning we could see that the giant water lilies had completely clogged the entrance to the small river that led up to the second ranger station. So, instead of sending the skiffs in the entire Amatista began plowing her way up the small river through the lawn-like green waters. The bow of the boat cut through the lilies like an ice ship plowing through a frozen Arctic sea.
Once we were in the clear the skiff boats were launched and we were skimming across the still water towards the second ranger station where out lunch was waiting on us. On our way we ran into another floating pasture but this time the small skiffs managed to plow through. With some effort of course. Again, the skill and experience of our skiff drivers proved invaluable in our expeditions.
Finally, haven broken through our series of barriers, we were able to start catching some views of the vast wildlife along the banks of the river. We saw a lot of monkeys including howlers, sakes, cappuccinos and squirrels. Lunch was at the second ranger station, which used to be an old Japanese research facility. International Expeditions is the only organization of it’s kind that is allowed this far into the reserve so everything is pristine and untouched. The oddness of the clean lined Asian architecture set the building apart from the jungle around it. The resulting aesthetic was strange and surreal but fascinating. It was the perfect setting for the pinnacle of the morning excursion, which proved to be an amazing and a once in a lifetime adventure.
The afternoon brought a good rest as we relaxed on the boat and escaped the warm sun and jungle air. We lounged under the dark green tarp of the boat’s upper deck, drank ice cold beers, listened to the band and snacked on more plantains and fruits from our earlier jungle excursions. The band was fantastic as always. It never ceases to amaze me to be sitting on large upper deck listening to such a great and fun band that is made up entirely of the boat’s crew. From the cabin boy to the skiff driver almost the entire crew gets involved in one way or another. They have truly been one of the highlights of the trip.
The draw of sleep comes quickly and heavily again as another wonderful day winds down. I do not want to think about tomorrow being our last night on the boat so I set my mind on all of the monkeys we saw today and on how good the cold beer was when we got back. My heavy eyelids gave way and I was sound asleep in no time.
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