Our Boats
There were quite a few engorged visitors in my mosquito net by morning. Jenna and Noah were able to avoid the plague in their screened-in cabin where the girls slept. Noah had the added protecting of his baby travel tent which is completely bug proof.
Top: The last of the group to arive; Bottom: Blue-and-Yellow Macaws (Ara ararauna)
We set sail around noon after Greg arrived with another flight of passengers. As we set off we ate leftover Armadillo and watched the pod of Pink Amazon Dolphins that accompanied us. Our boat was actually two large flat-bottom boats tied side-by-side. There was another boat like ours who was going our way so they tied up to us until our next port. And so we cruised the Machupo River like a logjam of 4 boats. We spent the rest of the day and night traveling, the only day with no stops along the way. We were to meet the last of our passengers in the next port.
Checking the river depth
Pink Amazon River Dolphins (Inia geoffrensis)
Capybara Family (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris)
The Tapir that was almost dinner
This day was the most wildlife filled day of the trip, probably because the river was most narrow at this point. We saw countless water birds, Pink Amazon Dolphins, Capybara (the worlds biggest rodent), a Jaguar (which only I saw, the others were just too slow to look when I yelled “Tigre!”. Really! I saw one!), and a Tapir. The Tapir caused quite a stir on both our boat and the other. Apparently they are good eating and so the Bolivians were frantically trying to find a gun. Finally the Capitan of the other boat pulled out an old 9mm and tried shooting it like he were holding a small rifle. Needless to say he missed. He tried again but the old rusted gun jammed. At this point we were so close I practically could have jumped out and brought him back by hand, but the gun was not to fire again so the Tapir lived to see another day. Though I would have liked to add Tapir to my list of odd foods I have tried in my travels, I was glad to see the awesome creature climb the bank to safety, especially since Tapir numbers are dropping rapidly in much of South America.
Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus)
White-necked Heron (Ardea cocoi)
The star-littered night on the river was beautiful. I tried a new method of attaching my mosquito net and I managed to sleep slightly better in a hammock. The next day our village visits would begin.
Sunset on the Machupo River
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