Day 4 in the Amazon

Fortunately, I believe my stomach is fine. Just the one incident to purge dinner and nothing else, so I went on the fishing trip after lunch. I caught a red-bellied piranah! We took some pics and tossed him back. The others in the boat caught two red-chinned piranah, a river sardine, and a talking catfish. The latter deservedly earned its name through the almost barking sounds it made.

After fishing, we spent a brief interlude at the hotel waiting for the sun to set. Once it did, we were back on the river. We went upriver for about ten minutes, then turned off the motor to drift.

The river at night was...magnificent? Mysterious? Majestic? Fireflies flitted around the boat reflecting the stars twinkling in the vivid Milky Way while lightning danced behind the clouds. Very distant thunder gently rolled while current-borne logs and other natural debris almost silently nudged our boat downstream. An earthy, ancient scent rose from the water reminiscent of soured soil yet full of promise for future fertility.

After breakfast this morning, we went to Black Monkey Island to see the giant water lilies, Victoria Regia. During out short trek, we spotted a male three-toed sloth and a large butterfly whose underwings have the appearance of an owl's face. The water level is very low now, so the lake is little more than grass, reeds, and small pools. Once the island floods, many of the numerous lakes will be flushed out for new growth to begin, just as the river promised me last night.

Now, we're waiting for lunch to be served before we take our final boat ride back to Iquitos.

So long [for now] and thanks for all the PIRANAHS. ✌️Read more