The Zapote River has a particularly well-preserved and healthy forest along its shores and today we boarded our skiffs to explore it before breakfast. There is something special about being out in the jungle during the first hour after sunrise. The temperature is very nice and most birds and other creatures are especially active. Everybody seems to be waking up and there is a lot of chattering and flying around. The tall epiphyte-covered trees are impressive enough, but when numerous yellow-rumped caciques or an entire flock of canary-winged parakeets use them as perches, they suddenly became full of life. It is completely worth it to jump out of bed early to watch the waking up of the rainforest, and the Zapote River rewarded us with amazing sightings today.
We also had the opportunity to visit the small fishing community of Zapote. Many of the men brought their catch ashore and we got the chance to talk and learn about the methods and techniques that they use to make a living. Many photographs were taken of the many fish species that they showed us, including freshwater sardines, catfish, and even the infamous piranhas.
During the afternoon we positioned to Yanallpa and did some hiking on the varzea, which is the forest that gets covered by water during several months during the yearly floods. Trees and bushes survive months of submersion thanks to a special adaptation of their roots that covers them with a membrane and allows for some interstitial air within them. In fact, they don’t only survive, but thrive, and there is a bigger diversity of trees in the varzea than in terra firme! We learned about those and other adaptations and also about the many uses that the local people use of them in traditional Amazonian medicine and gastronomy. And with such an interesting experience, we finished our last full day in the mythical Amazon basin.
