Peruvian Amazon Oct 2013

There are two seasons at the Amazon River in Peru: high water season from December to May and low water season from June to November.  Even though we went during the low water season, there was still some rain.  The main difference in visiting during the different seasons is the ability to access the jungle trails that get flooded during the high water season.  But having said that, you can get closer to the animals by boat and see the rainforest at its lushest during the high water season.

We stayed on the Aria of Aqua Expeditions during our visit to the Peruvian Amazon.  The boat is modern and the cabins are spacious.  I can’t think of a better way to visit this part of the Amazon river.  Like a cruise, we navigate to a new location everyday and are taken on excursions into the rain forest.  We sailed along the two largest tributaries of the Peruvian Amazon, the Ucayali and the Marañon, as well as on the Amazon itself.

DSC02514The Aria of Aqua Expeditions – our home on the Amazon.

DSC02508Our bedroom on board the Aria.

20131005_120647Dining room of the Aria.

DSC02597The Aria docked amongst the water lettuce.

DSC02536We went on our excursions on these skiffs.

DSC02534Cruising along the tributaries of the Amazon.

Truth be told, the Amazon was not as I imagined.  I thought it would be more like going on a safari and seeing loads of animals peering at you along the river.  But in reality, we didn’t really seeing many animals.  It took us a while to spot a few monkeys and we only saw one sloth through the whole journey.  However, we did get to see some strange animals during the trip.

DSC02565The bumps of the tree trunk are actually bats.

DSC02521Guide showing us some water lettuce.

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20131005_090350The elusive pink dolphin.

DSC02585We went piranhas fishing with small pieces of steak.

DSC02583Check out the sharpness of the teeth of the piranha.

As I mentioned before, one of the benefits of going to the Amazon during low water season is the ability to venture into the jungle on foot.  We were given knee high rubber boots for the trek.

IMG_20131005_200625The poison dart frog is probably the most poisonous animal alive. The poison from the frog is what native hunters used to coat their darts. We were told that a single frog can harbour enough poison to kill 10 grown men.

DSC02656Weird looking creepy crawlies in the rain forest.

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DSC02616Finally something beautiful.

DSC02652Hundred year old giant ficus.

DSC02640Lots of strange looking plants and trees.

One evening we went out in search of some caymans.  It was very dark and spooky navigating the river in the dark.

DSC02673The walking catfish looks prehistoric and almost alien. It can walk on land using its pectoral fins as legs and breathe air when it is out of water.

DSC02684Small cayman

The following morning we went out before sunrise to try to spot some animals before they went into hiding in the hot weather.

DSC02693 - Version 2Dusk at the Amazon

DSC02723Spotted some ant eaters and a lone monkey.

DSC02726Little money having some breakfast.

20131006_075219Weird looking monkey with a big nose.

DSC02738The guide spotted a baby jaguar on the riverbank and brought it on board our skiff.

20131006_080510We are terrible for touching wildlife.

DSC02780Finally found a sloth climbing up the tree.

DSC02788Sloth in the tree.

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DSC02762The giant lily pads are so large and buoyant that we were told locals put toddlers on them for photos. The guide tried to convince me to put my backpack on one of the lily pads…. of course I said “no way” :)

I especially enjoyed the opportunity to visit a local village in the Amazon.  It reminded me of a village in the Philippines or somewhere in South-East Asia.  We got to meet the shaman of the village as well as curious and giggling local children.

DSC02835Village in the Amazon.

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DSC02871Local schoolhouse

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20131007_105358Because of the lack of resources and teachers willing to live in these villages, children of all ages went to school together.

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DSC02811Enjoying some brazil nuts with our champagne while we wait for sunset on our last day.

20131006_172215Beautiful end to the trip.

After disembarking the Aria, we were taken to the Manatee Rescue Center before our flight back out.  It is a kind of an orphanage for manatees where they are rehabilitated and then released back into the wild.  They are quite strange looking and I am surprised that folklore has it that sailors often mistake manatees for mermaids when at sea.

DSC02896Feeding the baby manatee some milk.

DSC02892The older manatees are fed water lettuce.

Cappadocia July 2013

Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia of Turkey.  Ancient volcanic eruptions covered this region with thick ash which solidified into a soft rock.

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