This morning as we were all getting ready for breakfast, we were visited by Nancy The Tapir. She is a cute thing.. but I don't think she is too bright. She sniffed us all and examined some of our rooms. Then she followed us to the dining hall and promptly made here way through the swinging doors into the kitchen.

Nancy stayed in the kitchen quite a while.. then there was terrible squealing and complaining and Nancy was ushered back into the diningroom.. where she entertained herself by sniffing everyone again.



Shortly after Nancy's unhhappy exit from the kitchen two macaws were also ushered out and they kept us busy as they tried to chew and puncture all things we brought with us for our day's excursions. We saved most things, but they did manage to destroy a water bottle. We had been cautioned to keep the doors to our rooms closed and latched to keep the macaws out.. and now we are glad that we all took that advice!



After breakfast we walked to a nearby medical clinic. It was an amazing tour. It contained an examining room, a lab, a pharmacy, and a dental office, and a hospital-stay room... and although very primative by our standards.. it was the only medical facility for many, many miles.



We then continued our walk to the local rum distillery. The wide, flat banks of the river, which are flooded during the rainy season, are used during the dry times to grow rice and sugar cane... and sugar cane equals rum!

We got to see the antique cane press at work and to taste the results... very suggary juice. After the distilling process, the rum is sold in a little room of the owner's home which serves as a bar and liquor store. We got to taste several different "flavors" of rum as well and the delilghtful, light molasses which is a by-product of the rum process. It was all quite tasty.. but we didn't purchase anything.. I know we were all thinking of the added weight to our luggage! Too bad Juan The Guan missed this.. he would have had a great time.

Then we boarded our speed launch again for a two-hour ride down the river to Explornapo Camp. By the time we arrive there, we are about 75 miles down river from Iquitos and in an even more remote area. This camp is off a tributary of the Amazon, the Napo River... a small, but beautiful, river called The Sucasari. This time we are able to dock our boat right at the edge of the camp.

Although laid out differently, this camp is much the same as the first one we stayed in. It has the same ammenities and we feel right at home. Our rooms are a bit larger and we have a little more space for our personal items.



After our morning tours and the ride along the river.. we do the "lunch and hammock house" thing until 2:30... then it is time to go fishing for piranha for our supper.

We went fishing in several spots with our bamboo poles and chicken bait.. but had no luck. Gypsy managed to catch a piranha but it got itself off the hook before it could be landed.. the famous "one that got away"!

No... Gyspy didn't have to bait her own hook... or try to land the little fish with big teeth... that is why God made "other people". I got to see the fish flipping on the hook.. and a pretty fish it was. It was rather flat and round and had a lovely rosey colored belly. I don't know anything about fish, so I can't compare it with anything else. I didn't feel very badly that it got away. One of our party did manage to bring in a piranha, but even so, it was a dismal day for fishermen... a great day for fish. At dinner, many of us tried a bitty taste of the piranha.. and for a fish.. it was quite tasty.



As we cruised back to our camp with our one fish, our guide tied up the leftover chicken (about a cup and a half) in its plastic bag and threw it to some kids who were swimming. They were so excited to get it... it will probably make a meal for the whole family.

I guess these piranha fish don't bite people, as there were lots of people swimming or net casting in the river. I don't know where the dangerous piranha are.



This evening after supper.. we went for a night ride on our little river... with the idea that we might see some night creatures. I don't know what kind of creatures we might look for though... and it turned out we didn't see any. So we floated along and watched the jungle slide by in silence and watched the lightning play in the sky from time to time. It was an exotic and dreamy experience.. and we were all pretty dreamy and relaxed by the time we floated back to camp!

Some time in the night, the rain started. It poured. But we were in our glowing room with our kerosene lamp turned low... cozy in our net coccoons.. and we listened to the rain drum on our thatched roof. It was wonderful. By morning, many of the kerosene lights along the walkways had been extiguished by the rain and the river was noticeably swollen with rain water.