Dolphins from the Delfin

It’s bound to be a good day, when you spot a pink dolphin from your loo. The Delfin II was moored this morning at the Clavero Lagoon, just off the Ucayali River. This is a headwater of the Amazon, which begins officially downstream where we turned right from the Marañón River during the night.

There were vultures in the trumpet trees and on the muddy bank, waiting patiently in their full-bottomed wigs for their dinners to decay sufficiently; white egrets gliding gracefully over the water; yellow-tailed orioles darting too fast to photograph; kingfishers, swallows, hawks, flycatchers… We paddled past in the kayaks, then zipped along in the skiff; but best of all was sitting back on deck on the boat as it glided along the wide, wide river. SO relaxing.

There was another pretty and tasty meal, there was a talk, a lifejacket drill, a nap, and then a walk through the muddy jungle in supplied gumboots, spotting wildlife. To be honest, it wasn’t what you’d call teeming – unless you counted the ants and mosquitoes – but Luís was very informative, and it was interesting. He did find us some very cute monkeys, though, peering down at us from their nest high in a tree. And tomorrow? There will be piranha fishing!