Category Archives: Manu River

Amazon Queen

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I’ve spent a lot of time in boats, all sort of boats, beginning in the 4th grade with a 12’ aluminum Smoker Craft and a 5 horse Merc. Then there was a 14 foot Sea Swirl with a 25 horse Merc.  Then there was a 17 foot Glasspar with a 110 horse Merc Cruiser, which frequently failed to start. This was followed by a couple 17 foot Fiberform inboard outboards and finally a very nice 17’ Sea Ray.  There were a couple of 17 foot Thistle sailboats in there as well. During all this we became good friends with people who had yachts.

Always good to know someone with a boat, especially a yacht!

Now, here in Hawaii, there are 40 foot ocean going outrigger canoes.
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With this in mind, and for the record, at the end of our first day on the Madre de Dios River in Peru, I asked our captain and his crew what kind of craft it was we were trusting our lives with. Now, my Spanish is not so great. With the help of one of our traveling companions we were able ask the question in good Spanish. At the end of the discussion, all we came away with was “boat.”  Had we been in Mexico, I would have called it a Panga.  Wikipedia defines panga as a “modest-sized, open, outboard-powered, fishing boat common throughout much of the developing world, including Central America, the Caribbean, and parts of Africa, the Middle East, and much of Asia. In addition to being used by fishermen, pangas are also popular with Somali pirates.” Good to know.

I can honestly say that some of the best times in my life have been on a boat. For sure, once again, thinking often of Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen, the time spent plying and navigating the waters of the Amazon River Basin to exotic destinations and ports of call easily fell into “one of the best times in my life.”

Also posted in Peru

Capped-Heron, Manu River, Peru

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I’m beginning to have a problem figuring out how many more images to post from our adventure into the Amazon River Basin. I mean it’s not everyone who gets to experience such a wonderful trip. And as I note on my home page, for me, a good photograph is simply one that shows the viewer something they have never seen before or takes them to a place they may never be able to visit. A valuable photo is also something one can use to recall special times in special places with special friends.  I believe these postings and images meet both criteria.

I took over 1500 frames on this trip and I’m still sorting through them, finding little jewels here and there. In retrospect, I wish I would have taken more. Part of the problem is coming up with something to say about each of the images I’d like to share. I also wish I would have taken along a tape recorder to capture the ongoing dialog from our guide who was a wealth of information – especially when any given bird was under discussion.  

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Each night, before dinner, we’d huddle around a table wherever we were staying, all wearing head lamps. The lamps were all set to red so we would not blind each other. During this time we reviewed each and every bird we spotted. The review was facilitated by a really great check list provided by Manu Expeditions. In summary, we spotted and identified over 150 individual species. Again, recording these sessions would have been very cool. 

The one thing I recall about the Capped Heron is that as Wikipedia notes, “the Capped Heron is distinct from other herons, being the only one with a blue beak and face, and a black crown, with three to four white long feather extending from the black crown.” Danny, our guide, referred to the Capped Heron as being quite handsome.  I agree.

Also posted in Birds, Peru