Monday, 8 August 2016

18th May: Amazonian Farm

8pm start with a level 1 activity - Ha!  Easy Peasy.   

I jumped back onto the boat (ok, bit of an exaggeration, but I was feeling very pleased with myself by this stage).  20 minutes ride along Madre De Dios River to visit a local farm, one of the suppliers to the lodge.  We walked around freely with Indira on hand to explain all the unusual fruits and to offer samples.  We saw/tasted:

  • Plantain (various types, including 'ordinary' bananas)
  • Pineapple (much loved as home by tarantulas)
  • Jungle potatoes (supplied to Hacienda Concepcion)
  • BIG lemon tree with BIG lemons
  • Star Fruit
  • White tomatoes
  • Cocona (bright orange berry used in spicy sauces, juices, nectars, ice creams, paletas, and desserts)
  • 'Fish Eye' Chilli (Peruvians love their food spiced up)
  • Chicken with her chicks (same as home)
  • Papaya
  • Ginger root (different from ours, but can't remember how!)
  • 2 types of sugar cane
  • Aji Dulce (Sweet Peppers)
  • Cacao Trees
  • Brazil Nut trees
Star Fruit - try some

Aji Dolce (sweet peppers)

Lots of Plantain

Sugar Cane

Cacao Tree

Brazil Nuts

Crushing those nuts
Back at base I treated myself to a deep tissue massage, which was 30 minutes of bliss after all the Level 2 activities.  After lunch I decided to pass on the last activity and have a well-earned relaxation and finish my book - Inca-Kola: A Traveller's Tale of Peru by Matthew Parris.  A great read.  The rest of my party went fishing for piranha.  Apparently the men were not impressed with the 'Tippy Boat' containing rather a lot of water. They didn't catch any but had a couple of good sightings, including Caiman and Ian got a fantastic photo of the Hoatzin. 
The famous tippy boat

Piranha fishing




Hoatzin



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