Ceiba Tops Lodge... 4. Day

Getting up 5:30 o' clock in the mornin' just to see birds. The rain is still on, but on it's way to go away.. fresh air and the sun is rises somewhere behind the trees... It's bit cold outside, but not much... We're takin' the boat out and then we start our sightseeing of birds on the Rio Amazonas...
We, that is a couple from France, our guide, the driver and me. 
Did we see much.. 
Well it was not that easy, but we saw Hummingbirds, Hawks, green Parrots, Butterflies.. -not so much, but some... then we saw bats and the two small yellow baby birds, who tried to fly, who where just learning how to fly...
We saw them on a big dead trunk with branches, which swam in the water. 
It was so hard to catch them for a picture and you really get an idea of how long and how often the others before you have must tried to get all those beautiful pictures of birds... 

a beautiful wild Ginger

birds, birds, birds

The Amazonas Dolphins did not come up to play with us, but we got a story about them to hear, which you actually can see as a picture on the airport from Iquitos... It is said, that no women is fishing, when it is about standing in the water, because they are afraid, the dolphins will come to them and make a child... you maybe heard about that dolphins like to be near mankind... so the children would be half fish, half man.... 
Next time, we gotta whistle with them... and have a good time... and because breakfast time was still a bit away, we drove to an INDIAN village with a market, so we'ed arrived like all the people there without going on a bridge. Stumping in mud, to come to the marketplace where they sold everything to wear and eat and where you could eat too on the place self, like in those fish halls we know in ol' Europe too. 
Just it is not that clean, but I guess the catfish and piranhas will taste good for them and also the smoked armadillo... You also had some pharmacy there- a little one, but anyway - one. 
I 'm not so much a pic taker, as I know that the people are not so pleased with that and so I think on the internet, you'll gonna find a lot to get an idea of what it was like... also it felt a bit like being in the Zoo. You know... we watch them, and they watch us... 
After this short passing by on a daily live in this part of the world, we had our little breakfast. 
We gotta be strong for the next planed Tour.. a visit in a Village... not just made for the Tourist, just as the people have it... You gotta have some Dollars with you, cos you pay it to the village  or better give it to your guide which gives it to the village people and then you are free to walk, talk and make pics... 

here we come up to the village

The village was about 20 min far away from our Lodge. This time the french couple, Christopher and Carlos and myself and the guide did the visit. 
When we arrived and I smelled the air, it was much like I remember my grandmothers village, with it's smokin' and wet earth tone and the warm breeze.. Of course, the people are poor, living in wood houses which do not have much space and they cock in them, have birds in them, cloths and a table and some chairs... little, small houses you cannot really understand how they live in that. But unhappy did they not look and calm as always here they were... people are not, in no way stressing them selfs.. not like us white chicken ;-)
The luck with this village is, that it also has a school. The country made it a rule to all children to have 8 years of school time, but the truth is many children have to work if possible... or if it just because they have to get some money to feed them self. The school seems to be at the highest place of the village. A big part is for soccer games and then two or three buildings, very simple but all you need is inside those walls and of course teacher, who are very dedicated to help and teach.... 
First of all things we have to get through here was, to hear all the names of the children, which seems not only to take endless time, it also seems that every child has an other name and really I tried but could not keep one single in mind. Then the Tourist had to say the names and where they come from. Mostly beloved Carlos was translating into spanish. Also when the teachers talked about the songs the kids where singing. It was very nice to hear them. We where clapping with our hands and then came the dance... Dancing children are nice, but much better for all is, when the tourist has to dance... we had the talent to dance, so it was not such a pain..;-) You know it's kind of makin' yourself a monkey... make yourself a bit a fool... ;-)
The children learn in spanish and in the dialect from this area. The schools try to keep them alive with this way.. teaching in two languages. But after school, the most just speak spanish, so the dialects die out more and more. 
So... the Anaconda dance was something we did and then some other traditional music came, which sounded much like a Samba tune.. So I could not help and did the Samba, which did really surprised the teacher... 
Yes there outside... we can dance too...  :-))
Still I am waiting for the pics of the school dance... but my dear friends did not had the time to send it all to me.. so just pics from the village, with flowers, the river Amazonas, water collecting system, Coconuts and waterlilies... 
What do these people do all day.. well, mostly fishing, because fish and rise and bananas is what they use to eat all the days.. sometimes a coconut, sometimes a papaya... sometimes an egg... simple.. so the little money from the tourist helps them too to buy some other things... oh it's not that their is no radio, we heard one actually from two houses... but then.. they sew, they collect in the forrest.... they sell on the marketplace.... 

from some strangers?

this is the view from the school garden

one of the water collect system

As this would not be enough for the day, after lunch we took our place in the boat again and where did it went? To an Indian trial, a real one... well bit is made for the curious tourists... We met the Indian on a meeting point... imitated of course, cos the original place where they live is deeper inside and should never been touched by us... well it is a compromise.. The deal is, they show us they dances and clothes and craft and peruvian people hope they can keep the dialect alive for another 5 till 10 years...
The problem with the Indians is, when they got contact to the new world, everything changes, that's why some organization try to find new tribes, but don't get in touch with them, instead they will be watched from outside and noticed in papers to safe the live and culture of them, cos still the most danger are those illegal deforestation... means, the industry sends out people who should kill those indians, when they don't want to leave the place they want to have... Better watch out where your wooden furnitures comes from!
The way to the meeting point is very nice... the Indians dances for and with us...
The most funny thing is, on the one side in the tent are all those americans and on the other side, we three boys, sitting in the same position( one leg over the other) and getting bit bored, because all the guide is telling to us, the others don't know about it, but we... 
So we look around and it seems that some of the Indians did not enjoy the compromise that much. Well, I can understand this somehow. 
Then the Indians showed they hunting instruments... explain the way it's function and then we had to try to blow inside and then to meet the goal, an parrot of wood. 
Actually, I did not wanted it to do... but at the end ...I was one of two or three who actually made it (right) (from the tourists). 
Then we had some time for buying or watching around, seeing monkeys and holding a three month old sloth. We were so carefully, but when we gave it back to one of the Indian women, she just put the animal with a fast and big swing into her crook, as it was nothing special and it looks like a modern women wearing her back these days. We laughed- it was kind of too crazy... we took the animal like china and they ... it was nothing special for them.... 
The fur felt like wet paper from the lazybones. 

in the back the INDIAN market place, where I was in the morning ....................................................................................

termite nests... big and bigger.. and me under one very big hanging on a tree

that's what I call a wood, a forrest... you need a machete to get through

a nice american woman with the sloth or lazybones

my dear Christopher...

our guides sitting and standing and talkin' in front of the imitated indian tent

Well, if it was my luck, I had also seen a shaman but this was an other group. Anyway, I doubt it would have went the way I expected. But so did I had time to collect some dead leaves from the Amazonas to take with me home. 

Starting with a Coca tea in the late afternoon, I feel good. The tea taste like a mix of black tea and peppermint tea. The sugar here is natural and made of fruits and is very sweet so better try the half and then decide if you really need it sweeter... The coffee here on the other side, is better not to drink... it is not a real good coffee, but it is always better to drink a cocktail, a juice or some water... isn't it?
The food self is not strange... you'll have no problems to eat it all... and when you're a lucky kid you meet an animal the biggest here like a pig... don't remember it's name...
...but just look at the pics... he was always searching for food but never did he seemed to be disappointed when he did not got something... slowly he went... calm it was... 

You think this is really enough for one day and I should lean back...?! No, not for me, I did the night walk after supper. :-)
Seeing ants carrying leaves, spiders bigger then home, move from and back, grasshoppers, millipede, moth and others... was thrilling and what a noise! It was loud! And to watch on the flowers and trees, palms and leaves with the flashlight... so beautiful... not really to catch with my mobile camera... I really tried... but no, this is too much, to big, to good..:-)

a millipede

And because I liked it so much to be the lucky one to get to know Christopher and his dear friend Carlos, this Blog is dedicated to them both. Miss you guys...!

LOVE & LIGHT