Back to Nauta

The plan was to go back to Nauta and hire a speed boat and then go to several other sites to set up some plots. So we got back in our fixed peque peque and headed for Nauta. It was a lovely boat ride – and there was no rain at all. On arriving in Nauta where the dock is used as a dumping ground for rubbish and litter, we carried all of our things into a hostel and then went for a hearty lunch. It was massive comprising beef soup followed by chicken and rice. This was followed by a visit to the tourist area of Nauta and a lake that’s home to turtles, crocodiles and paiche (the longest river fish in the world). There were also painted pictures of Amazonia myths. All very interesting. One such myth claims that inside every pink river dolphins is a white man. If anyone ever becomes pregnant unexpectedly of for no apparent reason, it is blamed on the pink river dolphin myth. There is also a myth about ghosts in the forest which make people sick. Another was about a troll that has two feet in opposite directions. It was jokingly said that the troll looked like Hugo – fairly small and very strong! We strolled across a walkway where there were people’s houses. The houses were on stilts and made of wood.  In one of these a pregnant lady was lying on the wooden floor. The village is like no other I have ever seen before. We called for a speed boat, which will be ready on Saturday. Freddie spoke to me about the field work we will carry out and more about his research. (see later blog entries)