We've been paddling for several days now, deep in the jungle. I was getting a little worried we might run out of people to write about! Luckily yesterday when we stopped for lunch, we stopped at a camp where a family was also having lunch. There was one long dugout canoe with a motor on the back…and you won't believe how many people and animals were traveling on it! This was a great opportunity to learn more about how people survive in the flooded forest. They were as curious about us as we were about them.

There were six men, one woman, an eight year old boy named Christian, a one year old girl named Vanessa, 7 pigs (most small), 2 chickens and one saddleback tamarind tied to a tree (a very small monkey, related to the marmot). There was a kind of low bamboo cage built on the bottom of the boat and that's where the pigs were traveling. Every now and then they would all start snorting and squealing. I am not sure how all of them fit in there, but somehow they did! They were taking a lunch break, cooking in some pots over a fire and relaxing a little. One man came over and asked us if we could sell him some of our fuel. We don't have an over-abundance of supply, but we gave him about a half gallon as a gesture of goodwill. We refused to take any money for it. A few minutes later a man came over and handed us a big leg of peccary. A peccary is a kind of wild pig and there are lots of them in the rainforest. They had shot it yesterday and that was what they were cooking for lunch.

When their lunch was ready, they offered to share it with us. I was filled up on tuna, crackers and jam…but most of our group tried some and said it was delicious. The peccary leg they gave us has been salted, so it is preserved without being refrigerated. Warren made us a delicious stew with peccary, carrots, potatoes, rice and a wonderful broth.

This family came from a very small village call 2 De Mayo (which means the Second of May) down on the Coucho Grande river - there are only about one hundred people who live in their village. It had taken them about two days to get to where we met them. They were headed to Lagunas to try to sell their pigs. We asked them how often they made the trip to Lagunas and they told us only one time per year! We were very lucky to have run into them on this annual journey and learn about their lives.

-Jennifer

Click Photo to Enlarge
Here is the boat the entire crew was traveling on.

Click Photo to Enlarge
Christian and Vanessa enjoy their peccary ribs.

Click Photo to Enlarge
Warren holding our peccary leg.