Yesterday afternoon, we started seeing other people plying the river in canoes, and we knew that our trip was about to change. We were getting close to Yarina, the first of three towns along the Yanayacu River. As we grew closer to town, we stopped hearing Howler Monkeys. The troops of Squirrel Monkeys we had grown accustomed to seeing were nowhere to be found. Within only a few hours we left the truly wild rainforest behind, entering a rainforest inhabited by people.

The last 4 days of our journey will be through populated areas, and we will be staying in communities along the river, rather than camping in the flooded forest. As we paddled into Yarina, I was saddened by the fact that it would be many months before I will wake up to the sound of howler monkeys. I have grown accustomed to using their guttural song as an alarm clock.

However, as soon as our boat touched shore, we were greeted by a dozen smiling children who looked at us shyly while we stepped out of our canoe. My thoughts of howler monkeys vanished, and I turned my attention towards the wonderful people of Yarina.

Within minutes, word spread that we were in town. Several people that remembered us from last year's visit to Yarina came down to the river to say hello and to ask us how our year had gone. One boy came up and showed me a big scar on his foot, and thanked me for helping him. During last year's Project Peru, he had cut is foot with a machete, and we had helped clean and bandage his wound.

The children of Yarina are all very curious about us; there are always several kids, silently looking on as we cook, work on our computers, read, and go about our business. There are about 100 people that live in Yarina, and after a 10 minute walk around the community this morning, I had 18 children trailing along behind me.

We also went on a walk with a local man this morning to look for medicinal plants. The closest hospital to Yarina is in Nauta, which is a 10 hours away by motorboat. When people get sick in Yarina, they often rely on medicinal plants found in the surrounding forest to cure them. This morning we were introduced to over a dozen medicinal plants, which can be used to cure a wide range of ailments.

These people can teach us so much about the rainforest, I only wish we had more time.

Keep Exploring!
Dave

Please join us in our chatroom on Wednesday, May 3rd from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM CST, and on Friday May 5th from 1 PM to 2:30 PM CST. Remember to log your class in as a single user

Monday's Daily Dilemma received many responses. Most of the Student Explorers told Anna to keep taking her malaria medication, despite its side effects. She will need to keep taking the medication for 4 weeks after returning to the United States. But, we all agree it's better to be safe than sorry!