Excerpts from my Mom's travel journal...

"Today was a day unlike any other so far. We were in a small village called Boca de Valaria in the middle of nowhere ! We have been traveling down the Amazon river for more than a day already, and trust me…there is nothing here but muddy water and floating logs and debris from the forest. The ship had to pick up a pilot consultant for the Amazon River, to go more safely, deeper into the rainforest To pick them up, we found ourselves in this village. We tendered in our own lifeboats to the nearby village and as we exited the boats, were greeted by the villagers and many children. They took our hands and showed huge smiles, while walking alongside of us. I ‘adopted’ two little girls and a boy…for most of the morning. They introduced me to their father, and I visited in their home. I found it to be very sparse, as one might expect, adorned with hammocks in each room (beds), a macaw poster, few to no pictures and a very primitive kitchen. The elder who showed us her home was a short, older woman, with a dark, worn face filled with the wrinkles made from hard work and family life. She was lovely and welcoming. It was nice just meeting her. After about an hour, finally, I gave each of the children a little Peruvian doll pin and a small amount of money to be used for school supplies; then, off they went (to another newly arriving visitor)."

"After seeing their church, school and homes, we took a dugout wooden canoe ride down the river to a water lily garden. Interesting to note that when we tried to enter the garden, the propeller of the small gas motor, got stuck in the roots and nearly threw both Pat and me into the Amazon, camera and all. Luckily, the boat righted itself, just before we went in and all was all right. I don’t think Pat wanted to go swimming in the Amazon very much…me either! Riding in the boat was lovely, quiet and smooth and filled with the simple beauty of a primitive jungle river. The water lily garden was massive and we found a few lilies in bloom, some random birds walking along, on top and within the garden. It was peaceful, lovely and a memory not soon forgotten."