Sunday. Very little disturbs me more than being dragged from a deep sleep before the sun approaches the general vicinity of a yardarm, so imagine my general pissedoffedness at being woken at 5am by an Interpreter banging on the wall of our cabana in Reserva Amazonica. Choosing not to believe we had deliberately eschewed the 1/2 day Lake Sandoval tour the self-starting Interpreter’s attempts to rouse us were rebuffed with responses that escalated in both volume and invective.
Breakfast was taken at 0830 before we repaired to the cabana and dozed in the hammocks til noon. Much refreshed, though still feeling the humidity, we took lunch before the obligatory briefing on our chosen canopy and anaconda walk in the afternoon. With hats on, and water bottle firmly clipped to our belts, we took a five minute cruise downstream to the Inkaterra Canopy Interpretation Centre and received a comprehensive overview of their various conservation projects. Then followed a 30 metre climb into the treetops and a network of towers, platforms and hanging bridges in the rainforest canopy. Navigating more than 300 metres through the treetops we caught glimpses of exotic plants (orchids were all I recognised), insects of various sizes, more exotic birdlife and a couple of hyperactive tamarind monkeys. Navigating the suspended bridges was more than a spot of fun, but the humidity in the treetops was a challenge.
We continued deeper into the wetlands in search of a real anaconda on a 200m bridge suspended just above a swamp. There was much rustling in the undergrowth but unfortunately no wildlife presented for a photo op. We returned to our cabana on foot, refreshed and attended the Main House for cocktails and dinner.
Meals at Reserva Amazonica are generally a mundane affair, but to be balanced, this is an eco-tourism venture, not a gourmet retreat. Dinner was another buffet of fresh regional produce with an emphasis on fruits and simply-cooked protein. The buffet offered my first opportunity to savour a typical Peruvian dish known as Lomo Saltado. Essentially it’s soy/spice marinated beef, stirfried and served with onion and tomato, and is a classic Chifa dish reflecting the Chinese and Japanese influences on common Peruvian ingredients. It was the first of many Chifa dishes we enjoyed on our Peru visit and is the style that has been elevated to world notice by such global mega chefs as Nobu Matsuhisa.
Dinner was washed down with a domestic Peruvian wine (Yes. They do make wine). A bottle of Tabanero blanco de blancas (chardonnay/chenin blanc/sauvignon blanc blend – very “Rhone”) was enjoyed in the balmy breeze on the mezzanine floor with the mournful tones of Sting and the Police singing their 1979 classic; Message in a bottle.
I’m not sure whether it was the soothing breeze through the forest canopy, or the expectation of reading a message … but either way, we ordered a second bottle.