' Go on, come in, we'd love to see you' - a warm welcome at Casa Matsiguenka

Day 4 25.4.06

We left the platform Tapir-less at 5am for a march back through the jungle to collect our things and get straight back on the boat.
Our destination today was Casa Matsiguenka home of a project that encourages natives to care for the forest with the aid of tourism.
Another seven hour journey was waiting for us with a stop at Cocha Otorongo (Jaguar Lake) on the way.
We also called in at the checkpoint to register our entry to the Manu Reserved Zone, the most protected part of the park.
As we entered the Manu River a King Vulture soared overhead and the wildlife immediately became more abundant.
Cocha Otorongo has been designated no-entry for craft of any kind so we had a good look around from a high tower.
Our company in the canopy was a small group of North American tourists and their children whose stomping about made seeing much difficult, it was also intriguing to see just what sort of person wears a Rolex to the jungle.
We did manage to see Capuchin Monkeys though and got brief glimpses of a family of Giant Otters.
Soon we were on the move again and arrived as night was falling at Casa Matsiguenka.
A fully traditionally robed native of considerable height and thin stature was waiting on the bank for us under a tunnel of trees.
He was a truly imposing sight.
Imposing, that is for five full minutes until he re-emerged in an 80's football shirt.
This moment of Peru-ness truly made my day.
The rest of the natives had made themselves scarce so we only had time for a meal and a quick exploration of the grounds that got us sight of a brightly coloured frog and a small tarantula.
After a cold shower I blew out my candle, flipped the mosquito net over and went quickly to sleep.