Looking out from the little 'lancha' the scenery is appearing, bit by bit in the detail that comes with the light of a new day. The water is light, a wide expanse. The land is dark, a strip of jungle running the entre length of the horizon dividing the sky and river. There are also several patches of dark where the sand bank is exposed. The sky comes up with several hues and tones, pinks, light yellows, pale blues and steel grey.
Vulchers glid about, black crow siloettes. 'Put-put canooes' arrive with their early morning business. Their motors do more than put-put, some kicking out loud, violent serises of bangs like a slow motion machine gun. If dawnlight wasn't enough to indicate the start of today the dock sounds bear the same message for those that hear. From the deck below two crewfellows have risen and are announcing their waking with streams of urine into the filthy habourside river.
Six rusty metal boxes with crude portholes and two decks of cargo and hammock space are here in 'the Port of the Jungle', Pucallpa, one, I am aboard, sat with my legs through the scafolding-pole like railings, tarpolian sheets drape the ferry's sides to ward off cold winds and rain. In front of me now, beyond the scum on the water, beyond the sandbank of vulchers where one canoo team passed the night, beyond the floating river debries and beyond the sand beach on the otherside of the low river, out of the jungle as infinate seeming as the sea, the red golden sun rises amongst the clouds laying down a glistening path of reflected light reaching almost to the foot of my boat. The lush green of the flood plains appears glourious against the rich, dull grey sky behind. Growing in brightness to the point at which not the sun itself, nor the water-path-reflection, can be looked at it now is gone... higher into the sky and behind cloud. Everywhere is day now. I'll go and fetch my tupperware to make a wash basin of it and complete the waking ritual I've seen the jungle dwellers complete many times since I made it to the Amazon, namely: brush my teeth and wash my face, hands and arms before discovering what the new days holds.