So it only took less than five hours to travel a good way down the Amazon River in the new fast ferry to the town of Pebas, but it took about 7 hours to go up the Ampiyacu and Yaguasyacu Rivers in Ricardo's peque peque because it only has a 5 hp engine and it kept sputtering. Yully relaxed while Tulio Dávila and I discussed politics and ecology (he relaxed some too). When the engine periodically stopped, Ricardo's mom would paddle the boat over to the shore or grab the branch of a tree hanging over the river so we wouldn't float back down river. It was good to finally reach Brillo Nuevo just before dark so we could set up our hammocks and make our dinner with a can of tuna fish and crackers.
