Day 2: Rain and rivers

Just for a change, another big uphill, this time as a wake up call before 6am. As we pushed up we had to climb past some boggy bits, a product of the overnight rain. We had a mainly uneventful climb and decent for three hours, past a coffee producer asleep in a hammock out the front and past a few other camps on our way to breakfast camp. We arrived at another camp which was set out really well, and it had what looked like clean bunk beds. We sat down to eat and talk about the next stretch of the trek. We would be heading back up before a decent to a big river-crossing and a small incline up to our camp. After a night there, up to the lost city and a long hike back to where we were sitting, eating breakfast today.

We set off again at about 10am, all full of food and started to climb. This hurt straight after a really nice breakfast.
We walked past a few small indigenous villages, still living in straw and adobe huts and wearing traditional clothes. We left the villages alone as most of them want to just live their lives in peace, to live the traditional way. We came across a few males who were older who helped us, and some who guides us around. One young boy joined us for a few days. He was a trouble maker and three of us had good fun on the walk scaring each other or just acting like fools with him.

On the hike, we were climbing steep up into the hills which gave us some amazing views, but all while with a rumbling from the sky. It held out for a long time, however, before we could make it to the top, the heavens opened and we took shelter in an abandoned native hut. We nicknamed this the refugee camp as we could have been on a World Vision poster. Most of us in really old crappy looking clothes, wet through, some holding a wooden stick to help walk and everyone with modified garbage bags over our small day sacs. If you put that image in a small circular hut with most of the adobe missing you have us. We had a small lesion about the people while we regrouped and then made a plan.

Finally we had to push on and after an hour we reached the top and took shelter again. We were wet through, people stripped off some clothes here and tried to dry off. I rung out my shirt, my shoes and socks. Sarah rung out her shorts too. The best thing about this camp was we got food. We got a Jam cube and white cheese (together), Oreos, bananas (as many as you wanted) and oranges, I think this was to be our lunch.

While we waited at this camp, the food came out slowly while the rain got heavier and heavier. It had been raining for around two to two and a half hours. Our guide Gabriel had told us anything over one hour and the river would be dangerous to cross, maybe too dangerous.

We waited for less than an hour more and Gabriel made the call, just go for it and if its too high we can come back here and camp. We had to make it to a river crossing before it got to high and with the camping option it must be close. We really were so wet through now. As we started we passed people on their way back from the lost city, people who crossed the river who were saying "turn back now!" Hmmm, not the best sign.

As we walked along the track, which was now a small stream, our group got spread thin and it was only four in our little walking line, all behind the American lady, Amanda. She was always fun to walk behind as she slipped about five or more times a day, with many false starts.

After a little while I realised we may aswell take advantage of wet shoes and jump in puddles like a five year old. It wasn't long and Sarah joined in and we had some fun in this s***ty wet weather.

Hours later we arrived at the river crossing with a rope set up and four people on the other side already. The general feeling was we didn't want to walk those hours back to have to walk it again tomorrow. I left my bag and jumped straight in, boots and all. The first half was easier although I didn't know it at the time, where it was just over waist deep. Over half way over, I step down and it's slightly deeper where Eric calls out "here's the hard part." He was right, it pulled harder. A few meters later I was through and on the other side. To paint the picture, down river from this point, about 20m away there were rapids with big rocks. If you fell and let go of the rope you would struggle to pull up in time.

Next came another guy and a few later there was only a few nervous girls to go, Sarah, the two young English girls and a German woman. When it came time they all pointed at the German woman who crossed with our strong assistant guide, Jose, right there to help if needed. Sarah crossed next with him right there to aid, but she made it all by her self. She was a little shaken up when she arrived but you can't blame her, she hates white water and that would not be friendly to fall in. Finally it was time for the two English girls. The first went within the arms of Jose and on the next run for Jose, TK got a piggyback from him..... She did not want to cross.

The final trip across was Jose, our trusty mule (his new nickname was 'el burro'). He picked up two or three backpacks over his shoulder and as he started on his last trip over there was one problem. There was a dog who would have no chance against the current but might try if left there. So Jose looked at him for a second or two..... and picked him up by the scruff of the neck and back and carried him over too. It was a really comical view. This 24 year old made a place in all the girls hearts and impressed everyone else, some kind of jungle hero!

We meandered up and down along the river up to the camp, the glorious dry camp with beds. A place we could take our soaked clothes and shoes off and try and dry off a touch.

Once dry and fed, one of the guys realised there was a litter of local rum for 40,000, only 5000 each for eight people. For $6 I joined in and we sat drinking straight whiskey, playing cards and talking. We were occasionally visited by a cat which belonged to the camp, a little ginger number with only three legs. It did really well for itself, I think everyone took care of it too.

The last thing to mention was one guy, Henry, fell asleep on a rock at breakfast without his shirt for only 5 minutes. He got destroyed by the local mosquito population to the point the guide had to put antibacterial cream on his back. It didn't look good.

The end to a very wet day.