Page 151 - AGC-Journal-2016

AGC JOURNAL 2016

Day Two with the carpet of stars and at times shiny
eyes reflecting the light of our head torch
After paddling around 60 kilometres, we in the treeline could be seen.
reached our home for the night. After After about an hour we could not get to
putting our hammocks up, we were taken the destination and decided to get out
to the jungle to learn some bush craft of the water and spend the night there.
including jungle tracking and learning Suddenly we could see light coming our
about the utility of various trees that was way, It was Eric, the guide. We tied our
apparently only found in the rainforest. kayaks to the admin boat and were towed
Then we went into a cave with lots of bats to the destination, which was an hour
and at the end of it, was a beautiful ray of away in a motorboat. As we got close, we
light passing through the hole on top of round the rapid. When we reached the saw some lights and finally the destination
the cave that landed on the pool of water other side, we could see the extent of the was a pub. After a few drinks we went to
in the cave. rapid, which was really rough, but looked bed in our hammocks on the porch of the
majestic and beautiful at the same time. pub.

Day Three
Day Four
While we took a break for lunch, we were
shown a magical place in the forest where Day four and we paddled all day and
there was this beautiful waterfall. It was arrived at our final patch for the day
not only beautiful, but had a purpose that and this time we were actually sleeping
kept us cool and fresh. When we got back in the forest. We were now feeling the
to our picnic area, our very own jungle burn in our muscles due to constant
expert had caught a piranha, which was paddling and we craved some cold
still alive, chewing anything that came fizzy drink and ice-cream. There was
near its mouth. a shop nearby, that was closed, but we
After lunch, we started to paddle again. witnessed two big black hairy poisonous
After a while our guide told us that a rapid looking spiders. The guide caught one of
was closing. We could hear the noise of the spiders with bare hands while many
the rapid getting louder and louder with people were even scared to get close to
the stroke of paddle. Just before the rapid, it. Finally, the shopkeeper arrived and
we got out of the water and carried everybody was delighted to get some junk
the kayaks food.

Day Five

We paddled further than the planned
destination to spend a night at a better
location, but the destination never Last Day on the River
arrived. People started to ask how far the
destination was, and the answer was ‘half The final day was a short paddle to the
an hour’ every time, but the destination finishing point. About 100 metres short of
never appeared. We continued to push on the shore we made the kayak into a raft
and as daylight started to disperse, there and the instructors paddled the raft while
was still no sign of our destination. Pedro, we enjoyed the final few moments on our
the assistant guide, was not exactly sure kayaks.
where we were parking for the night. Eric,
the head guide, was in the admin/safety The Last Resort
boat ahead of the group and nowhere
to be seen. The military instructors took
control and told the group to paddle close In the resort we had nice wooden beds,
together and put the head torch on. Safety shower and connection with the wider
does not allow inland kayakers to paddle world via Internet. We then spend few
in the dark. days in the resort conducting various
We decided that one instructor would activities like swimming with the wild
paddle with the main body while four of pink dolphins, Piranha fishing, visit to
us including the other instructor were to the monkey island and visiting the tribal
paddle in the front to try and get to the people of the Amazon. It felt like a dream
destination quickly. It was totally dark and to have completed this once in a lifetime
no sign of civilisation, the sky was clear opportunity.

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