Time to say goodbye to Cocha Cashu. We left early that morning hoping to make it to Limonal within reasonable hours, but once again, Mother Nature had something else in mind.
Whose is it?
The river is really low during this time of year. Sometimes we would hear the boat scrape the bottom or a branch, and at the worse we would have to get out and push. Half an hour into the boat ride, we hear a huge SNAP coming from the back of the boat.
The drivers are screaming, Urusla is freaking out, we're all like whaaa? The motor had caught something and completely broke off the boat and is completely submerged underwater. Some of us had to get out and pull the boat to shore.
Joe explains the Prisoner's Dilemma. One of the many ways we found to entertain ourselves until help arrives/if it ever arrives.
And the hours came and went, the sun was getting high, and the sandflies were really starting to like us.
massage trains ftw
Five hours have passed since we got stuck and it was now around noon. We finally see the other boat return. From far away, it looked as though it was only Fortunato who came back to help, but then we saw a little head peep up and it was Danielle!! LOL. She had fallen asleep in the boat while everyone else was on land, and the boat left with her still in it.
Sublime chocolate bars. No further words needed.
This is where I got destroyed by bugs.
What else to do but swim? Being stranded isn't so bad when you've got good company and chocolate bars.
Meanwhile, the engine gets resuscitated.
Good as new! These guys are awesome!
So much for being ahead of schedule. Our 5 hour delay meant navigating these waters in the dark..
And it gets really dark here.
This was the only time during the entire trip where I got legitimately worried. We were traveling in knee deep water, we definitely couldn't afford another accident, and we could barely see where we were going. It got to the point where I couldn't see 10 feet from any side of the boat. All that each boat had for light was a small flashlight, but it made all the difference. After what seemed like forever, the Limonal lights appeared like guardian angels.
WE MADE IT.
This is where I got destroyed by bugs.
What else to do but swim? Being stranded isn't so bad when you've got good company and chocolate bars.
Meanwhile, the engine gets resuscitated.
Good as new! These guys are awesome!
So much for being ahead of schedule. Our 5 hour delay meant navigating these waters in the dark..
And it gets really dark here.
This was the only time during the entire trip where I got legitimately worried. We were traveling in knee deep water, we definitely couldn't afford another accident, and we could barely see where we were going. It got to the point where I couldn't see 10 feet from any side of the boat. All that each boat had for light was a small flashlight, but it made all the difference. After what seemed like forever, the Limonal lights appeared like guardian angels.
WE MADE IT.
This whole time I'm entertaining myself with the thought of seeing my mother's face when I tell her about what happened. Thank you to Diego, Fortunato, and everyone else who helped fix the boat and got us safely to Limonal in the dark. What a day.