July 4, 2006
Day 279

The big event of the day was the World Cup semifinal between Germany and Italy. Ax was especially interested in seeing the game. In fact, the only reason he stuck around Santa Ana today was to watch it. We found a restaurant near the hotel with a TV set and watched from there. The game was 0-0 in regulation, so there was a thirty minute overtime period. There was lots of action with both teams trying to score the winning goal. With about ten minutes left, there was still no score and it looked like the game might go to a shootout. Then, suddenly the TV turned off! We soon learned that the power had gone out all over town. Power outages are fairly common in the third world, but this one happened at the worst possible moment. Ax just about went insane running around, cursing his bad luck, and trying to find somebody who might still have power. By the time the power came back on, the game was over and we didn't even know who won. We didn't find out until later that night that Italy beat Germany 2-0 in a stunning finish.

After the game finished, we managed to sell both canoes. We got a lot less than we paid for them, but at least we got rid of them. Now I can head out tomorrow.

For our last night together, Ax, Veronica, and I went to a karaoke bar. We sang a bunch of stupid songs and had a great time, but I couldn't believe what the locals were singing. Every song was some sappy love song that was so far off-key it sounded horrible. Toward the end of the night, the only people in the bar besides us were a group of five guys. One by one, they each took turns professing their love to the women who had already gone home in fingernails-on-chalkboard fashion. I don't think they understood that the point of karaoke is to slaughter whatever you sing and not take it seriously at all.

July 3, 2006
Day 278

Patricia only had a few days before she had to head home, so she flew to Trinidad this morning. Craig and Louise decided to take the only other option, the “camioneta," a pickup truck that loads twelve lucky passengers in the bed and takes anywhere from six to twelve hours, depending on who you ask. I'll try to meet up with Craig and Louise in La Paz in a week or so.

A few of us walked down to the port today to try and drum up more interest in the canoes. We met a few more people who seemed interested, but nobody wanted to buy them for sure yet. I also tried to get some laundry done, but it didn't come back today as promised. Apparently, my clothes were too dirty and had to be washed several times. I can't imagine how that could happen. That made my decision to stick around town for another day an easy one. It's a nice place, but there's no Internet access, so I'd like to go soon.

July 2, 2006
Day 277

Relaxing on the boat.

The boat continued to Santa Ana today. Shortly after leaving, it got stuck in the shallow river. Thus began the long process of turning around, going upstream, trying to push off the banks, measuring the water's depth with a high-tech bamboo stick, and throwing one's arms up in the air. Finally, after several hours of effort, we were able to wiggle free. Later, we were joined by a larger boat which powered us up the river the rest of the way to Santa Ana.

Because we got stuck for so long, we didn't arrive until late afternoon. We immediately started putting the word out that the canoes were for sale and got some early interest, although no commitments to buy yet. I have a feeling the locals will assume they can get the canoes for free if they just wait until we leave. However, I think at least some of us will be able to stick it out long enough to sell them.

There was a big party in town tonight, so all of us were out and about. Although it is big enough to have paved roads and lots of motorcycles, Santa Ana isn't the type of city that normally sees a lot of tourists. Having ten of us walking the streets must have been a major shock for the people. I'm sure they'll all know about our canoe trip soon.

July 01, 2006
Day 276

Tiles and laundry were the main cargo of the ship.

A boat finally came downstream today. We flagged it down, tied the canoes to it, and jumped aboard. Originally, just Craig, Louise, and Patricia were going to leave, but after we were all on the boat, everyone agreed to take the ride. We were told we'd be in Santa Ana tonight, and we probably would've gotten there in a day or two in the canoes anyway.

The boat was owned by a family from Santa Ana, and their only cargo was a little food and thousands of clay roof tiles. We chatted a bit, played some cards, and tried to stay out of the sun and off the hot metal floor.

A few hours into our trip, the boat broke down. The crew worked hard and got the engine going again a few hours later, but they decided that they would no longer make it to town today. Instead, they stopped at dusk for the day.

We used the ship's stove to cook a large meal for everyone. Before the meal was finished cooking, the mosquito situation became horrible. The ship was docked on the bank right next to the forest with no wind. This meant an early night in the tents and out of the elements for us all. We passed the time by playing Twenty Questions, often with responses being shouted between tents.

So the canoe paddling lasted a little more than seven days. I wouldn't have minded going a bit further, but it would probably have taken over a month to get to Guayaramerin at our current pace, and Santa Ana was the only city on the river along the way. I think it was a good time for most people in the group, and although organizing such a trip for ten people was a difficult task, it proved to be well worth the effort.

June 30, 2006
Day 275

I show off the catch of the day.

Nothing significant happened during the day today. We saw lots of birds, including our first macaws of the trip. We also stopped for some swimming a few times in the relentless Amazon heat.

This afternoon, we stopped a little early so we could play a game of ultimate frisbee. It was a fun, hard-fought game that only lasted about half an hour before everyone was too tired to continue.

At our campsite tonight, I was setting a fishing line when suddenly I noticed something strange in the river. An empty canoe was floating downstream toward me. Nobody bothered to tie down one of the canoes and it began floating away! Luckily, I was able to jump in it and bring it to shore. Crisis averted. I'm just glad it didn't happen at night.

After we ate dinner, I checked my fishing line and had something on it. I began pulling it in, but it didn't feel like a fish. When it got close, I saw what appeared to be a giant tarantula pop out of the water. Then I saw that it in fact was a large freshwater crab. It made a tasty dessert. I may not have caught the most fish, but at least I got the most exotic animal.

June 29, 2006
Day 274

Veronica at sunset.

Craig has been sick for awhile, and he decided that he needs to try to get a blood test this morning. Maybe it's nothing serious, but he could have dengue fever, malaria, or any other number of terrible diseases that exist in this region. He'll try to jump on the first boat downstream he sees, but that will be easier said than done. We've only been seeing about one boat every two days so far.

Not only were there no boats today, but there were almost no potential campsites, either. We finally found one that was suitable with only an hour before the bugs began attacking. Everyone worked very fast and we began eating supper just as we began being eaten. This was our longest day on the river so far, and hopefully we'll be able to take some more breaks tomorrow.

June 28, 2006
Day 273

Ax gets ready for breakfast.

There were lots of active dolphins on our trip today. They seemed to jump completely out of the water around us all day. We also passed a large group of storks and several capybaras. We found another great campsite in the afternoon with enough daylight left for plenty of fishing. Craig caught a really big catfish, and Louise cooked it up for us. It was another fun day, and there should be several more to come.

June 27, 2006
Day 272

The canoes get together for a chat.

Today was almost the same as yesterday. We took it easy, swam, fished, and threw around the frisbee some more. Patricia and I attempted a couple different techniques for setting up mosquito nets for sleeping, but I don't think the elaborate bamboo pole setup that was created for me will be usable after today. However, Patricia seems to have a nice setup with her net suspended by four canoe paddles. From now on, she'll sleep with the paddles and I'll either jump in somebody else's tent or sleep under the stars if the bugs aren't so bad.