June 3, 2006
Day 248
Remanso to Versalles Canoe Trip Day 15
Today was ridiculously hot again, so not much was happening around town. Boredom officially set in around midday. Craig and I talked about going to a lake nearby, but we decided to wait until tomorrow because we didn't want to miss out on any free meals. I'm ready to get out of here now, but sometimes when you're traveling a little boredom is good after going full-steam for weeks on end. It shows you that life isn't all skittles and beer.
Watching the usual soccer game just before sunset, I realized how nice this place is. Only 100 or so people live in Versalles, and it has a long airstrip in the center of town, part of which also serves as the soccer field. The river is at one edge of town, and the Amazon jungle is at the other one, so the place is very isolated. No road access means no cars or the pollution they bring. Living here would be a simple life, but not a bad one. There's plenty of hunting, fishing, farming, swimming, and soccer to keep the people busy, and the town is located in a beautiful, clean place.
Whenever we eat a meal, or do anything for that matter, everyone stares at us. They ask where we're from, how we got here, how long we're staying, and other simple questions. Tonight, however, we met a guy who claimed to be international because he spoke two languages: Spanish and Portuguese. I thought that was amusing because all it meant was that he could talk to people on both sides of the river. It's a nice skill to have, though, and one not many people here possess.
Annoying observation of the day: The volume on Bolivian radios and TVs is binary.
Binary! Ha! You made me laugh out loud. Katie didn't quite understand why it was so funny to me, but I don't think to many non-computer folks would use that term. I guess you are still a nerd - even if you are deep in the Amazon.