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.
