March 6th 2009 - Chuckaround

I woke up feeling very tired and with my throat still hurting a lot, I was so tired in fact that I was falling asleep on the bus most of the way to the river rafting destination. I was on a raft with Tara, Sophie, Sara and Christine. After Christine and I pretended to fall in so we could be shown how to be saved, we were off!

Rafting is so much fun, I’m already looking forward to doing it again in Banos. I especially liked sitting at the front as then you could look the big waves in the eye when you tackle them. Well, you could if waves had eyes. The rush, the thrill, the excitement. It was an exhilarating experience.

Lunch was good fun too. We found a little beach and played some ultimate Frisbee (blip of today) and a game of falling paddles. We made our own veggie burritos – which were delicious – and had some other snacks. It was a perfect light lunch in our busy rafting schedule.

We were rafting down a tributary of a tributary of the Amazon itself and the experience gave me some views I hope to never forget. One which I was particularly fond of consisted of a raft behind us going through some rapids with the forest behind, a mountain darkened by its forest behind that and clouds towering above. If I had my camera then it would have been a photo I cherished. If I could draw then it would be on my wall right now, but I really can’t! I just hope it lives long in my dreams.

The afternoon rafting session gave many more great moments besides the landscape. Getting pushed off the front of the raft (twice) so we could just hang onto the side while getting hit by big waves. Christine and I floating down the river arm in arm, then joined by Sara, then almost all the group. Floating down the river was so peaceful, water lapping our chins, trees drifting by the side and the song of the jungle in our ears. Perfection.

We carried the rafts back to the bus and headed back to get ready for our night out in the jungle! I shaved down to a tashe (I don’t know why but I wanted a moustache for my night out in the Amazon). We played some pool, had some tea (only eventful part was watching the tarantula on the ceiling to ensure it stayed away from us all!) and after some support for the tashe and a lot more comparisons to others elderly relatives the tashe stayed and the night began.

We took a couple of pick up trucks to Tomas’ bar – it looked wonderful, overlooking a stream and a bridge alight with many colours, it was wooden with a thatched roof and some swings by the door I brought Chloe and I a drink (mainly to make up for the fact I had a tashe) and was very to find out that large bottle of Pilsener (maybe 1 litre) were just one dollar. If only those were the prices in England!

At the bar there was an old, drunk local who tried to hit on some of the girls, before trying to start a conversation with me – which made some of the others laugh as we had similar tashes! I had no idea what he was saying but whenever I said ‘No hablo Espanol’ he did the old English trick of speak louder and closer until it seemed like he was licking my ear. Charming.

We headed to a club with our rafting guides (as usual the girls got in free and the boys had to pay before getting a free drink when inside – seemed to be an Ecuador thing). I just sat, beer in hand and soaked up the atmosphere as the locals, tourists and even some members of our group got on the dance floor. The locals were tremendous dancers and only Hilde and Maïté could really hold their own on the floor with them. I did leave the beer to dance with Chloe a bit but I was not as talented as the local she danced with!

Sadly, my illness from the morning came back and so – tired and disappointed to be leaving – I headed back to the hostel in the first pick up truck. Soren made us laugh as he claimed to be the finest pirate around (a fact we couldn’t dispute) after he stole whisky from the club. We finished the night with a wonderful rendition of ‘Love Is All Around’ by Wet Wet Wet.