Yesterday was a lot of fun. My parents, Melissa (new physiotherapist- here for 9 months) and I drove out to River number 2 to meet up with some friends there- Annekoos (doctor) and her husband Bastiaan (engineer), who were staying overnight at the beach. We arrived just as our friends were arranging a boat trip up the river. Perfect timing!
At 1130 we climbed into the canoes and set sail. There were 5 of us in our canoe plus our local captain. It was very peaceful as we started our way up the river, along the beach, gliding past the mangrove swamps, spotting little stretches of deserted beach, listening to the birds chirping away while moving forward into unknown territory. About 30 minutes later we reached the end, or should I say beginning, of the river. We pulled up alongside the rocks and got out of the canoes.
The waterfall we were expecting to see was really not much more than a water ‘trickle’ but maybe this was because it is the dry season now?? Needless to say, it was still a beautiful spot. There was a small pool of water which looked very inviting. Now, I know fresh water is supposed to be out of bounds in the tropics…but sometimes you need to take your chances. Annekoos , a new friend Addy (MSF doctor from Holland doing a lot of pediatrics upcountry) and I figured the chance was small that the pool was infected with Schistosomiasis ‘bugs’ and got in along with a few others. I guess the others figured that if three doctors were getting in, it must be alright. Well, we also figured we can always treat ourselves when we leave the country! Maybe it wasn’t so smart but it was very refreshing and relaxing.
After spending about an hour on the rocks we made our way back to the canoes and headed back. Halfway down the river we were stopped by a man standing waist high in the water in the mangrove swamp with a bicycle on his head! Go figure. He wanted us to come over and give him a lift to the other side of the river. So, we stopped, he loaded his bike onto the canoe, climbed in and we crossed the river. On the other side he got out and disappeared into the mangrove swamp again. We then continued our way back down the river to the beach where we ended our boat trip. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing on the beach, swimming in the water and enjoying the day!
At 1130 we climbed into the canoes and set sail. There were 5 of us in our canoe plus our local captain. It was very peaceful as we started our way up the river, along the beach, gliding past the mangrove swamps, spotting little stretches of deserted beach, listening to the birds chirping away while moving forward into unknown territory. About 30 minutes later we reached the end, or should I say beginning, of the river. We pulled up alongside the rocks and got out of the canoes.
The waterfall we were expecting to see was really not much more than a water ‘trickle’ but maybe this was because it is the dry season now?? Needless to say, it was still a beautiful spot. There was a small pool of water which looked very inviting. Now, I know fresh water is supposed to be out of bounds in the tropics…but sometimes you need to take your chances. Annekoos , a new friend Addy (MSF doctor from Holland doing a lot of pediatrics upcountry) and I figured the chance was small that the pool was infected with Schistosomiasis ‘bugs’ and got in along with a few others. I guess the others figured that if three doctors were getting in, it must be alright. Well, we also figured we can always treat ourselves when we leave the country! Maybe it wasn’t so smart but it was very refreshing and relaxing.
After spending about an hour on the rocks we made our way back to the canoes and headed back. Halfway down the river we were stopped by a man standing waist high in the water in the mangrove swamp with a bicycle on his head! Go figure. He wanted us to come over and give him a lift to the other side of the river. So, we stopped, he loaded his bike onto the canoe, climbed in and we crossed the river. On the other side he got out and disappeared into the mangrove swamp again. We then continued our way back down the river to the beach where we ended our boat trip. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing on the beach, swimming in the water and enjoying the day!
For more pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandralako
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