The river here is quite wide, but a bit further up it has some smaller streams and loops which are very nice for kayaking. The area we were heading was 4km upstream so we hitched a ride on a boat which dragged our kayak to the start of the loop. The entrance and exit are only 10m apart, but to get from one to the other takes about an hour of (very light) paddling. Here the stream is much narrower and much prettier than on the main river. At certain points the vegetation completely covers you like a tunnel. There are a few ducks (domesticated I think) and here and there you see civilisation in the form of lodges. It was quite a chore wish both the camera and Aisha in front of me, and Esther with Lucas (and Lucas occasionally "helping" by splashing me and hitting me with the oar) so we took it especially slow.
Our boatman had gone after another group and already returned. He said they would probably be an hour so we decided to leave the kayak with him and hitch a ride on the road back. We must have been quite a sight in our swimming trunks, without shoes, waiting by the dusty road. A few of the locals who sped by on motorbikes or pickups couldn't help point and laugh at the farangs. A little girl came over and squatted and stared at us for a few minutes. We gave her a rendition of a few songs in English and Spanish but can't have been very good as she got bored and walked off.
Escaped the gravitational pull of the lodge and went into town for dinner, mostly for a change but also to pick up a few things from the shop (milkI!) and get out some cash. It's amazing what a bit of light exercise does to you when you're not used to it. By 9 we were knackered and ready for bed but the kids were fully charged and having a great time playing together. Not wanting to spoil the moment we patiently waited slumbering on the sofas.
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