[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/–cDZ6TbxMf4/UyriCiouyrI/AAAAAAAAZ8g/G406iV55lTg/s144-c-o/P2150008.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992850787455126194″ caption=”Thank goodness for the hammock – lookimg like a bird’s nest to sleep dry” type=”image” alt=”P2150008.JPG” ]

Good progress into the bay and perfect hammock site!
Pos: here
Loc: between the two Montagnes d’Argent
Acc: hammock
Dist: 50,8 km
Start: 6:05 End: 16:50

I was really happy when the water came back to flood my mud bed, as the river mutated in the night in the moonlight to a tiny stream low down there in it’s bank. My rescue pole was not in reach…I got ready early, but waited until light was up. I am simply not keen any more to paddle in darkness, if not necessary!

It was rainy and dark all day anyway. A fat fish jumped into my stomach and punched me hard! Not friendly… other fish jumped too, some on top and over my kayak, but they should not hit me! I was quite tired from that bad night, and was tempted already around 2 pm to check on the first camp site. But the coast had too many dead tree stumps in the water to get in safely, so no way here. I made good progress on the running in tide anyway! Thank goodness I started from Cayenne with high tide being perfectly around 5 pm, so I was set well for the next few days.

The next camp site check should be around the false Montagne d’Argent, which was actually an island. I spotted two fishing boats anchoring in the lee of the island, but on the island itself which I approached with some effort against the wind was nothing but wild coast with fallen trees everywhere. I waved to the fisher men, they were watching me surely curious. But no time and no chatting skills anyway…

I crossed back to the main land, spotted really between some rocks something like a sandy beach, which had sand definitively under the water with the low surf, but the “beach” turned out to be covered deep with plant debris mud pieces, not walkable and no camping in any way. What a pity…I found and tried once more a similar even longer beach around the next corner shelter, but the same old story, no way to get out here and up.

Single trees were standing around in deep water, showing the last strong remainders of an old sunken forest. I kept on checking every meter of the coast, in some choppy surf, nearing slowly the peninsula of the Montagne d’Argent, but there was only broken bushland and other shitty stuff. One more sunken forest area with some shelter behind a tree line in the water caught my eye, that was it! I could paddle on this high tide level just on top of the ledge into the open forest ground, with it’s high old mangrove trees. Perfect hammock sites! Well sheltered, still windy enough to keep the bugs at bay.

I chose my two trees, could still walk in ankle deep water on the many mangrove roots covering the muddy ground, stretched the hammock, tied up my boat, and sat on my kayak half flooded to have some tuna salad out of the tin. Again no peace to cook a real dinner…As I got more and more flooded with the kayak in now knee deep water, with some tiny surf waves rolling now directly on the forest ground level, I really managed to get sea sick just sitting on the moving kayak on eating and brushing my teeth! The tooth brush in my throat gave me the rest, I threw up, all my precious dinner disappeared into the water. Well… time to hit the hammock! The tide now started to go down anyway, my kayak was safely tied up on four corners not to hit any tree in the surf. I could shower and change with few bugs in the breeze, standing in knee deep water, and entered happily my dry space. I am starting to really appreciate that piece of kit, and am getting better and better to set it up and to take in only what I really need! I was ready for a good night’s sleep.

Close by a big old tree was crashing noisily down to earth…hopefully not in my area! I stuck my head out and had a check above…but it looked all ok. All those many dangers you have to watch in nature!