[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8RCwcaaRNMY/UyrjEMbSVGI/AAAAAAAAZ9A/42ZvQDp5pws/s144-c-o/P2170012.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992851915364521058″ caption=”Ever paddled inside a solid forest?” type=”image” alt=”P2170012.JPG” ]
Crossed over to Brazil!
Pos: here
Loc: behind Cabo Orange
Acc: hammock
Dist: 41,1 km
Start: 6:15 End: 16:45
The first really good night’s sleep in my hammock! Getting used to the thing… still missing a cooked dinner, and was quite hungry at night after losing the last meal… but I felt well rested and ready to cross the big bay over to Cabo Orange in Brazil. The tide went out, I paddled slightly under 90 degrees over, so all went well, just a bit bumpy choppy in the two main currents. It was a sunny day after the rainy one yesterday, the obligatory two fishing boats anchoring at the headland, I gave the shallow Cape a wide berth in low tide. All lush thick dense green forest on the coast only, where to stay at night?
As tide went higher again, I simply gave it a curious try what is behind the green thick wall of leafs? A small opening was inviting me to stick my kayak nose through, and I was inside another world! Another flooded forest, this one much younger than the last night’s one with it’s high solid trees on huge roots. These trees were wide enough apart to conveniently paddle between the stems, as far as the water reached. Maybe 100 m I paddled inside a forest! Your eye instantly catches all other coloured things which seem not to belong here, but it was the home of the white, bright red and blue birds. plus many many white Styrofoam fishing floats on blue nylon ropes, everywhere the same wrapped in different heights around the trees. The guys must lose many of those!
The trees were just solid enough to carry a hammock, I picked my spot, but was actually about too early as the water was rising and rising toward hight tide around 8 pm…eventually I trusted to enter my hammock from almost waist deep water, with the help of stepping on my convenient kayak tied below. I could change into dry clothes only on the upper body, fortunately bugs were at bay in the wind here, as my bottom was bare until I was inside. No cooked dinner again, just some cheese. I should have waited a little more and paddled then a bit further inside! But all just about ok. No hitting waves on my butt in the hammock like on the first nights in Suriname :-), just my kayak was touching my butt a bit for a while.
It is really a trick to strip at the end the socks and sandals, and where to hang them safe outside. The top of the kayak came handy tonight.
[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-nVdE-RkxbsQ/UyriQ254-5I/AAAAAAAAZ8w/P4jH8kiTWVA/s144-c-o/P2160009.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992851033413974930″ caption=”And one more of thoses flying bird’s nests over lots of water!” type=”image” alt=”P2160009.JPG” ]
This night the bugs were eating some knee and elbow spots through the nylon hammock and through my fleece shirts and pants, I need to take better care to additionally place them on my fleece blanket. And I will next time take bug spray even inside the hammock! And some water to drink…I am eventually managing to pee at night by kneeing in the wobbly thing, and to release the contents of the plastic bag through just a tiny opening in the bottom velcro entrance without catching bugs.
Last night I already had trouble to get reception for my sat phone in the more open old forest trees, here inside this dense new forest there was no reception possible at all, sorry. I need to send my message before entering a forest for the night’s camp! I was hoping my people were not too worried. Sure there is no computer update inside the hammock anyway.