[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NKdfDIBzlRA/UytKvGYdJBI/AAAAAAAAafA/XnD2kvEaECo/s144-c-o/P3040172.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992965902174069778″ caption=”Pororoca starting position…but the water came with no real wave to my spot any more this morning. With a horrible strong current though…” type=”image” alt=”P3040172.JPG” ]

Found a farmer’s house!
Pos: here
Loc: Ilha do Bailique
Acc: tent inside house
Dist: 28,1 km
Start: 9:25 End: 13:45

Sure I had no other chance to leave this high and dry sandy beach spot besides waiting for the water to raise, after a Pororoca or with the tide running up just calmly to the forest somehow at some point. As my sand mark was untouched from last night’s running up tide, I had some hope this was not a violent wave any more. I decided to have a look this morning, if the running up tide comes without wave, I’d start. Or I wait until it calmed down, and will start anyway…when else? I just had to make sure I’d stay close to shore and get dry land as soon as I found a reasonable spot which wouldn’t leave me back high and dry on a sand bank…

My body was still aching horribly from the endless brace and stresses, though the running up water made noise, it was without wave. I could even get my kayak earlier down from the high and dry logs. I put it up fully loaded in starting position, and waited calmly to be flooded. Calmly? More or less, last time I didn’t see ANY wave, I was very scared to go and I saw my hands were shaking while doing the necessary preparations.

I eventually caught enough water, and paddled off carefully in the now upcoming rain. I caught the current with 12-15 km/h, scary…I navigated a few logs, but soon felt I got into a flaming counter current around a point! No headway, until I reached almost the shore again, where I could at least paddle with 3-4 km/h. This was not what I was expecting from an easy ride with the tide! But no way I’d dared to go out more to get back to the main current. Rather slower safely along the shore, than through a variation of current lines finding eventually the right one – or not.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QevkipWeiNQ/UytK6tj96XI/AAAAAAAAafA/ifDDq43M5js/s144-c-o/P3040174.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992966101669898610″ caption=”Paddling over a flooded farm area” type=”image” alt=”P3040174.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-MuPL1j2ptfY/UytK5lQ760I/AAAAAAAAafA/dSPANqtj_uE/s144-c-o/P3040173.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992966082262723394″ caption=”Water buffaloes occupy all nice flat grassy (but soaked) camp spots. Staying away!” type=”image” alt=”P3040173.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-h0JGMSfX7P4/UytR9rjDMNI/AAAAAAAAafA/zd18Tt4FsVQ/s144-c-o/P3050195.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992973849250181330″ caption=”Back to high tide, but not as high as on my arrival!” type=”image” alt=”P3050195.JPG” ]

I was passing very low grassy land, littered with herds of water buffaloes! Not a place to stay, even if I’d be able to land. The eventual high tide was still washing over each and every river bank with some might, no place to land anyway. I kept on paddling, and had to give the coast a wide berth, until I noticed I simply could get off the now raised shore break by simply paddling through some flooded grass land, good idea! Calm, but deep water with grassy spikes peeking out here and there…and some fences! There must be a water buffalo farm somewhere! And yes, at some point I spotted first a bit of roof, later a real house! It was still early in the day, I had covered straight distance less than 20 km, but 28 km already with all the detours. And my body was still crying for rest, and it was full high tide now! But how to reach the house? The current played wild again, I negotiated some fences, and eventually with strong current I was reaching the quite new looking house.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-AXxcMJmFrBc/UytMC8ERXnI/AAAAAAAAafA/twld-2fdu_Q/s144-c-o/P3040175.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992967342514069106″ caption=”The quite new farm station with the major domo on low tide” type=”image” alt=”P3040175.JPG” ]

It was a wooden farm house on stilts, with seven guys working and living there. I also saw some horses besides a water buffalo herd, all standing up to the belly on the, with sweet water from a river, flooded meadows around the house. Some pigs had retreated high up their cage, some dogs and cats were also to be seen.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-UtcJTE2_6lA/UytRe1BjXRI/AAAAAAAAafA/1iGk3rG8YY0/s144-c-o/P3050191.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992973319218093330″ caption=”My bugproof tent inside a room of the farm station” type=”image” alt=”P3050191.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-W4-1kf8cGys/UytNzfKMqoI/AAAAAAAAafA/HPrVcdkQW8M/s144-c-o/P3040179.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992969276079516290″ caption=”The guys preferred to sleep in the main romm in their hammocks” type=”image” alt=”P3040179.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZXnwHz6RqGU/UytMVUZfiXI/AAAAAAAAafA/bNjgNbPMqhg/s144-c-o/P3040178.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992967658283174258″ caption=”My rescue farm house, watch the saddles lined up on the wall!” type=”image” alt=”P3040178.JPG” ]

I was welcomed by the guys, and helped to a separate empty room inside the house. Thanks very much! I simply put up my tent inside for bug protection, and made myself at home. Good decision to stay here! I cleaned my cockpit from the many sandy residue, and washed everything. My kayak got a close inspection, it had no damage! Just my main paddle had on both blades some dents, I think it was from the tumbled kayak. I will be able to fix it tonight. Not sure yet when I will be able to leave tomorrow morning, but on the falling tide I saw the house has a jetty to the river. We’ll see…oh, my body still hurts! But I can’t leave out a single day with paddling only around hight tide being today here at 2 pm…until I will be reaching the small village of Chavez in the bottom of the channel system I have to cross.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-9NCis6KbkGE/UytQDoNCTkI/AAAAAAAAafA/Y9qY3-VLCmY/s144-c-o/P3040187.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992971752408501826″ caption=”This `jetty` leading to the outhouse was my landing jetty on my arrival! Note the veggie garden boat…” type=”image” alt=”P3040187.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-kGQ_jbnaevA/UytPTSOmkeI/AAAAAAAAafA/2EsvjbncvGM/s144-c-o/P3040186.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992970921875771874″ caption=”The outhouse…friendly painted in red, reminds me to my bathroom at home (the color though…)” type=”image” alt=”P3040186.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-SHAmqh7v3V4/UytPAM1yQuI/AAAAAAAAafA/RnxGzNY67Xc/s144-c-o/P3040185.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992970594011988706″ caption=”Four of my seven men`s hosts in the farm station” type=”image” alt=”P3040185.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xytn6nR3rFg/UytO9Oe8eCI/AAAAAAAAafA/Pq51uO_Oau8/s144-c-o/P3040184.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992970542913452066″ caption=”Horses of the farm on the meadow on low tide. When I was arriving, they have been standing up to the belly in the high tide sweet water. The piggy house is on stilts though, they seem not to be able to swim…” type=”image” alt=”P3040184.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-H4pTXpVzxaE/UytOFWKUCoI/AAAAAAAAafA/ozlu1Gay9to/s144-c-o/P3040181.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992969582901725826″ caption=”The young puppy is resting on a pile of trashed berry stones” type=”image” alt=”P3040181.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MHivOjNySxM/UytN3xAEcjI/AAAAAAAAafA/inA3sw6cKw8/s144-c-o/P3040180.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992969349588349490″ caption=”Iguana meat for dinner…not for me though…” type=”image” alt=”P3040180.JPG” ]