On the River

We went rafting this Sunday. It was amazing, and by far the best rafting I have ever gotten to experience! Mr. Naim, Kiky, a bunch of Mr. Naim's friends, and I drove up into the mountains and loaded into the back of a pickup truck around 10 in the morning. 14 of us in the small bed made for quite a squeeze! We rode a short distance, and then the truck started backing up to a complete drop off. And then he stopped. I thought, okayyyy, what now? We piled out, and started to hike down the mountain. Far below, the river was rushing along the curves of the mountains. Large, black, volcanic rocks lined the riverbed. Banana trees and bamboo stretched high into the sky. It was such a beautiful setting, photographs cannot capture it's majestic grandeur. We hiked for quite awhile, occasionally slipping on the loose dirt and clutching at the plants creeping up the slopes. Eventually we reached the river and loaded the rafts. Joining me was Mr. Naim, Kiky, one of Mr. Naim's friends, and the guide. There were so many rocks, we never got too far without getting stuck. Every once in awhile, we would hit a rocky bank overgrown with branches and ferns. You had to make sure you ducked, but even then we all got covered with leaves and bugs that had fallen from the plants. And spiders liked to hang out in the plants leaning out over the river. I tried to avoid the webs best I could. Still, I ended up with three sizable spiders crawling on me throughout the course of our trip. And of course they laughed at me for being scared of the ponytail holder-sized spider that was in ninja position on my thigh. (sorry for that weird size comparison). Most areas we passed through there was little sign of human occupation, but every so often there was a small bamboo bridge stretching low across the river. Local farmers may be passing overhead, carrying their loads of harvested sugarcane or various other crops. We stopped for a rest near one such bridge. We were served apples, bananas, and tea. When we got back in our rafts, the guide motioned for me to sit a certain way. I heard something about a "photo." So I obeyed and just sat down in the bottom of the raft, holding my paddle firmly on the side. We went through some rapids, around some rocks, got stuck on a few rocks, and then we were going backwards. I was sitting in the front. So I went over first. It was a four foot drop that I didn't see coming. No big deal, I guess that was why they had me sit in the bottom. But then we quickly spun around. And then we dropped again. 10 feet. I hardly had time to know what was happening. I submerged up to my chest. What a blast! In total, we were on the river for at least four hours. When we returned, a full meal was provided. We ate the delicious rice and vegetables while sitting on the mountaintop, enjoying the amazing view in the clouds. A fine end to a fun-filled day.