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Sucking us into the world beneath the road, the potholes on the way to Annai measure four feet deep in some spots. Remember that fine sticky dust I wrote about last time? That was transformed into fine sticky mud. Days later, we were still trying to wash it out of our hammocks and clothes. And everything was tipped out of the car and soaked during an accident on the road.
PEOPLE: Meet the Kanuku RAP team leader, Olivier Missa.
In the end, it took us two days to reach Annai and another four days of river travel to reach camp. In those four days, we never saw another boat – the area is totally
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RAP camp on the banks of the
Rupununi river. |
uninhabited. We stayed in quick-made bush camps along the river – cooking, eating, and bathing in the dark (when possible). Most of our stuff takes a lashing from rain, materials wrapped in plastic at the bottom of a boat.
SPECIES: See some of the amazing ants found in Guyana.
Our long boat ride in the tropics seems of another age. You wear long sleeves and pants in the blistering hot sun to avoid being fried to a crisp. Then you huddle together for warmth in the wind-chill after a rainstorm. We see things in the river and wonder about them: perfect orchids floating mid-stream in a high level water – the wake of the boat as it breaks the surface of the water with its metal bow.
Riding on the river is hypnotic but starting the science part of the RAP is exciting. Our very first night, RAP members Jan and Justin hit the water to see what fish they could scare up. We'll see what the scientists find tomorrow!
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