Thursday, Sept. 18, 2003 - 1:45 p.m.
Our last day in the Pampas was met viewing the sunrise. Those who wished to (or those who could wake up in time) got up early, about 6AM, and joined Louis in the canoe. It was already light out as we slipped the boat away from shore and took off downstream. After about 15 minutes we stopped, tied the boat to shore, climbed up the steep muddy riverbanks to walk through the forest to a clearing.
I had a call to nature, so I let the others go on ahead of me and told Louis I'd catch up in a minute. Then I hurried down the path, running to catch up. Suddenly I tripped over something strong and my shins felt like fire. Ouch! Louis came over to me and it was then that I saw what I had tripped over...
Barbed wire. The remains of a neglected barbed wire fence, shin high, just the right height to not notice. Louis said he had warned me, but I never heard him. When I lifted my pantlegs I saw two bright red verticle lines burning into my skin. When the others saw my legs they winced. I noticed that I also had ripped my trousers as well. (By the way, I did get a tetnus shot before my travels, thank goodness).
The sunrise over the grassy open field was very cool. We watched the distant bright red ball slowly rise above the Pampas, increasing in bright intensity as each second passed. Eventually you could hardly look at it anymore without an imprint being burned into the retinas. It was time to go.
We returned to camp and Emma mentioned that I could have Itai help me clean my wounds since he's a paramedic. Once Itai learned of my injury he consulted his first aid kit and brought out some kind of antiseptic as well as some gauze and tape. I had some Neosporin as well, so he used that and fixed up my legs. Soon I had nice big gauzy bandanges as a witness to my accident.
Soon after breakfast we packed up and were headed back to Rurre. It was a long canoe ride back, about 4 hours, which we broke up once with a short stop at a riverside bar--drinking beers or cokes and swinging on the hammocks.
Back in the boat, once again Amir got his guitar out and he played and we sang for the rest of the long ride back to "civilization". Once again we stopped at the same little restaurant / shack to have lunch and then took a jeep back into town. Along the way we saw ostritches and juju birds. It was a hot day.
Finally we got back to town. Imke, Emma and I got a room at the hostal that is owned by Amazonicas and the same place where all the others were staying too.
After changing and a nice refreshing cold shower I had Itai put on new bandages on my shins. At one point he inspected the Neosporin tube I had. Finally he asked me "How long have you had this?" It had expired 4 years before. He encouraged me to buy a new one, as well as some bandages. As I walked to the pharmacy I walked past a popular restaurant and saw my new Israeli friends sitting outside. On my return they invited me to join them.
Later, I returned to the hostal to get Emma and Imke who, as I suspected, were waiting for me so we could get some dinner. We all returned to the restaurant and soon there was a large table full of almost everyone from our Pampas tour.
That evening, we returned to the hostal and the travel agency office since many people were interested in going to the jungle. I'd already gone to the Fluvial office earlier to ask about my jungle trip, but they only had a 3 day excursion (I'd signed up for 2), so once again I joined Amazonicas. Well, a number of Israeli girls, plus Emma & Imke decided to go on a 3 day tour, so I did too, extending my tour one more day so I could join them. On this trip there were people going for 2 and 3 days. We were excited.
Soon we were hanging out at the nearby Mosqito bar, our spirits ran high. Later on that evening some of our new Israeli friends came by to say goodbye, those who weren't joining us to the jungle were returning to La Paz the next day.
I was playing pool with Imke, Emma and Louis for several hours and we were about to call it a night when suddenly Itai and Lior showed up. The guys ordered another round of drinks and Emma and I joned the guys in a new game of pool. Loir & I against Itai & Emma. It was the funniest game of pool I've ever played. I'm no pool shark by any stretch of the imagination, so Lior was giving me helpful hints when it was my turn to play (with about a 20% success rate). Emma & Itai were a hoot, playfully squabbling like an old married couple. It didn't matter that we had to get up early in the AM. We kept playing, laughing & drinking. Somehow Emma & Itai won, even though I thought that Loir & I played better. We played a second game, which the other two won as well.
We told the guys we were going to the jungle the next day and Loir said "I wish we could go with you." After we returned to the hostal, exchanged e-mail addys and said goodbye, back in the room Emma confesed to me that she and Itai had cheated during both games of pool. I shouted "What?!!!" so loud the people in the courtyard could hear me. But it didn't matter really, I had a good laugh over it. What mattered was that I'd had fun with my new friends.
