Viaje Panga...Travels with the PBI boat...

Viajes inolvidables con nuestra querida panga.....

Y la tercera foto....en el "verano" aqui hay muchísima "lechuga" (esta cosa verde que cubre todo el agua del río) que se enreda mucho con el motor....

We use the boat when travelling to the humanitarian zones of Cacarica....we cross the Gulf de Urabá, enter the delta of the River Atrato until we reach a point called "La Tapa" and then we enter the smaller rivers leading to Cacarica (at which point we exchange our boat for the slender, wooden kayak-type contraptions that you can see in photo 2).
I love the journey in Panga...it takes about 3 hours from Turbo to La Tapa...because of the beautiful views (Parque Natural de los Katios), the odd red monkey, exotic birds, lush greenery., expanse of blue (sky and river) AND, most of all, the quality thinking time it allows...

Y un día voy a tirarme de la panga para nadar en el río. Tengo tantas ganas.....

Tropicalities...

Yesterday I felt incredibly exhausted, as if I had been hit by a wall of sleep....I just had to lie down....Then I began to feel achy all over and my temperature started to rise....So I reached for our emergency handbook, donated by Medicos del Mundo: "Donde no hay doctor" (when you are without a doctor) and managed to find at least 6 unpleasant, corrosive, potentially fatal tropical diseases that fit my symptoms. Probably not a good idea to have read those chapters while feeling down in the dumps (not exactly a morale booster). But the fact that two members of the team have recently recovered from serious illnesses (Malaria and Weil´s disease) did not, in my mind, bode well for my flu-like symptoms. Luckily everyone in the team was very attentive and they quickly dispelled my fears (e.g. my temperature was not high enough to be symptomatic of the more complicated tropical diseases) and, thankfully, today I am feeling a lot better, though extremely tired. Hence an early night....

I also recently found out that 99% of the Turbo team has some sort of parastic invasion/inbalance in the stomach/intestines....a by-product of food and water consumed both here and in the areas in which we accompany. Mmmmm....an "innocent" rumble of the tummy will henceforth take on a whole new meaningfor me...