September to Remember

September was a very full month. 

It started with the Fiesta Patronal here in Tantará.  My little town suddenly became filled to the brim with people, fireworks, and giant pots cooking over fires.  It was a week of family, food, and music.  There were soccer games, a band playing almost constantly, and even running with the bulls.

And then there was the parade (to which Captain America and Rambo made appearances). 

Right after the party, it was off to Iquitos. 

Iquitos is the largest city in the world that cannot be accessed by car.  The only way there is by air or by boat. 

We spent the first few days there visiting a butterfly sanctuary, a manatee rehabilitation center, and a seasonal animal care facility where we got to hold all sorts of jungle animals. 

Then the main event: the raft race. 

Thursday we went to Nauta where we were given materials to build a raft.  Of course, we knew nothing about building a raft, so we left that to the locals. 

Friday morning, we climbed onto our boat and started paddling. 

In 3 days, we paddled 112 miles down the Amazon, for a total of about 23 hours. 

The Amazon is the most astonishingly large river I have ever seen.  During the many times we had to cross, it seemed to go on forever and ever.  It is so large that our perspective was constantly playing tricks on us.  At times, the shore would seem close, but then we would notice the tiniest speck near the trees that was another boat.

Sun burnt and exhausted, we arrived in Iquitos on Sunday and stumbled onto shore.  After all that, we won 2^nd place in the all-women category, which came along with a very nice trophy and little extra cash for our pockets. 

We were more or less adopted by a Peruvian team who helped us fix our boat on the first day.  They also won 2^nd in their category. 

And in the end, they told us that this year, the race was accepted into the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest raft race in the world.    So that’s pretty cool. 

While maybe not the most restful vacation, it was a wonderful way to spend a week with friends in the jungle.  And if we can row a water-logged, half-sinking, balsawood raft 112 miles down the Amazon, we can do almost anything.

It was an exciting month, but I am back now, and gearing up to work hard for the next few months before my next vacation: the US of A!