I really enjoy our simple diet, but the thought of drinking something ice cold after weeks in the hot, wet rainforest was more than I could resist. After several weeks of eating rice, beans, fish, and bananas, we took a motor boat into the town of Bretana and treated ourselves to candy and ice cold Coca Cola! Bretana only has electricity from 7 PM until 10 PM, but they use their limited electricity to keep large coolers filled with cold drinks.

During the day the sodas are not very cold, because there is no power to run the coolers. However, if you go to the store in the evening, after the electricity has been on for a few hours, you can buy ice cold drinks, which are a huge treat this close to the equator.

We also stocked up on cans of tuna fish, tomato sauce, animal crackers, and chicken seasoning. These special treats make our otherwise very plain food taste much better after a long day of exploring the flooded forest.

Yesterday we took a motorboat from the mouth of the Pacaya River to the town of Manco Capac. Manco Capac is smaller than Bretana, and it does not have power, refrigeration, or cold Coca Cola, but it is a very interesting community full of very nice families.

The flooded waters are no longer covering the town of Manco Capac, and everyone is celebrating by playing volley ball, and soccer. Warren and Patrick joined one of the many soccer games. They worked up a good sweat with about fifteen 8- to 10-year old boys.

This morning we carried all of our gear, and dragged our canoes across a large soccer field. The flooded forest on the far side of the field drains into the Yanayacu River. As the last pieces of gear were being loaded into the canoes, I ran back to town for one last treat. I had spotted a pile of fresh eggs in a store on the edge of town. I quickly purchased 20 eggs for 5 soles, and trotted back to our canoes.

With our food bags buldging with our newly purchased food, we slowly wove our way though the flooded forest towards the main river channel of the Yanayacu. For four hours we inched through the forest, using trails that you follow on foot for half of the year, and paddle canoes down for the other six months.

I enjoy the sights, sounds, people, and creature comforts that we find in towns like Bretana and Manco Capac. But it feels good to be back in the rainforest. There is nothing I enjoy more than gliding silently through the flooded forest.

Keep Exploring!

Dave

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