Day Nineteen

Another Sunday-Funday---well, kindof. We worked on cabin #1 sans the Repeator and built the entry stairs and roof structure. For lunch we had some veggies that the German couple left us. After lunch, we cut out of work and floated down river with Otobo so he could show us one of the nearby salt licks--an area where many of the nearby animals congregate. Entering at the river's edge, we began a walk into the forest that ultimately produced us so far in that if we were to become seperated from Otobo it would surely result in our being lost--most likely for forever. For the first time I realize the feeling agoraphobes experience as we could essentially walk for days in any direction, ecountering the same looking trees and landscape, without emerging from the jungle or seeing any difference in topographic pattern. In other words, we would probably die. Otobo further drives this point home on the return hike to the river he asks Joe and I to see if we could find the path out, which solely consisted of the broken branches that we snapped on the way in for this very purpose. We were able to start in the right direction but after 15 steps or so, total disorientation prevailed. Luckily, Otobo's innate sense of direction would eventually provide our compass out.
While at the salt lick, we didnt have much luck with any animal sightings although we do hear a distant monkey howl and Otobo responds with his own call, which suprisingly the monkey responded to. We set out in search of him without any success of locating him.
Once back at the river, on a canoe without a motor, we painstakingly use 10 poles to push ourselves a mile upriver back to the worksite. At the worksite, Otobo's 2 year-old daughter Weecama, who up until now has been terrified of the bearded white giants that have been with her father, has started to slowly warm to our continued presence. This change of heart only occurred since we have taught her the game "Throw the stick at the gringo's head," which she does with amazing accuracy.