A Stranding Averted (Day 26)

Our last day of "vacation" and I am ready to head back upriver to the luxury of my tent and air mattress as straight ground sleeping here in Bameno is getting a little rough. Any notion of an early departure was exstinguished early when we discovered the river had dropped significantly in the night, leaving the huge canoe beached in the mud. Have to wait for river to rise so can depart.
Finally are able to leave Bameno around 2pm and our three hour trip upriver takes a turn for the uncomfortable when a cold downpour mercilessly drenches us in the canoe. First we try and hide from it, then try to embrace the ironically hypothermic feeling the rain is giving us by doing push ups and jumping jacks in the canoe. Otobo and his wife look at us with conviction that their suspicions of our craziness have been justified. These attempts to stave off the cold aren't quite successful and because the rain never stops the ride back is miserable. Problems compound as we run out of gas still a couple miles from home. Our predicament is a bit stark as sundown is not far off and the likely scenario would be Otobo hiking a couple miles back to camp through the forest while Joe and I stay near the river with his wife, newborn baby, and 2 year old child! More or less meaning that his wife Carmen would have to look after her children AND Joe and I. Luckily, Otobo found about 12 ounces of gas that took us within 500 yards of our camp. We then cut long branches and hand-poled are way upriver to the camp. Arrive wet, cold, and tired but we are excited to break open a packet of Thai spice mix that Sean gave us in Bameno. A good ending to a potentially disasterous day.