PADDLER 83
THE PIATUA
Ecuador
It ’ s a classic ; it was on Thursday , the 8th of February 2024 , in its current form . Alex Dent of https :// riverpeopleecuador . com / informs us the river keeps changing ; a massive flood a couple of years ago scoured the riverbed and pushed many of the large boulders to the river ’ s edge .
This is Ecuador , O-level geography . The heat of the day rises , cools , condenses , and forms rain clouds , and it rains , and boy , does it rain in these parts . Well , it is the tropical Amazonian rainforest , after all .
We ’ ve driven about 40 minutes out of Tena and are stood on a bridge over the Anzu river ; there ’ s a section on here that will go , Alex informs us , or the Piatua section we did previously , although the levels will be lower , or the upper Piatua should be good to go . The debate goes back and forth ; it ’ s our call , we are told , we ’ re unsure , then we hear mild-mannered Brian ’ s voice , “ I ’ ve done the Anzu , I like new rivers , like the upper .”
PADDLER 83