PADDLER 32
PADDLER 32
DAY TWO : 34KM BOILS , SMILES AND BOWL FULLS OF MASCATO
The day began with a Real Turmat breakfast sat in a jungle hot spring while we appreciated our new Jagua tattoos .
Despite being the shortest stage of the Amazon Challenge , it was filled with excitement , featuring some of the largest boils and whirlpools we had ever encountered as paddlers . The reason for the shorter day was to maximise our interaction with the Shipetiari community . They wanted to treat us to Masato , a traditional Peruvian drink made by boiling , peeling , and fermenting yuca . We were warmly welcomed in their village banana plantation and spent quality time playing with the children – did you know 11 kids can fit on a 14 ’ McConks board ?
DAY THREE : 55KM TREE GRAVEYARDS , NONE-STOP ZONES AND POOPING NEXT TO TARANTULAS
Everyone felt a bit anxious as we travelled through the land of the uncontacted Mascho Piro tribe – make sure to research them ! We had to paddle through almost 40km of continuous zones , with strict instructions to stick to the ‘ river right ’ side .
After navigating the non-stop zone , we entered what seemed like a forest graveyard . The Madre de Dios River deposited massive amounts of tree debris , some over 50m long . We had to stay alert , as the strong currents and debris posed challenges , particularly for the canoe teams .
We took a quick break at Boca Manu for a required medical check ( to look for things such as foot rot – which the socks from Sealskinz certainly helped with ), a refreshing beer , and grabbed some super sweet orange chomps , which had become a team favourite snack !
Resuming our journey down the river , we reached our forest camp for the night . Setting up our tents , we later discovered we had camped less than 10m away from a nest of tarantulas – Caz spotted them during her ‘ trowel ’ walk .
That evening , Brodie , a passionate photographer who has been working with the Manu Biological Station for the past year , led us on a nighttime forest walk . We got to use the red light on our waterproof Exposure Lights head torches . He shared a wealth of knowledge about Horned Frogs , Wandering Spiders , False Coral Snakes , and more !
DAY FOUR : 68KM GIANT AMAZONIAN OTTERS , COCAINE PRODUCTION AND PIRANHAS
From this point on , the river ' s flow decreased while the meanders ' length increased . The temperatures remained above 30 ° C , with high humidity making it challenging to stay cool . We wore the UV tops from Mustang Survival , factor 50 suncream from Lifesystems and our Waterhaul sunglasses daily to cope . Every day , we consumed our full allowance of six litres of water from our boards and even more at camp , ensuring we replaced essential salts