Capsized!

Man, I wake up feeling rougher than a badgers arse. At 6:30am the ogre rises! A combination of a hard day yesterday and a bad nights sleep.

I bag a picture of the wall enclosing the camp site which shows the dedication the Incas had in perfecting their stone work. After that we hit the water again.

The excitement of the day was a grade 5 rapid called Marpa. We were 5 passenger rafts in total and we were one of the first down. It all went according to plan and we made it through without too much difficulty. On a whole the river through the Cotahuasi was really low making it very treacherous and technically difficult, especially should you fall out!

After us came the raft nicknamed Estrogen-1, so called because it was full of girls - except a bloke called Steve, bless! They also managed okay. (You Tube Clip Here)

The next raft didn't do so well. As it drifted round the corner on the rapid approach I noticed something was wrong, someone was missing. Then it hit me, it wasn't just someone but the Guide himself was absent from the raft! In no way was this going to end well.

The raft grounded on a rock, swivelled round and tipped everyone out. The safety guides started throwing ropes across the river but to avail - the wet rafters couldn't hold on, instead they were all swept down Grade 5 Marpa. There was nothing I could do but film the whole event in glorious cinematic surround sound! (You Tube Clip Here) The rafters got bruised pretty badly as they bounced off the rocks and tumbled down to the slash pool at the bottom. Safety kayaks steamed in to prevent they from flowing any further downstream.

Next up was Testosterone-1, so called because it was full of man power (including an typical Aussie and his son with a career in the Navy). There was much distress from girlies about their safety but predictably, they were fine. (You Tube Clip Here)

After today's excitement we camped out a little earlier than usual. Not such a bad idea, only it necessitated carrying all the gear 3 stories up the embankment along a dodgy Peruvian path.

Posted by Steve Eynon