Moskitia - Day 4 Petroglyphs

Today involved more messing around in boats. For this we switched to much smaller boats that can be polled up the river rather like a punt.



We negotiated several rapids including some that required us to get out of the boats and walk so that there was enough water under them to get over the rocks.





Half way up the river we stopped off for a quick jungle hike with some spectacular views.



The bridge above leads to a platform that the locals have build to give a good lookout point. I haven't a photo of this construction, but it's pretty impressive, even more so when you consider that it was all built with just manpower - some of the bigger collumns required 70 people to drag them through the jungle.



After our walk it was back in the boats to negotiate more rapids until we reached the stone carvings that were the destination of our river cruise.



Then it was head back downstream. This is a lot easier than going up! We shot all of the rapids - including the ones that we had previously had to walk around. Came quie close to tipping the boat over but we made it in one (albeit damp) piece.



Cute picture walking back from the boats.

Moskitia - Day 3 Las Marias

This day was a long day of travelling by boat up the Rio Platano.



Six hours on the boat leads to people trying a variety of positions to get comfortable. Not many of them work.




After a long day we reached our lodgings for the next few nights. No showers here, but washing in the river is a perfectly acceptable alternative.

Moskitia - Day 2 Yamari Savannah, Crocodile Tour

Day 2 started nice and gently with a walk around the local community looking at a few of plants and stopping off for some fresh coconuts.



Quite a few things to see round here, mostly rural life going on and a few interesting plants, insects and local Mosquitia going about there business.




They also have some rather nice beaches to enjoy.



After a quick rest it was time to jump into another boat to head to our next lodgings.



This involved heading through some mangrove swamps and then over Brus Lagoona.



This can be quite a rough crossing as the wind can pick up and creat quite big waves. Luckily our boat driver had a tarp that we could hide under.



Once over the Lagoon we drove through some fairly narrow rivers on the lookout for crocodiles and other critters. We were now in savanna country and there's actually quite a lot of smallholdings here where cattle are grazed. We passed through a few areas where the dead grass was being burnt off to promote new growth for the cattle which made quite an interesting trip.



We reached our lodgings, had some lunch and spent the afternoon chilling out, swimming and kayaking on the nearby river. The water is crystal clear and you can see the bottom almost everywhere apart from places that are very deep.



In the evening we went out looking for crocodiles. Unfortunately I left my camera back in the room so no photos, but we saw quite a few of the little beasties. Our kind was kind enough to fish one of the smaller ones out for us. They feel just like a handbag...

Moskitia - Day 1 Overland to Raista Ecolodge

Up stupidly early this morning to catch the bus to a place called Tocoa. Met up with my fellow travellors (two swedish nurses, a budding wildlife photographer, and the owner of a non profit organisation) at the bus station at 5:30am and piled onto the bus. Not too uncomfortable but it took us about 4 or 5 hours to reach Tocoa. From there we had to pick up a "Paila" which seems to be some kind of seriously jacked up pick up truck. Seating is on the back and consists of some planks of wood. It is seriously uncomfortable.



The paved road dissappeared after about 30 minutes and from then on it was dirt roads and I began to understand just why the trucks had such big tires and jacked up suspension. Here's a picture of the truck that we almost got into before the guys in our truck kidnapped us.



The trip was long hot and dusty, but there were quite a few interesting sites to keep us amused. Lots of wildlife and rural scenes.



The last hour or so of the journey took place along the beach. The road dissappeared and we drove along the shore where the sand was firm from the water.



There were a few places where this meant that the truck seemed to be on the verge of tipping over. It's hard to capture this in a photo, but believe me, it was quite a nerve wracking experience. Especially when the welding holding the rails in place started to give way. Everyone on board seemed to take this in good spirits though so there was not panicking (maybe a few cries of "mummy...").



After some time we reached a place called Batalla and picked up our next form of transport, a boat to take us to Raista.



We took a brief stop at Palasais to use the facilities. Apparently this can be quite a dangerous place at night, there is currently a ban on consumption of alcohol and a curfew on all minors.



The sun was setting on us as we motored over the lagoons and through rivers until we eventually reached our lodgings for the night and a welcome cold shower and food.

Back from the wilderness

Back again. Will start updating the blog as soon as I've showered and got some washing going!