Days 14, 15

day 14-

Drunk guy hitches a ride with us to San Pablo. Nina rows. Tries to hit us up for coins but Nina says that HE should pay HER for rowing him. Eat tamales in San Pablo. Take a narrow branch of the Amazon. Stop at a raft and duck into shade and take a bath off someone elses boat.

Float down river, its shady, lie back to take nap. Storm grumble then STORM!! See the dark rain sleet sweeping down the river towards us. Get under plastic. Too windy. Get soaked. Can’t see anything. Speedboat emerges from mist and rips through the water too close to us.

Stop at community but hardly anyone there. Mute old lady comes to chat, serious looking boy and girl and old lady. They wear headscarfs and are wary of us. Dock at port. It’s a religious community, their religion is called Order of the Cross. They wear plain cloth dresses. Angelic choir singing echos in the small hours of the morning.

day fifteen-Don’t really want to travel. Have my period. Make oatmeal, fish, etc. Eating session. Guy comes to play guitar. It’s Sunday. Nina goes to child’s birthday party and sings happy birthday. That afternoon go upstream to buy cigarettes and watch sports. These are prohibited in the religious community.

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