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Floating in a tropical river, Day 3 of 6: Fishing in the river

Although last night there was a full moon and lots of stars, this morning there are clouds and fog.  The sun comes out, it burns away the fog slowly.


Around 8am, we start the floating.  Compared to yesterday, there is more natural view on the riverside.



We see motor boats coming and going.  Local people travel in the morning.

There are fewer large gold mines today.  What we see are just a few smaller all-in-one mining stations.  Made in China, such station sits in the river, does all jobs from digging to washing.  A pile of stones is created in the middle of the river.


The workers are living in very simple tents, as seen in this picture.

When we get to a calm section of the river, I jump into the water for a swim.  This is our only way of bathing, although the water is still murky.


The fishing line Ruben bought yesterday is actually very thick.  As he explains, this is to make sure that the fish don't bite too hard and break the line.  This gives me an impression that there are huge fish with sharp teeth in this river.  However, his fishing hook is too small.  He struggles a lot trying to push the thick line through the eye of hook.  After trying for about one hour, he gives up and uses regular line for the hook.  Hopefully we don't catch too big fish. :)

Ruben keeps paddling and navigating, so it is me to do the actual fishing work.  The bait is some chicken fat, left over from last night's dinner.  I'm not quite sure how the fish could see this delicious bait in murky water.  Interestingly enough, just within one minute I throw the hook down, I get a bite!  It's a cat fish, about 0.7 pound.  Ruben keeps the fish in a mesh sack and leaves it in the water.  This way the fish stays alive.

It takes longer for the next fish to bite, and much longer for the third.  Probably there is a broadcasting system in this river:  Don't bite any chicken fat! :)  Eventually we get 4 fish for the day.

In the afternoon we arrive at a plantation.  It's for plantain trees, but the first fruit tree we see is a papaya tree.  On the ground there is a ripe one, obviously fallen down from the tree.  It is broken on one end due to the impact.  Ruben cuts the unbroken half and we share it.  That's the sweetest papaya I've ever had!  I never had a papaya naturally ripened on the tree!

With his machete, Ruben cuts a long bamboo stick.  With that he jabs down 3 papayas from the tree.  While I carry them to the raft, he cuts a huge bunch of plantains.

Back to the river, we float down some short distance and get to the beach again.  This time Ruben collects some limes.  They are for cooking the fish.

After sunset, we arrive at another beach.  Unlike last night, this one is very peaceful.  What we can hear is only the singing of birds.  

The moon rises above the river, with it's reflection on the water.  

There are quite some drift wood on the beach.  While Ruben is preparing for dinner, I collect some wood and make a camp fire.  The night gets a bit chilly.  It's perfect to have dinner by the fire.  Dinner is the fish, very tasty.


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Replies, comments and Discussions:

  • Floating in a tropical river, Day 1 of 6: Adventure on the road +6
    • I don't know if I would travel this way myself +3

      It seems very interesting and kind of sketchy. I don’t think it’s the kind of travel for normal ordinary people, it takes a lot of gut… But good for you for being so brave.

      I think it’s better to know more about Spanish if you really want to travel in South America though… and good writing by the way :)

      • It takes some time and experience to feel comfortable to travel in a backpacking way. Along my trips I've met numerous young backpackers. Many of them just finished high school.
    • Floating in a tropical river, Day 2 of 6: River trip starts +1
    • Floating in a tropical river, Day 3 of 6: Fishing in the river +1
    • Floating in a tropical river, Day 4: Catching fish +1
      • Ruben rocks!
        • For catching fish with bare hands? :)
          • For being a good guide and a handyman. :)
    • Floating in a tropical river, Day 5 of 6: Wild macaws +1
    • Floating in a tropical river, Day 6 of 6: It rains finally. +1
    • Just found that my American friend Kim, who I met in my Ecuador trip, also took the same adventure!

      Here's what Kim wrote:

      It was the best thing I did in Bolivia! Too bad more people don’t know about it... or maybe it’s a good thing!

      I was at the same check point waiting for the bus to come...only I didn’t have a plate number. The police were freaked out that I was sitting there for hours. I didn’t speak Spanish either. The bus ended up coming 7 hours late due to a flat tire that happened before I got on. Luckily I have 3 other gringos that were on the bus who knew to look for me and I woke them up when I got on the bus to see if they were expecting another gringo. We arrived at our destination at 2:30 am and Ruban wasn’t there. Luckily, I was the only one with a phone and was able to call him otherwise we wouldn’t have known what to do. In the end Ruban was awesome and the trip was well worth it! 
       

    • Some of the best memories in life are from traveling. +2
      • Exactly! Read a thousand books, travel a thousand miles...
        • Should be 10 thousands.
          • You read more and go further. :D
    • Thanks for sharing. I think it's an interesting but scary experience! It's an adventure but not tourism. Did you feel comfortable and peaceful to float on the river for 6 days (not a short time) , +1
      especially when you were having language issues and equipped simply?
      • Hello new friends, it's my first time to visit the Rolia english version. Please feel free to let me know the errors and mistakes in my english writing. Thanks! +1
        • Welcome! Your writing is amazing. No need to worry about mistakes, if there is any. It's like the way we use Chinese: there might be errors but we are not concerned.
          • Thanks!
      • I was expecting to have a group of guests. So when I confirmed that I was the only one, I was quite disappointed. But I felt peaceful. It was not a comfortable trip though. Very primitive. :)
        • Perhaps your name, Prince Sailor, makes you brave to face that type of adventures, doesn't it? 😁😁
          • It's just not as comfy as staying in a 5-star resort. But throughout the trip I was like a prince: no need to work, someone cooked for me... isn't it amazing? :D
            • Yes, that real 1:1 small group services of both guide and hospitality. +1
        • Perhaps you have had lots of experience and skills of living near and on the sea?
          • Not really. :p I don't know how to sail, how to fish using a net, etc...
        • Could I know how much (roughly) did you pay for the guide or the travel agency? Please don't be offended. I have no intention to dig your privacy numbers,
          but just want to learn the local economic conditions and estimate the possible public safety issues for travellers. Thanks for your understanding.
          • I paid the agency. Around USD $320. It's an expensive one according to Bolivia standard. Regarding safety, Latin American countries are not so good on this issue, especially in big cities. Avoid going out after sunset.
            • 6 days' adventure for $320. The cost is low. It's a good deal as long as no robbery or other safety issues.
              • The service is minimum though... :D Among the several Latin American countries I've been too, Bolivia is safer, especially in the countryside.
                • Thanks for sharing your adventure experience!