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That morning we woke early to the sound of the market next to us. We began to sell our supplies including the machete, water container, plastic tarp and other items. The local children took what was left, including the oars and cooking pot. The raft was left at the dock next to the market. The people at the market said it would be their "recuerdo" of the crazy gringo and Chilean that floated down the river.

The End of the Journey

Brennick
2005-11-10 18:29:47

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That morning we woke early to the sound of the market next to us. We began to sell our supplies including the machete, water container, plastic tarp and other items. The local children took what was left, including the oars and cooking pot. The raft was left at the dock next to the market. The people at the market said it would be their "recuerdo" of the crazy gringo and Chilean that floated down the river.

We later learned that it takes less than 12 hours for a riverboat to make the journey that took us 5 days. We spent the rest of the day exploring the town and making arrangements to catch the next riverboat to Iquitos. We eventually found a boat and loaded our gear. It would take us two days to get to Iquitos on the riverboat. I was told that it would have taken us 20 days to do it on a raft. Of course the fishermen were wrong about the time that it took us to get to Contamana. George, the man from Pucallpa who helped us build the raft, said it would take about 8 days to raft from Pucallpa to Iquitos. It was quite clear to me that no one rafts the river so nobody knew for sure how long it takes to raft distances.

I don’t think I would ever float down the Ucayali in a raft again. I would prefer a canoe that I could easily navigate and a nice mosquito net. I immensely enjoyed the adventure. It was definitely an opportunity of a lifetime.