All is Well

October 15 Woke up while we were still docked near last night's village which offered another shopping opportunity for my hero when the villagers came aboard with their wares. I am darn near recovered which is more than I can say for various shipmates, the poor bastards. I must say, this place ain't for sissies. My body has been through the wringer - high altitude sickness, long-lasting and numerous insect bites, Inca's revenge, dehydration, and the faint. Like a phoenix, I rise triumphant from the ashes, the better to enjoy this morning's fishing expedition. Yes, my friends, we seek piranha! And I caught uno, dos, tres, plus baiting my own hook with raw meat which some were not willing to attempt. Man up, I say. Later we had them for lunch. Very good but lots of bones. This afternoon, our International Expeditions guide, Nando, gives an informative talk about the recent political history of Peru including the migration to the cities beginning in the 1950's, the rise of the Golden Path (Mao-inspired terrorists), and the last several presidencies. There will be an election (voting is mandatory in theory, at least) in 18 months when he fears that a Bolivian-influenced candidate may prevail. He considers this evil an that is spreading around South America. With so much illiteracy and poverty, Peru has a lot of issues with which to contend. Our afternoon outing is a pleasure - from 4 P.M. to 6 P.M. on a small tribuatry, complete with a lightening storm (but no rain on us). The erosion on the river bank is remarkable and, apparently, has also been so although it has been hastened by the river people populating and farming the banks. In some places, the banks erode 100 feet annually, felling very large and very old trees. The soil from one bank is deposited on the opposite shore and then that side builds up. You can imagine how the course of these rivers alter in a short time. Actually, the course of the Amazon is not all that easy to pinpoint. Many rivers flow here and we spend our time on at least 4 of them, including, only briefly, the Amazon. We see some of the bank give way today as we float by. We liken it to the glaciers calving in Alaska. I give thanks that I am well today and it feels great to be in the jungle!