We were packed up and on board lobo at 6am, hard boiled eggs for breakfast again. We made good time with less weight on board- food eaten and no camera traps and little more water in the river. We didnt have to drag the boat over as many shallow bits or tree trunks. We made the national park guard post by 10am. The fuel for the last leg was loaded on board and so was the bigger engine.
We had a quick stop at antony´s farm which is just before the end of Rio heath, there was a harpy eagle nest there. It is the biggest eagle in the world one of its feet is as big as my hand. However i did not get to check this out my self as the last chick had flown the nest.
Only a few km to go till we were back on Rio Madre de Dios and where we could leave the hauling of the boat behind us. However the last 200m was the shallowest of the whole rio! it took us half an hour to haul, rock and drag, sometimes 30m in one go. Finally out of Rio Heath we stopped on a large sand bar in middle of the massive Rio Madre de Dios to chagne engines to the bigger outboard motor then made a stop on opposite bank to passport control.
By this time it was 4.30 pm and would be dark by six. I asked if we would camp at dusk but we were to go on in the dark. The wide river being a bit easier to see on at night. We would go full speed till dusk then less than half speed when night fell. Its about 2.5 hours in the day light to get up stream to P.Maldonado. Antony was laying on the front of the boat with a torch looking for hazards of sand bars, rocks, logs and other boats. I was worried about not seeing well enough in the dark, especially when there was no light from the moon!
In the end it took us nearly 5 hours to get to P.Maldondado so we had spent almost 15 hours on the boat that day. We unloaded the boat and got a mototaxi to the guest house. My arse has never been so sore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have a boney bum, my seat bones are virtually through my flesh. Well that what if feels like. Typing this up 3 days later its still uncomfortable sitting on a wooden seat!
