I don't know how we pulled it off, but none of the dogs followed us, thankfully. The route to the river is full of dogs and it just sucks to walk it with them.
When we got to the river, we set our stuff down on some rocks and immediately waded into the water. Well, turns out going to the river right after it rains is not the best idea. The water was freezing cold, but that was to be expected. The current was also very very strong! The upside was that there wasn't a million people there washing clothes, in fact, no one was there. We had the river all to ourselves.
 |
| This is the river on a very busy day - kind of hard to see, but there is no additional space to squeeze in to wash your clothes. |
Melissa and Eynor were courageous and ventured across immediately. I stayed back with Fabrizio. He really wanted to wade out as far as them, but the problem is that he can't swim, the river is very rocky, and he is super small. It would be disastrous if the current took off with him. Also, it is hard enough to navigate the slippery rocks in the river and the strong current alone, so with a Fabrizio attached to your arm, it is a bit more difficult.
Melissa and Eynor were able to get out of the river and look around for a "better" place to "swim," so we moved upstream a bit. While there really was not swimming to be had and the current was still very strong, it ended up being a nice place to chill.
When you first step into the river, it is sandy, the water is slower, and it is easy to walk. Then you get a few steps further and the rocks get bigger, uneven, and slippery and the current is stronger. Once you get over the short treacherous part, there was a little island of rocks and it was lovely. I had to walk all the way across to say that I made it to the other side of the river, but that island of rocks was really where it was at.
Fabrizio and Melissa took off down the river to find another spot to swim. Eynor ran into his buddies and went off and played with them. And I just sat on the island of rocks in between.
It was most enjoyable to sit on the rocks and feel the cool water against my skin and hear it rushing over the rocks and head downstream. As always, as soon as we attempt to go swimming, the clouds roll in, so it wasn't blazing hot anymore, but still nice enough. From my seat, I could watch Eynor playing with his buddies, splashing and throwing mud at each other and floating in the water a bit. And I could turn around and see Melissa and Fabrizio chilling in the water as well. I just sat and listened and watched and was. The island of rocks was a blessing. I could just sit and enjoy everything around me. It was beautiful.
Then, Eynor lost his shoes, so I had to jump into action to retrieve them before they washed away. I bonked my knee pretty good on a rock, but I saved the shoes!
When Melissa and Fabrizio returned, we decided to check out another part of the river, which meant getting Fabrizio back across the short treachous part. I'm not sure what happened, but Melissa lost her footing and started heading downstream and then I lost my footing and hit my other knee on a rock. It was less than desirable, but we successfully got Fabrizio across without problems. He then proceeded to make fun of us for getting hurt but he was all fine.
At any rate, we went up stream a little bit and then walked in the water and jumped on some rocks for a bit longer before taking off.
We got home right as it started to sprinkle. Good timing.
Typically, I prefer everything to be planned out and arranged ahead of time, but this ended up being quite a happy adventure. While not a perfect trip, it was a good time. I will always remember my little rock island in the middle of the fast-paced river. And for the moment, I have my battle wounds on my knees to keep the memory fresh.
 |
| Eynor and Fabrizio playing in the river on an earlier visit. |
No comments:
Post a Comment