Shortly after we started on our hike, I’d noticed that our two drivers weren’t with the group any longer. I had wrongly assumed that they had stayed back with the boats. Halfway through our hike I found out what they’d been up to. While we were still on the river bank, getting ourselves organized, they had gone on ahead of us. On the second half of our hike the jungle got denser and they had been busy bushwhacking the way with their machetes for us. One more thing I can scratch off my list of things to do in life. Hike through a tropical jungle while my guide slashes his way through with a machete. Done. After an hour’s hike we arrived at the much-anticipated waterfall. It was everything the kids and I had hoped: tall, with a deep pool below, and plenty of high rocks to jump off of. And yes, there was lots of cajoling and jumping including a couple of kids who had not jumped off of the platform back at the resort. One of my students stood on top of the bluff for ten or twelve minutes before she finally jumped and then she only managed to do so because I –with her permission- gave her a push.
We were due back for lunch, so we toweled off as best we could, put our shoes back on, and headed out.
I thought about suggesting to my students that we walk in silence in hopes of seeing monkeys, and then thought better of it. As I did one last check to make sure no one had left anything behind, further down I could hear them singing.
-Jack
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