orinoco

11/03/05

Orinoco. Population 1400 thereabouts. No cars. Lots of pangas. Lots of children. The village is clustered on the lagoon. The children fish off the quay with hand-made nets and string, They use big pieces of fish as bait. One has his string anchored with a blue Croc sandal. Suddenly the line is taut. When he pulls it up, he has caught a good-sized crab.

People greet us as we walk by. Good afternoon. How are you all today? A group is playing cards on a table in the shade. A little boy chases another. People sitting in front of their shacks. There is no hurry. In the morning the birds sing, squawk and chatter. In the night, the occasional dog barks. Sometimes we can hear a drumbeat in the distance.

We travel in a panga to Pueblo Nuevo further northwest on the Wawashang River. Here the people are Mestizos, have no African traits and speak Spanish. The town has a bustle to it. Houses are close together, the streets have some order to them and go in straight lines. There are many horses. Across the river there is a project funed by a Norwegian NGO, with an agricultural school, farm and plant nursery. It is completely run by Mestizos and seems to be a successful venture.

At Pueblo Nuevo, we are given a simple lunch and put on horses to ride up to Kawka Creek. We had envisioned a meander by a tropical creek. Rather, it is a climb up a hillside on the back of a patient horse being led by the Mestizo guide. At the Reserve, we do wander down to a small muddy creek and take a meander on a forest path. We are exhausted by the heat and move very slowly.