Crossing the River...

During our previous visit, we weren’t able to go across the river because the boats were all being used.  After talking with the guys on the military base though, they told us to come back a few days later and one of them would take us. So that’s what we did today.

Anna, Alan and I went down to the River intent on seeing the other side.  An adventure to say the least.  Here’s a few pictures and a video of the experience.

This a panoramic view of the new site.  I posted this picture in the previous post.  The Military encampment is on the left and we would like to span between those tree's just across the river from it.

Heading our across the river in a boat made of bark in a river filled with crocodiles and snakes.  It's a like the perfect storm of terror is happening right below my aged bark canoe.

Like Venice in Africa, but instead of a gondola my boat is tree skin, and instead of a carved wooden pole, the Captain uses a bamboo pole to push us along against water with a fat flowing current.

Truckin' along.

Upon reaching the other side, me and a guy with a very dull knife set off into the towering brush in search of some elevation.  While he cut, I pushed over tall grass and inspected the land for signs of water.  

There we are! The actual bridge site we are looking at is a ways to the left, but this was where we had to park our canoe.

I was looking for signs that the recent flood water had broken the level it was currently sitting at and was traveling further inland.  I then tried looking for historical evidence of where the water had reached in the past, for erosion patterns, topography (though this was nearly impossible because of the copious amounts of thick, tall grass.  We looked at trees, bushes, the types of plants growing in the floodplain, among a number of other things as well.  And with all of the inspecting we did, I’m still uncertain about what to think. It’s a floodplain, so it’s not an ideal situation.  The grade of the land is very mild, and there really isn’t anywhere with any elevation close by.  Even the slightest rise in that water level ends up flooding a huge portion of the plane.  The water doesn’t stay around very long though, and because the soil is mostly clay, it doesn’t soak in either and produce a lot of mud.  The ground, even while it’s damp, is very firm.  You leave footprints, but none with any depth.  According to the local farmers (keep in mind that while they have been a valuable source of information, were also incorrect about the maximum flood level), you can dig down two meters in that area and still not hit the water table.

So now I’ve got some good info to discuss with the Partner Org’s. And a discussion it’s gonna be.