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11 April
This morning we awoke to boiling kettles and coffee, we got up got dressed and went looking for coffee and toast with peanut butter & blueberry jam or peanut butter & strawberry jam. After 5 slices we were ready to go. We packed up, quickly explored the cave to find all the annoying bats that kept me up all night and there were no shortages.
We left the camp at 10h00 for a 6 km plus trek to the hide built in the inner forest. The pace was much slower than the previous day but we only got 1.5 L water to share between both Leanne and myself, that really made it difficult. Rain had fallen the previous night and the jungle trek, already difficult to navigate, was now much more slippery often resulting in someone sliding or slipping in the mud. The route was absolutely amazingly beautiful, although the leaches presented a irritation. Leanne had found one on her the previous day but not been bitten and myself being able to avoid the bloodthirsty suckers. Today I had not been so lucky, I was bitten three times and found the fourth just in time, Leanne was bitten only once.
At lunch we stopped at a location where the water level was deep enough to swim, this resulted in all trekkers hastily undressing to make use of the natural means of cooling off. There our guides prepared 2 minute noodles, vegetables and chicken for lunch. After picking off the leaches we packed up and continued with the trek. Many places required one to clamber over fallen trees, jump over mud puddles and hold on to branches in an attempt not to slip on inclines. After 5 hours of trekking through the forest we reached the jungle hide. Only to find that we were not the only guests, many leaches had also made it their home and a few were caught off guard by the indestructible slippery bloodsuckers (unless you have a lighter/cigarettes), we were lucky to escape.
The evening I made a makeshift laundry line to hang out our sweat drenched and mud splattered clothes. The day had taken its toll on everyone, so few people stayed up late, in the jungle bed time is 21h00.
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