Villa Florida lies on the opposite side of the river. We went deep into the jungle to investigate the viability of carving out a road to bring produce to the main highway. By foot an arduous 10 hour journey. We carried little more than a day pack for the five day odyssey.
We drank from the streams and cooked rice and fish plates using available tinder. We saw Blue Morpho Butterflies as well as untouched jungle and stressed, burnt areas in the process of recuperation.  |
After 5 hours of hiking we came to this clear stream. Downriver we found tapir tracks and several small huts used by the gold panners. We spent the night, enjoying tea of yerba buena, rice, tuna and salsa. I slept well. |  |
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Eventually we reached the end of our hike. Deep into the jungle we found where Don Francisco and his compañeros had cleared the land for cultivation. After a few years the scars had cleared and the land had dried out. Unsuitable for planting. |  |