Rain. Mud. Mosquitoes. Rafting trip anyone?!?!

Last Monday we headed down to Yuty, roughly a two hour drive on the bumpy dirt road south of Caazapa, for the annual MK Adventure started by Dan and teammate Greg Cameron last year. Right now there are only three teenage boys on our team and last year they braved three days and two nights with Dan and Greg walking along long, dusty dirt roads, climbing the highest peak in Paraguay and sleeping against gale winds. After hitting the mountains last year the plan was to ride the river this year. And they did.

A rainstorm with a rising river threatened to cancel their trip. The first night they decided to stay put at the Cameron's house with a Bible study and movie. Tuesday Dan and Greg went out and checked the water level and after taking the three boys for some four wheeling on the muddy roads they decided to go ahead with the trip. Vonni, Greg's wife, and I were to be on stand by to pick them up possibly a day later depending on how far they floated down the river.

The kids and I were staying with Vonni and her boys. While the older "boys" were out getting wet and eaten alive by mosquitoes we were talking away and drinking hot coffee with flavored creamer. Vonni also gave me a free haircut as a surprise for Dan. We had a great time but back to the boys...

Off they went with the truck loaded up along the muddy roads. Once they got to the river they had to build their raft. No one knew how it was really going to turn out but look, it turned out great!! Of course there are no pictures of them actually floating along the river (couldn't get the camera wet) but they did! For an extremely pleasant and mosquitoe free ride I was told :)

Check it out!

Now comes the test to see if it floats...

Pretty clever don't you think?!?

This was Greg's great thinking as he is an avid kayaker (well, back in South Africa anyway. Not much white water in Paraguay!)

I heard that the chicken dinner Greg cooked up Tuesday night was delicious!! I also heard, and saw some of the results, that the mosquitoes were atrocious hence the clothes around their heads to try to protect themselves. All I can say is good for them for sticking it out. They would all then tell me the story of how they really had no other choice and they had to move their camp at 1:00 AM because the river was rising and there was danger of their camp being flooded and they had to wade through knee deep water hauling equipment for a rafting trip, not a hiking trip and they were inhaling and choking on mosquitoes...yeah, there were some good stories!!

A nice dry spot to camp out on

What they all had to hike through to get back to the truck after floating down the river (you know, plan C!!)

Congratulations guys! You did it!