Sept. 20, 2008: The River is Only 200 Meters Down This Path….

By Beatrice • November 26, 2008

Sept 20, 2008

We had finished early in Burro Pozo clinic and Gerardo thought it would be nice to visit Tuli’s rancho and take a walk to the Rio Dulce before we drive to Majadas. Tuli is a lovely woman and her rancho had been used as a clinic before the one in Majadas was built. She is also a renown weaver in these parts and Colleen and I wanted to buy some of her work to bring back to the States for an MMI fundraiser benefiting the ranchos. When we arrived, Tuli was on her front porch with her loom. She brought out several of her weavings and we bought one. Then we all followed Gerardo to the river.

“The river is only 200 meters down this path!”he says, …and we had every reason to believe it. Gerardo has been here several times and it’s just down this way, 200 meters. We head down the path, accompanied by “Lassie”, one of Tuli’s dogs. We pass an old woman on a donkey with filled water bottles she is taking back to her rancho. Good sign.

Taking water back to the rancho via donkey

The main path seems to end and there is no river so we backtrack for a while then turn towards the left and head across the forest. We walk for quite a while and still there is no sign of any river. We keep going, cross over a fence (with sections missing) and keep walking. Tuli’s little dog, is still with us. Doesn’t he know the way back? Colleen, dog whisperer, talks to the dog: “Lassie, Timmy is Lost! Get help! Home, Lassie.” His tongue hangs out, he wags his tail. This dog does not speak English.

We walk for close to 2 hours. We turn around and head back to the fence and decide to follow it to the north. Well, it felt like it should be - could be, north. There are some kind of tire or wheel tracks in the dirt alongside of the fence and surely, if we stick to it, we will either come to a road or a rancho or a knowledgeable someone wandering through the forest.

We don’t. We come to a gate.

We pass though a gate

After standing around discussing what to do, we open the gate! And we continue on for a short distance. No one wants to say that we are pathetically lost but we are pathetically lost and all thinking it. “Lassie” is now hanging with Tim. People start checking their cell phones.

Searching for a cell phone signal

German climbs on a tree stump, trying to get a signal and starts yelling “Tuli”.

She does not yell back.

Still looking for a signal

Chris looks a bit off so I tell him, “Just look at this as part of your Argentine Adventure. How many people do you know have the opportunity to get lost in the Argentine Monte?” He looks suspiciously at me when he replies, “well, that’s one way of looking at it….”.

Finally, Sandra gets a signal on her cell. Since Tuli’s rancho was originally used as a clinic, she has a solar panel and a cell phone. Sandra explains what has happened; Tuli’s daughter, Giselle, thinks she knows where we are and sets out to locate us. Tim heads back toward the downed section of fencing. Colleen, Chris and I follow. Tim is a seasoned hiker and if he thinks he knows the correct general direction, then Colleen, Chris and I are sticking with him! Where Tim goes, we go! And so does ‘Lassie’. “Lassie” is with The Program. The others all come along too. After about 30-40 minutes, Giselle, a health aide herself, saves the day by finding us and moving us back in the right direction to her rancho.

After a bit of walking (and walking and walking) she happens to mention that this little dirt pathway on our right, is THE path to the river - its now but only 200 meters away. I am hot, thirsty, tired of walking in the sun, so I am quite stunned when Gerardo and German are SO happy that the river finally is only 200 meters away and really, after all this effort, why, yes, we have to go. Isn’t this why we’re here? Goodness, I’m with the Boy Scouts! So we all trudge another 20 minutes (how long is 200 meters?) and yes, there is the carefully hidden Rio Dulce.

But just finding it isn’t enough. They must swim in it too! …And Sandra too, in what I can only assume to be rapturous joy, jumps in, with her camera and her cell phone in her pockets! ‘Lassie’ gets a drink.

Swimming in the river

When they all climb out of the river, it is yet another half hour walk back to Tuli’s. Giselle has gone ahead and I can’t see her anymore, much to my dismay. I’m walking fast with Michelle, well ahead of the others. I just want to get there, this interminable walking to be done. Faithful ‘Lassie’, who has been with us continuously, obviously knows a shortcut because he disappears.