Avoiding the stench of feet
- 25 Feb 08, 02:15 PM
Posted from: Near Atalaia, on the river on the way to logging camp
We have resumed our boat journey to the remote logging camp and didn鈥檛 quite make it in daylight today so have pulled into the riverbank to sleep the night. Laura has stayed behind in Tabatinga to start transcribing the Matis tapes so it鈥檚 a very male affair for this section of filming. The sleeping options are pretty limited with hammocks being tied to every possible place inside of the cramped boat. This isn鈥檛 too pleasant as inside it stinks of diesel fumes and it's boiling hot from the lack of ventilation.
Since Christmas I鈥檝e been travelling with a small pop-up tent, which is just amazing. I found that hammocks are OK for one or two nights but given a few crashes to the ground from snapped branches and a bad back from never quite sleeping straight this tent has proved a revelation.
Matt with his revelatory tent
To avoid the diesel fumes and the many sticky feet I tried pitching it on the roof of the boat. It instantly popped out of the bag and this flat surface and a cool breeze would be perfect for the night. My one concern was that I'd somehow roll off the roof in the night and drown but faced with the stinky conditions below, the risk seemed worth it. That night it rained and rained and rained but the tent just about held up and when I woke it was another beautiful sunrise over the jungle.
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