3 Ginger Snaps

On the morning of day 3, after our chores were finished, we set out on a hike to a local waterfall. You know you are in for a fun hike when this is what your feet look like after the first 300m!

Arden is proving to be a real trail enthusiast and is incredibly adept when it comes to scampering along the trail. Minor falls and stumbles don’t bother her nearly as much out in the forest as they do in day to day life and she seems to really love the freedom. Of course – we didn’t let her wander too far from the path on this hike for fear she might tumble into a pitcher plant… she really enjoys all the stuff she finds along the way and is always on the lookout for the next walking stick. Finding this massive leaf was a highlight of the trail up to the falls. 

The trek up to the falls took us through some pretty dense jungle. We started by passing through a rubber plantation, then circumvented a hydro station, then followed the main pipe that feeds the hydro station. At various points along the way the massive pipe that channels water into the hydro station was punctured – probably from the excessive pressure due to the heavy rainfalls we experienced in our first few days – and the water squirting all over the trail made for some slippery climbing. 

The falls were quite pretty. The river was swollen from all the rain so we stuck to the edges and enjoyed cooling down after a very humid hike. 

All the kids are increasingly interested in taking on responsibilities on the trip. This picture shows Charlotte using a rope to pull our hiking group back across the river on a self propelled ferry on the way back to camp. 

Very nice hike and we were all tired by the end. Having now explored the beach and the jungle, we are really starting to feel at home at Turtle Camp!