Waterfalls

On Saturday we decided to take a day trip to some near by waterfalls we had heard about. The falls were found previous by another volunteer via google earth. All six of us fit into the pick up and headed out.

The drive to the falls got us within about an hour's hike of the falls. The water was low in the river leading to the falls so we were able to drive through the riverbed at times with ease. The narrow road took us through small villages and fields.

The hike was not difficult and had little elevation change. The trail switched back and forth over the river. We saw locals doing laundry in the river and bathing themselves as we passed. Cows, donkeys, and horses littered the landscape grazing on the vegetation. Laura tried to get a picture next to a cow but the cow wasn't interested and it was in her best interest to keep her distance. The river gradually got colder as we neared the falls and was refreshing in contrast to the air temperature. As we rounded a bend in the river we caught a whiff of a very awful smell. Most of us wrote it off as cow poop, but as we continued the stench increased in strength. We then found the source as we came upon a dead horse. The horse had been decapitated and pieces of its mane were on the ground. It's carcass had been almost picked clean by scavengers. We had limited knowledge to try and explain what may have transpired.

Being up wind from the decaying horse made the hike more enjoyable. When we reached the falls they seemed small but the water was cold and felt good. We climbed up the first step of falls to find a pool that entered into a small cove with steep walls accessible only by swimming. The water was deep and we initially lost our breath when we entered the cold water. We bumped into small boulders beneath the water as we swam in the cove. There was a current coming from the waterfall that pushed us back as we swam near the falling water. We took turns swimming under the falls and trying to stay under before being pushed away by the current.
The large rocks provided a comfortable place to sit and dry off after our swim. We all kept commenting on how quiet it was and relaxing to just sit by the water.

After drying in the sun we headed back and enjoyed the lack of attention we received from the local residents as we hiked. Laura and I again made comments regarding Lost throughout this experience because of the similar landscape to the 'island'.

On our way back, we stopped for lunch in the city, capping off a great Saturday. Far different from last year's Halloween, but still fun.

Things have been relatively calm lately here at COTP. Last weekend we got the chance to see one of the kids, Simon, go home with his family to Oregon. It's always exciting and emotional to see kids with their adoptive parents.

This past week, we broke ground on building a new playground for the kids. The supplies should arrive in the next few weeks and then things will really get underway. It's going to be sweet by the time it's done.

Looking forward to a trip to the Dominican Republic in a couple weeks and then spending a few days with Bob and Sharon!