Sumidero Canyon, Friday 11th September

Sheer luxury with another day in the same hotel, no camping, soft beds, hot water but crap internet so I am drinking a lot of coffee. Today was a boat trip along the river from Tuxtla Guitierrez down river through the canyon and along the reservoir behind the Chicoasen hydroelectric dam.

Firstly we had to don buoyancy aids followed by wrist bands that made us feel like hospital inmates being modelled here by Clare with Tracey and Seb looking on in the background.

I wasn't going to include the following selfie but since I post pictures of others I just had to play fair and add this one of me. On the coach to get to the boat I sat next to Maria, from California who had just finished working in Oaxaca and was taking a short break. We chatted for most of the day both on the coach and on the boat and she was good company. However I got some ribbing when I got back to the hotel.

A general view of the boat at the mooring with Laurence and Nicole at the front on the right,. just before our briefing which included a warning as the river is infested with crocodiles so don't dip your finger in the water!

We passed under the main road bridge and entered the national park. There is a checkpoint on the river, a concrete tower in the water and as we slowly drifted past we had to put our hands in the air to show that we had bought the ticket to enter the park. I wondered what the lone officer on duty would have down had someone not got a wrist band.

In no time at all we were viewing crocodiles.

Plus plenty of other wildlife, cormanants, pelicans, condors riding the rising air currents high above us and plenty of other birds that I couldn't name.

The canyon is over 1km deep and there is a boat in the photo, seemingly sosmall as the canyon is so deep.

There were also some strange formatios. Here there is a small waterfall and calcium deposits have built up downward facing fans if calcite where algae grows over which the little trickle of water cascades. And of course the skipper had to drive through the mist and we all got wet but in a nice cooling way.

  And another photo that I received courtesy of Laurence from Monument Valley which is out of sync but too good not to post but a warning to beware of bank robbers, Seb and me in a sandstorm.