We started the day thinking that we were going to reach a confluence and that we could potentially have climbed onto the boats at that point, but we’re still a long way from that…

Today we did a total of 2.5km, which is quite normal. The first reason is that the terrain is really complex. It’s a big torrent that goes downhill, we lost 200m of ascent today, there are waterfalls, rapids, it’s very uneven, it rumbles, you always have to cross the river and it’s very slippery.

It took us a little longer to get ready this morning because we had to repair two pairs of shoes, Antoine’s and mine. Mine had a gaping hole of 10cm and I had to find a system to repair them. So we did a bit of sewing.

As planned, today was the first day of packraft. The first day means a lot of preparation time, to explain how we inflate, how we set up the boats, how we put the equipment inside the boats, and so on. And then a quick safety briefing.

A couple of rapids further on, there was a little problem with his route. He found himself in the current, which was taking him towards a tree trunk that was too low, 20 cm above the water.

Today we stayed in camp all day. Everyone slept more or less at different times of the day. We ate a lot and it seemed to be all we could do. We dried our stuff and washed a few things.

It’s now been a few days since I arrived in Kendari, the capital of the south-eastern province of Sulawesi. A city I know well from having stayed there…

Today we split in two. One group stayed behind to treat their feet and rest. And another group went to see the camp they call the “dua” camp, the “two” camp, people who work on the river, whether for the local industries, particularly Jhonlin, for sugar cane, or for the deer hunters who live up there.