The first time alone in the jungle was the very first time in my life I would be alone that long.
It is very important to have something to do, build something, repair something, clean up, fishing, hunting etc.
While prospecting the area on Friday I came across a large tree that had fallen down over the creek about 4 miles from my camp
It happened not so long ago after a storm I think (sibi boesie which literally means clean sweeping the bush) .
From time to time this happens , mostly with the changing of seasons and trees are swept down.
This clears a part of the jungle so other species that have been waiting (sleeping) many times for years then have a chance to grow.
This creates a race between plants and seeds. The strongest and fastest growing will become some very large trees.
It turned out to be a Wana tree (Lauraceae) which is ideal for boat building because they do not rot very easy because the wood contains much oil which also repels insects etc and the wood floats so a boat will make water when leaky but will not sink.
The tree was about 40 inches in diameter but huge in length.
I got this crazy idea to build me a dug out canoe the minute I realized it was a wana tree, but that would be the next time I would come to my camp.
It was not a one man job.
I thought it would be a piece of cake which was a big mistake.
This time I concentrated on more homely activities close to camp.
That Sunday my father visited me and was very surprised to see what the camp looked like.
He had brought the large cast iron pot and the extra petroleum.
He also had brought me flower, and powdered milk.
The milk and the flower ware in a sealed tin can.
He was satisfied with what he saw and the surrounding of the hut with bamboo and the power heads gave him enough peace of mind.
I told him about the tree and the idea to build a canoe.
He warned me that it would not be easy but it could be done.
He gave me some advice how to cut and transport the log to my camp
He didn’t stay too long because there was much work to do at the farm so he left at about 1 o’clock pm.
I needed racks to store items above the ground to keep them dry if the creek should ever overflow during the rainy season, so I started building them the next day.
The creek was about 8 feet lower than the camp, but I didn’t want to take the risk.
As I said before, bamboo is a very useful material.
I first constructed the racks, table and two chairs.
It was just a matter of sawing the bamboo to the correct size and construction was very easy.
With strips of bamboo I also made a fish trap which was cylindrical and had a funnel shaped entrance on both sides.
That Monday I experimented with the flower, yeast and powdered milk.
I made dough for bread and used the cast iron pot (which I first oiled) with the lid on it as a bread oven.
First I heated the pot with the lid on it over a fire. When it was warm (not hot!) I put the dough in it to let it rise.
I had brought with me a piece of wire mesh which I later placed over the lid and folded the sides upward so it formed a basket.
After about 1 hour I hung the pot on a tripod over a fire and put burning wood in the basket over the lid.
After about 50 minutes I cleared the lid and took the pot from the tripod.
It was a great success.
The only drawback was that the bottom was burned which I solved by placing a rack on the bottom of the pot the very next time.
Freshly baked bread in the jungle Can you imagine?
My dear friends,
Thank you for reading my posts.
Keep in touch.
Paul
Great post !
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