It was bound to happen at some point. A disappointment, that is. It was bound to happen at some point with a trip of this length. I just had no idea it would mean we would have to skip an entire country.

We were about half-way there when we started to hear it: music, quiet and distant, floating to us from somewhere up ahead. As we walked, it got nearer, louder, and more familiar. We were mystified, trying to figure out what it could be.

Happy Accidents are those, well, accidents that happen without warning or without intention, but that which bring about a better result, a happier result, than you may have even imagined possible. It’s the “if that hadn’t happened then this wouldn’t have happened and I would have missed out” sort of thing.

We had the boat almost to ourselves: it was just us, the driver, the guide, and one other couple. After taking us thrillingly close to several of the cascades, the boat was launched, as promised, directly into some of them. We were drenched from head to toe. It was wonderful.

We’ve decided to fast-forward the website back to present (or nearly present) day. So rather than telling tales from several weeks ago, we’re going to start telling tales about what’s happening now. (And by “now” I totally mean “now, plus or minus a week or so.”)