River Diving for Bamboo | PHILIPPINES
What a crazy adventure and work I did today, working just a few feet away from a cemetery and amongst mangroves. I had to ask if there was anything harmful in the water such as alligators, snakes, or leeches. I was assured no alligators or leeches, but the harmless water snakes do come out at night.
We set off from our beach house and paddled about 45 minutes against the slow current of the Masao River passing many fish pens. It was so surreal to be amongst all the different culture that I had ever seen in my life. We saw a few fishermen in single dugout canoes, making it feel like we were paddling up a remote river and tribes might start lining the shoreline. Once we arrived to one of the fish pens we purchased, we slowly guided the boat to the shore. The first thing I saw upon docking was a cemetery located a few feet from the shore. Mangroves lined the shoreline, and the partially disassembled fish pen was ready to be recovered. The ground was very soft, slimy sediment, and every step we took, our feet would sink about six inches into the mud. Mario was barefoot as he preferred, and I had water shoes on. We put on googles and masks, and headed into the water. The water was about four to five feet deep, and you couldn't see anything so you were feeling with your feet and moving slowly to not cut yourself on the shells that were attached to the bamboo. We spent about three hours collecting many pieces of bamboo that were submerged in the water, and called it a night once the sun began to set. It was hard but rather rewarding work, and it was an adventure I will never forget. I can't wait to get back to do it again. I will continue uploading videos of the bamboo recovery, transporting, cleaning, and assembling of our fence. I will also do some research on the GoPro camera settings. #bamboo #bamboofence #riverdive
We set off from our beach house and paddled about 45 minutes against the slow current of the Masao River passing many fish pens. It was so surreal to be amongst all the different culture that I had ever seen in my life. We saw a few fishermen in single dugout canoes, making it feel like we were paddling up a remote river and tribes might start lining the shoreline. Once we arrived to one of the fish pens we purchased, we slowly guided the boat to the shore. The first thing I saw upon docking was a cemetery located a few feet from the shore. Mangroves lined the shoreline, and the partially disassembled fish pen was ready to be recovered. The ground was very soft, slimy sediment, and every step we took, our feet would sink about six inches into the mud. Mario was barefoot as he preferred, and I had water shoes on. We put on googles and masks, and headed into the water. The water was about four to five feet deep, and you couldn't see anything so you were feeling with your feet and moving slowly to not cut yourself on the shells that were attached to the bamboo. We spent about three hours collecting many pieces of bamboo that were submerged in the water, and called it a night once the sun began to set. It was hard but rather rewarding work, and it was an adventure I will never forget. I can't wait to get back to do it again. I will continue uploading videos of the bamboo recovery, transporting, cleaning, and assembling of our fence. I will also do some research on the GoPro camera settings. #bamboo #bamboofence #riverdive
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