On our final day in Torotoro, we were disappointed to lose William to the lure of education while crazy Shemputos took over sole assisting duties.

Gonzalo lecturing while Hemmy looks bored

We left the village on foot, admiring for the last morning the close proximity of the gorgeous colorful mountains. Soon we reached another dry riverbed. With all the dry riverbeds we'd seen over the last three days, we couldn't help wondering what this area was like when there was rain. Pointing to the shelf of grass a dozen feet above our heads, Gonzalo indicated the impressive depth of the river during the wet season.

Along the way, Shemputos sprinted across the riverbed, scrambled up the sheer rock face and pointed out faded red rock paintings. Gonzalo told us the tribes in this area tended to be literal rather than artists, painting more simplistic messages such as "warning: snakes in the mountains" or "long river to the west."

Shemputos scales the wall to point out rock paintings

Crane kick on a natural bridge

We continued through the riverbed, crossing natural bridges and abseiling down steep drops. Eventually we reached the resurgence of Chiflónkaka cave, small pretty waterfall. Gonzalo claimed to have discovered this extensive cave for which only absolute nutheads—uh, adventurous types—could book a special tour. Exploring Chiflónkaka takes a full day (as opposed to the 4-4.5 hours in and hours out of Umajalanta) and involves a wider variety of experiences, including scuba diving.

Hemmy gets ready to rappel

Shemputos paddling in the pool

Once again I found that while the sunny day was pleasant enough for short-sleeved hiking, it wasn't swimming weather. Shemputos disagreed, and while Hemmy and I sunbathed, he dog-paddled his way frenetically through the icy mountain waters, screeching all the while. Meanwhile, Gonzalo had clearly entered "coca time," stuffing the leaves methodically into his mouth and dozing off with dark green crust on his teeth.

I hated to admit it, but on the hike back I was happy we would be leaving that afternoon. Not that I didn't thoroughly enjoy Torotoro, but my usual day-to-day lifestyle does not involve multiple days in a row of hiking. As beautiful as the scenery was, as nostalgic as I grew at the sight of our little village nestled in the mountains, as helpful as crazy Shemputos was carrying my bag and handing me water...I was ready for a break.

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