Seeing a Part of La Boquilla For the First Time

When I talk about La Boquilla, I often speak about the beach.  I consider myself one of the luckiest PC volunteers in the world because I literally live a stones throw from the shore--granted the person throwing the stone has some baseball experience.  However, after 15 Months in, the small peri-urban paradise, La Boquilla (18 in Colombia) I have not once mentioned the lagoon.  That is partially due to the fact that I really have never explored the religiously named body of water, La cienaga de la virgen.  The majority of the contaminated body of water  lay parallel to the beach, but there is a small portion where the salt and fresh water meet.  Now that you have let the fact that I have been in Colombia for 18 months soak in.....Let’s get back to the lagoon.  A PC friend of mine approached me one day and asked, “have you ever been to the lagoon?”  I responded, “no.”  Well thats the end of that story and now you all know that there is a lagoon in La Boquilla. 

ESTOY MAMANDO GALLO!  Which means I am only kidding here in Colombia.  I know some of you are just dying for the direct translation so I won't let you down. Estoy mamado gallo literally means, I am sucking rooster (or c**k).  Definitly a gem of a phrase here on the coast.  

At around 10:00am, three friends and I embarked in a wooden canoe along with a guy that held a large stick to help navigate the vessel.  The man with the stick, a friend of a friend, stood in the back pushing us through the mangrove tunnels and around various birds.  Now I have never been to Venice before, but I imagine it is exactly like the Boquilla mangrove tour!  

It is getting REALLY hot here so enjoy a few minutes in the air conditioning and send me your coldest  vibes!  Also pictures of the softball team are coming soon.         

I took over for a minute

Mangrove tunnel

We caught a local in the act of fishing