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bigger than this river. The map wasn't dependable. Maybe this river had been overlooked because it was so shallow. I didn't know what to think, whether to backtrack and look for the landmarks on the opposite bank or go on, not knowing where I was. I finally decided to go on walking for one more day. Since I hadn't reached the village, I was bound to get there tomorrow. If not, then I would have no choice but to turn around and go back.

The remains of a path through the jungle lent credence to my assumption that I hadn't yet passed the village. The path continued, a narrow, difficult trail that took me about fifty yards from the Tuichi. What I found there surprised me and restored my hopes: traces of a campsite: two poles tied together with vines and a few palm fronds resting upon them. It was an old campsite. The vines were withered and dry, as were the fronds.

I couldn't have passed San José yet if there was a campsite here, I reassured myself. It also meant that San José couldn't be as close as I had assumed. Why would anyone bother setting up camp if it was only a few more hours' walk? I concluded that I must have at least another full day's hike ahead of me. It made sense. This was the path the villagers used on their way upriver to Curiplaya. It was reasonable to assume that they set out in the morning and set up camp after a day's walk. That put me a day from San José.