They boarded the fast boat that would take them upriver and relaxed into the padded seats. All was going well and, so far at least, it seemed easy.
Jonathan gazed at the passing scenery that was constantly changing. Trees with exposed roots clung to the banks where the soil had collapsed into the water, competing with tall grasses and bushes for a place to grow. Birds took off and landed or circled above. The sounds of the wildlife and the fresh smell of the water were mesmerizing. They saw pods of grey dolphins and several huge, pink river dolphins.
Clumps of foliage floated by, some several meters wide. Molly said that these floating islands would sometimes get caught on a sand bank, and eventually form islands in the middle of the river. They passed some of these islands at various stages of development. Some had only low grasses, while others already had fast-growing trees in the center. Jonathan was amazed at how the river landscape could change itself.
They traveled upstream, then turned into a tributary river, markedly narrower, but which gave them even more wildlife to look at. Turtles, sun-baking on partly submerged branches, jumped into the river as they passed. Water birds took flight around them, and groups of parrots and brightly colored birds squawked overhead.
They arrived at a village, which was the furthest the fast boat would go, and stepped onto the shore.