Black Mud

If you are a Rupununian, or have been to the Rupununi in the heart of the rainy season, the heading is enough to tell a tale.  This tale is woven with mosquito and sand fly bites, cricket and frog songs, kaiambe trees, itchy black mud, spinning tires, and of course rum.  When all else fails, there is no anti itch available and no insect repellent...well down the rum and push soldier!  Now I know I make it sound romantic, and it is ----after you get out, reach home, had a shower and are lying in a hammock drunkenly re-living the experience.

I got out the jeep and pushed until I thought my head would explode, slipping in the black mud I could already feel the tell tale itch of the black mud and hear the mosquitoes descending like a pack of starving vampires smelling fresh blood.  "Go check the road" the driver yelled.  I ran, stupidly, forgetting where I was and my feet slid in front of me.  I fell smack on my backside, is not like I can escape anyone seeing, the damn jeep lights pointed right at me, the stars and moon so bright and I so damn white that I glow in contrast to the black swamp.
The next order came " Kaiambe! I can't take my foot off the acelerator, if I cut out now we spending the night with the mosquitoes" Well thats an invitation I didnt care for.

Mud squishing between my feet I thought about our predicament.  Rupununi was high high high.  Its almost midnight and we're another hour from our destination.  An hour to get out from this hole probably.  I tore down a kaiambe branch bigger than me and began dragging it back to the jeep smiling because I see the driver has pulled out the stash of el dorado.  Take a bounce and start shoving the Kaiambe leaves and branches into the mud track where the jeep will go.  After about three Kaiambe trees, we push, it moves!! It fucking going. " Push! push! push!" everyone screaming in unison, she starts to go.  "Don't let go, run after she, run!" We push until we are out of the swamp but there's more water for half a mile and we watch the rear lights go up and down, in and out of water as the driver mash the accelerator in till he's past all the water.  We jog after the jeep slowly.  Laughter, congratulations, a bounce and back into the jeep mud all over the tarpulin, lying there staring at the stars one on top the other in sticky, itchy love.

Well this time we got out, but I began thinking about the time we spent a night on the white rock road, half the jeep in a serious hole when I was just a young un.  Well. numerous other tales for another day, but the same basic plot :) just the length of time and company varies.