Guadarun 2010
Day 5: On trails in Guadeloupe National Park that are normally closed to the public
Jacqueline Windh / 10.04.2010
First of all, I have to tell you about last night. We had dinner at a cassava factory - the plant, also known as manioc, is a staple in many tropical countries around the world. The roots can be used like potatoes, or they can be dried and ground to make fritters. So we got to see the preparation of the cassava, and then we were served cassava fritters as an appy. The main dish was kind of like a cross between crepes and sandwiches: the coarsely ground cassava is sprinkled in a disc-shape on a cast iron plate, then tuna or ham is spread on it, and then more cassava is sprinled on top. Plain pasta was served with it, and the local guys at my table made me take a picture of the cassava and pasta side-by-side, saying that’s basically the standard meal people eat in Guadeloupe.
It was about 9pm by the time we got to our new campsite, so we couldn’t see where we were - but from the humidity in the air, and all of the jungle sounds: frogs, crickets, and unidentifiable groans and grunts, we could tell we were in the jungle - and a quick downpour as we finished setting up our tents proved that this was rainforest.
We were bussed eastward at 6:30 am to the race start, and set off at 7:30. It was a steep uphill climb right from the first steps, on slippery mud that only got slippery the further we ascended into the clouds and rain. I woke up feeling really strong today. To be honest, I am a pretty crappy runner, and the only reason I can do races like this is because I know very well how to take care of my body. I’ve been doing everything right: my nutrition, hydration, salts, and footcare (on a scale of 1 to 10 I’d say my feet are a 9.8 right now!). So I started fast, ahead of the people I usually run with, and doing little sprints to advance and then stop for photos, before finally putting the camera away.
SleepMonsters
