White water rafting ... it was supposed to be grade 3 and 4 but to me with my WWR background it was more of a grade 2 and 3.

Very well organised with the organisation and the way the guys got all of us into our gear so quickly. Well done Desafio!

I had my usual front right seat. After our guide Jasair gave us the briefing of the simple commands which we practiced, away we went bouncing along.

I was so close to just once falling out when our raft went side on to a rock and up "she" (or was the raft a "he"?) went on its side. If my foot wasn't well and truly wedged beneath the foot strap, it would have been an early swim.

At one stage when we could go swimming (floating in fact) in the lower reaches, of course I volunteered to go overboard but with the river being so low, I lost count of the number of times that my behind / legs and arms hit the bottom of the river rocks. I tried to go down the proper way being feet first but that was not easy. Yes, you can still take selfies floating down the river.

A riverside break with a snack of pineapple and watermelon enjoyed in the really warm sun.

Soon it was all over. Towels were provided along with plastic bags for our wet clothes so that we could change in changing rooms.

A late provided lunch of tradtional fare (don't you love the plate ... a leaf on a wooden platter!) ended this most exciting day. By the way, it you didn't want "rice and beans" then the other option was "beans and rice"!

Dinner was across the road from the hotel at Rancho Perla. I had their special which was Lomito Parrilla con salsa de vino y tocineta y cellollinos - a 320 gm beef tenderloin steak in wine sauce with bacon and cheese. C$ 8,200 / NZ $ 20.04 / US $ 16.60.

The first set of rafting photos are the ones taken by Desafio guys then my "on the water" series taken with my underwater Olympus.

Yes, it was New Year's Eve but I didn't quite make it till midnight. Kind of heard the fireworks in my sleep.