The following morning after waking up in Tumbang Tohan, we ate a breakfast of rice, noodles, monkey and jungle pig. Pretty good actually, don't judge it until you try it! Soon afterwards we got back in the canoe, confirmed my recordings from the day before, and then pointed to canoe downstream for a few hours back to the airplane. The trip back to the airplane was just as beautiful as the day before and went a little faster since we were heading downstream. After arriving at the airplane, shortly thereafter we were airborne with a destination of Jujang Parit (JPR) about 20 minutes away but on a different river system. This is the farthest location we serve and one of the most isolated.
(float plane river towing 602. They don't teach this stuff in school!!!)
After a wonderful 20 minute flight through huge rock formations, over countless waterfalls, and amazing jungle, we made an uneventful landing at one of our most challenging float plane locations. The river was very high and fast which brings a whole new set of challenges. Just as we passed downstream of the dock we were going to use I applied left rudder to begin a 180 turn back to the dock and "SNAP!!!" I knew immediately what had happened. My left rudder pedal broke and rendered the airplane almost un-maneuverable on a very fast river. I still had the ability to turn right, which I did and we made it to the ONLY place that would have received the airplane without causing structural damage to the wings, prop, and tail.
Ogasto jumped out of the airplane and onto the river bank and held the airplane in place with one of the wing ropes we have on each wing. Thankfully, we were in a calmer part of the river as it would have been impossible to hold the airplane in place with one person with only one rope. A crowd soon appeared and wondered why we didn't park at the dock. After yelling our explanation to them (they were still 50 feet away) they soon brought one of the motorized canoes to help tow my cripled airplane back to the dock where I could asses the damage and make a plan of action.
The photo above shows us being towed upstream to the dock. Thankfully that went okay because the small little motorized canoe could barely make any headway against the raging current. All told, the whole experience from the time the rudder pedal broke to the time we were tied up to the dock took about 5-7 minutes. But, this is one of those experiences where if just one thing was just slightly different it COULD HAVE TURNED OUT MUCH DIFFERENTLY. Imagine driving down an icy road and then someone takes your ability to turn left and your brakes away from you...that's what it was like for us. God was really looking after us.
Thankfully, I had packed the satellite phone and we soon called home base in PalangkaRaya and informed Issac that we needed some parts. About 2.5 hours later he arrived in JPR with Mike Charlie Brown (MCB) and the needed parts. We had them installed shortly thereafter and we were soon on our way back to PalangkaRaya, 1.5 hours away.
Isaac takes some good pictures and while we were fixing the airplane, he took a lot of pictures of the people in the village of JPR. It is a place far, far away from the complexities of modern life and being there is a bizarre thing, almost like traveling back in time.
All of our meals that we had while on this survey trip were cooked over an open fire like in the picture above. While we were sorting through the details of our mishap, the pastors wife stopped everything she was doing and got about making us a huge meal before we left. SO HUMBLING!!!
This time the meat wasn't as exotic as we had enjoyed for breakfast, this time is was just chicken, but it was still good and very appreciated.
There was just enough room to get two airplanes tied up to the dock; the only suitable dock in the whole village I might add.
As always, children turn out in droves to hang around the airplane. It is always fun to interact with them and get them to laugh. Thankfully, the weather stayed cooperative and not long after Charlie Delta brought us our parts, we were airborne for home; with a lot to ponder about how people live such different lives than we do, how we had narrowly missed being in an aircraft accident while on the river, and being humbled by the generosity of the people we interacted with. Such a powerful trip! Thank you to those of you who pray for us...don't stop!
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