"We can only gaze in astonishment ..."

We were so preoccupied with paddling the boat clear of the rocks through the torrent, that we can hardly remember anything of the journey.

We are at the bottom of a veritable tunnel. Our outstretched arms can almost touch the walls, which tower up to a height of some 400 metres. Up above the sun is shining, here below in our aquatic dungeon, it is almost nighttime; an awesome, unimaginable spectacle.

One boat has capsized, the second run aground and the third sprung a leak. One camera is wet; the ropes are lost; we take an involuntary swim. More than once, we have to secure our ropes on clamps to avoid falling into a water hole. From which no one would have come out alive.

The beauty of the canyon is unparalleled. Utterly exhausted, we can only gaze in astonishment. The silhouettes of the figures fashioned from the rock by the water are beyond imagination. The flood of sensations assaulting our senses is overwhelming. One would have to traverse the canyon 20 times before one could claim to have really seen it.