This morning, everyone is at the battle stations. The camp is bursting with excitement as the expedition takes a new turn : no more base camp, we start on a journey down the Lindu river.

It's been 6 days that everyone is mentally getting ready to set off on that river we know so little about. Jean-Michel, Evrard and their Indonesian friend Edwin did the first descent of the river two years ago in epic conditions and without knowing if it would pass all the way. Today, the risks are much less. We know there are no impassable obstacles, no siphons or other traps. However the shape of the river could have totally changed in two years and the water level being much lower at the moment, we expect the dozen of rapids to be much more tricky to cross. And a team of 12 people doesn't have the same speed and reactivity than a team of 3.

Everyone is packing. Hammocks, tents, mosquito nets and tarps are taken down. The camp is emptying one by one. Jean-Michel, Tanguy and Ambhu go back to our first camp to focus on hides and camera traps to get images of the Anoa. They will take with them any equipment that cannot be brought on the boats and carry it to Wangudu with a pick-up truck. Luis and Maikov are leaving for a week of investigation into the villages of the north Matarombeo. If everything goes as planned, we will all meet in 6 or 7 days.

Loading and balancing the boats take time, we definitely have too much equipment with us. Evrard needs to pull a second boat loaded with heavy bags behind his. This means rapids will be even more tricky to cross, and portages will take longer time.

Around 2pm, we wave goodbye to Nando who goes back to France in 2 days, and the 10 little boats enter the large opening that swallows the river like the gaping mouth of an ogre. At the first rapid, Luc-Henri is flipped upside down like a pancake. He loses paddle, headlight, glasses and gopro - that's a good start! We fish everything back except the glasses. Fortunately, he has a spare.

After emerging back out into the light, we progress gently to a nice campsite on a flat terrace. The evening fire is a real treat, and so are the lyophilized meals. Yanick agreed to set up every evening an observatory at the top of a tree for Anne-Sophie and by 5pm, he's done. Tomorrow, she will be able to watch birds from her own perch since daybreak.

At 8pm, no sounds are heard except for snores.