The Little Indians of Balta Brăilei
Seven boys, two nights, and a million mosquitoes
By Ovi Catanescu
When I was about nine years old and my older brother Adi was eleven, we decided to organize what we considered a magnificent expedition: spending an entire week in Balta Brăilei, across the Danube.
Our best friends, Dănuț and Marian Ioan, were enthusiastic about the idea. Adi and Marian were classmates, and we spent much of our childhood together. Three more friends joined our expedition: Bebe Pătrașcu, Marcel Crețu and Marin, whom we called Marin Țiganul. Seven boys, ready to conquer the wilderness!
But first, we needed permission from our mother. Our mother was the best friend Adi and I ever had. She trusted us and gave us an extraordinary amount of freedom, provided we took responsibility for ourselves. We presented our plan and assured her that we would follow all her instructions. She agreed, with one important modification. "Two nights. No more!"
She also instructed us to bring drinking water, food, medication and everything else we might need. We accepted her conditions. After all, two nights in the wilderness were better than none.
Our survival manual
We had purchased a book called ‘The Little Indians'“, which described how Native Americans lived, the tools and weapons they used, how to make them and how to survive in nature. We studied it carefully and prepared ourselves for our expedition. Armed with our new knowledge, backpacks, ropes, flashlights, wires and other supplies from home, we were convinced we could handle anything nature threw at us.
At approximately three o'clock in the morning, we set off. By 4:30 a.m., we had reached the boat that would take us across the Danube. Around six, we arrived at our destination and immediately began constructing our new home. Using natural materials we found nearby, together with the ropes and wires we had brought, we built our shelter.
Some of us worked on the construction while others went fishing. By late morning, our house was ready. We had caught plenty of fish and had brought cornmeal from home to prepare mămăligă (polenta). After a satisfying meal of freshly caught fish and polenta, we spent the afternoon swimming, exploring and enjoying our independence. Life was wonderful. Until sunset.
The mosquito invasion
As evening approached, we discovered the one thing our survival manual hadn't adequately prepared us for. Mosquitoes. They came in waves. We rushed into our newly constructed shelter, desperately trying to close every little opening we had ignored during construction. But no matter how many holes we covered, the mosquitoes continued finding their way inside. Eventually, we covered ourselves with everything we could find and even hid our heads inside our backpacks.
Our wonderful little wilderness retreat had turned into an all-you-can-eat restaurant. And we were the main course. Somehow, we survived the night.
The next morning, considerably wiser, we made improvements to our shelter. We spent another wonderful day fishing, swimming, cooking and playing in the water. By evening, we considered ourselves experienced wilderness survivors. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes hadn't received the news. They returned in full force. After another night of involuntary blood donations, we reached a unanimous decision. Two nights were more than enough.
Back to civilization
The following morning, we packed our belongings and headed home. Our mother was thrilled to see us and listened enthusiastically to our stories about the expedition. We had built our own shelter, caught and cooked our food, enjoyed two days in nature and returned exactly as promised. The experience gave our mother even more confidence in us. And as for our original plan to spend an entire week in Balta Brăilei? After two nights with the mosquitoes, we were perfectly happy to return home.
We had learned a great deal about surviving in nature.
Especially that mosquitoes are considerably better at it than little Indians.
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