We arrived into the Pantanal quite late due to border delays so couldnt see much on the way in, but it was 36 degrees so we were pretty happy. Actually saw a lot of wild life in the toilets (frogs, spiders, massive crickets!). Our room for the night was a big round one with a pole in the middle that one end of everyones hammocks were tied too. Yes that,s right shared accomodation. The hammocks were so close together that if you went the wrong way your feet ended up touching the person next to you. But they were surprisingly comfortable. That night we were all fired up for a really hot night, but it started to rain and by the morning it was so cold that i had to get our sleeping bags out.
In the morning it was raining and cold, but we still kept going and jumped on the back of a truck to be driven down the drug smuggling dirt road to ride some horses. Then it started to rain, and rain and rain. But still we kept going at the whim of our silent guide who left us under a tarp and went off to find the horses. About an hour later he returned and off we went. My horses name was George and he looked as cold as I did, but was generally quite good. We rode around in the rain for two hours and at home points George had had enough so turned his bum to the rain and refused to go any further. I dont blame him. We didnt see any wildlife and by the end of it everyone was freezing and not that enthused about the Pantanal. So it was back to the campsite to play 4 Kings and drink a 4 and a half litre bottle of wine mixed with grape juice that we had purchsed along the way for the bargain price of about NZ$14. it was actually quite nice! We spent the rest of the evening drinking with the guides and trying to play 4 Kings in a mixture of english and portugese. Then it was into the hammocks, this time wearing a long sleeve thermal, long johns and a wooly hat. And even then i spent most of the night with my head in my sleeping bag and the draw string pulled tight.
In the morning it was sunny but still bloomin cold and we set off down the river in a tin boat with no life jackets to go and try and see some wild life. Success!!! We saw toucans, an otter, a cute rodent/pig thing that looked like it belonged in a kids book, a whole heaps of crazy birds and one massive caiman that was sunning it self on a bank with its jaws open. It made up for the day before and I was stoked to see a toucan in real life, they are pretty funny looking.
And that was pretty much our pantanal experience, a bit of an odd one! The truck ride out was also really good as we saw about 40 caiman and parakeets which are really beautiful as they fly.
We arrived in Bonito yesterday and today we went on a snorkelling trip down Rio Plata, which was an experience like no other. It is a fresh water river that has the clearest water imaginable due to the tip of rock, and there are hundreds and hundreds of fish. It is on someones private farm and the whole place is ecological, so you are not allowed to wear suncreen in the water, you are not allowed to touch the bottom, or the fish and you are not allowed to kick or splash as you disturb the eco system. You can only float, observe and move your arms slowly in front of you. But it is awesome because the fish are not scared and they swim right up to you. Aparently there are also anaconda in the river, but we only saw some skin on the river bed (thank goodness!!!!) It is an amazing river, at one point it is 30 feet deep, you feel like you are in an ocean. About half way down we stopped beacuse there were capuchian (spelling?) monkeys in the trees by the shore. They came right up to us, and jumped across the branches to the other side of the river. It was wicked! So much better than a zoo.....And it was also a bit surreal standing in a river in a wetsuit with a snorkel and monkeys overhead.
Brasil is really different than all the other countries we have been in. It seems more advanced, and not as many people have come up to us begging for money, i suppose that will happen when we reach bigger places again. The only other first impression is the cheapness of Havaianas!!!!!! You can buy them in the supermarkets and dairies. The plain pairs are the equivalent of about NZ$5. I have purchased 3 pairs in two days. Chris thinks i am crazy, but they are so cheap, and as we all know they are the best jandal one can buy. I may buy more yet...... |
