And finally we get to the Pantanal....

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After the harrowing day of choosing a company to go to the Pantanal with Matt and I decide to get out of the hostel, of which the owner now hates us for not going with her company, and see what this festival on the river banks is all about. After missing the opening ceremony we head down through some very dodgy, dark and generally threatening ghettos towards the fun. Soon after paying to get in we realise we have discovered GlastonBrazil 2006, with muddy lakes everywhere, loads of bars and the classic porta-loos, it could have been a rainy Friday on Worthy Farm. After enjoying a very popular group fronted by an eminem/bono hybrid we head out to arena to the streets where many bars and clubs and stalls line the road selling food and drink and general tat. We settle in a local bar and watch the locals party away before returning to the hostel of hate.

Pantanal Day 1

At 8am we get picked up in the truck by our man from the company and after some breakfast at his hostel we head into the Pantanal. The drive from town into the Pantanal is immense, and its amazing how quickly the landscape changed, in a few hours we were well and truely in the Pantanal with Caymen Alligators and Capybaras (the worlds largest rodent which were introduced to me by Gemma Merchant a few years ago, and since rose in my Favourite Animal Top 20, now they are definately Top 10. See http://www.rebsig.com/capybara/) lining the road, we occasioanly stopped to have a closer look but these shy animals mainly darted off to the safety of the water which surrounds the road or turned their backs nonchalantly.

As we pull into the camping area, its actually one tiny shack with mesh walls surround by horses on a lake side, two english looking guys ride up on horse back. I instantly recognise one but cant tell why and it turns out he was two years above me at school at Finham, Coventry. With only 7 of us staying at this site in the middle of nowhere this definately is going in the book of ''Small World'' meetings (at present called Operation Small World 2002-2006)

By now the rain is falling hard, which makes enjoying the scenery hard, so we settle with the english boys for an afternoon of cards and coffee at the wooden table in the kitchen/dining area. The meals at this place are funny, they consist of as many carb based foods as they can find, saying this the food is really good but after 4 days of pasta, rice, spaghetti, noodles and beans all at once (even for breakfast) we were ready for a change.

In the evening we head to the local shop and spot more alligators waiting in the surrounding waters, here we buy some beers and hang around for a while enjoying being able to see each othe when chatting as the camp has no electricity so when the sun goes down its all over really.

Oh on the way to the shop we spot an anteater crossing the road, the young guide - who had been drinking all day- jumps out and grabs it by the tail. The little guy struggles and tries to climb his own tail to release himself but the guide drops him, what happened next shocked everyone, instead of balling up or running off the anteater turned to the guide and got up on his hind legs with arms in a boxing position, similar to an old drunk irishman, he then walks around on his back legs waiting to lash out, we all back off as Tom grabs the only photo we get and we watch the anteater drop back to his four legs and slowly slope off into the bushes.

They have a really nasty bacteria in there claws which they leave in you once they cut you, so that stance is best for anything attacking, you have to love animals.

Day 2

It rains hard all night, how id expect a monson to sound under a tin roof, but even with the noise and a wind ripping through the mozzy net walls my first night in a hammock was very comfrtable. After a carb breakfast we all head out in the truck for a 2hr drive deep into the Pantanal for an all day safari and the return at night for a night safari with the help of on of those 1,000 candle power spot lights advertised in Sunday magazines.

We arrive at the day site and the rain had cleared, we drive into some thick forest and arrive at what looks like a camp site which had been caught in a forest fire then a tsunami - it was trashed. The bar type building remained and bases of huts were recognisable but it had an eerie feel as bones were scattered around and the odd item of clothing or boots identifiable. This camp site was once a huge and popular site for eco tourists but a farmer from Sao Paulo bought the land and thought the campers were scaring his cows so he destroyed it. We are left to explore the site and spot loads of birds and a Capys pottering around one of the marshs.

After a lunch of carbs we head out on a walk with our guide, hes very handy and knows all about the plants and animals in the area. We spot some deer, macaws, wild pigs, monkeys and racoons type fellas. When we walk through the thick forest areas we have to walk so slowly and quietly not to wake up the nests of hornets which are around, you can hear them humming when you walk past, first threat of many in this area id already been bitten thrice by mosquitos on my forehead.

The night drive back was cool, although we only spotted a few animals a flying glow worm type bug landing on Toms leg was interesting, a flashing ant basically. We get back and sit round the fire while another guide plays Brazillian rap on my guitar, which later sadly lost a string again in another tuning accident.

Day 3

We were meant to be horse riding in the AM today but some fool left the gate open so the horses have ran away, either way our guide is confident they will find them so we can do an extra long afternoon ride which sounds just great. Finally the Brazillian sun is beating down and its warm, really warm. We head out for a walk which i was expecting to be similar to the previous day but a different area and in the sun, i was wrong about 2hrs in we reach the bank of one of the boggy/marsh areas which we now know contain anaconda, loads of alligators, piranas, giant leeches and capybaras (giant guinea pigs may sound like fun Gemma but they bite). Here the guide tells us to take off our boots and we wade in, its horrible, the bottom on the murky water is warm and squelches with every step, he tells us to walk slow and tread very carefully which only adds to the tension. After a while im quite content with the beast that are swimming about and quite enjoy the wade. We continue the walk on dry land and spot many more amazing birds, the birds like most things here are huge with upto 3m wing spans, even the vultures look giant.

So, the passed two day one of the english boys has been raving about Cinnamon being the best horse and he tells the guide that i want him on the ride. He is a massive horse, bigger than the others, and being my first time im a bit concerned but even with his attitude problem and very slow first gear we seem to get along. The ride takes us through deep lakes whcih dominate the area and through huge fields of cattle and quite thick forrest areas, i love it. Having never ridden i wasnt sure what to expect but its just like a bike that peddles itself and occasionally pisses for ages as the rest of the group ride off. Although i didnt enjoy kicking the poor fella all the time it was the only way to get him to go fast which was fun even though i didnt ever feel that safe, probably due to general lack of instruction on how to ride at all. As the ride comes to an end we trot around the lake as the sun sets, i can see why people like horseriding now and after a few more hours with Cinnamon i reckon we'd have a better understanding and i wouldnt have to kick hims so much.

Another lazy evening reading in the hammocks caps off a great day.

Day 4

We get up early and head into the Pantanal on foot to go Pirana fishing, after another concerning wade through the swamps we get to the boat and row out to the middle of the lake. The sun is beating down hotter then ever and the raw meat bait smells of raw meat, not nice. After sorting our basic rods out we sit and feel the little nasty guys biting away at the bait. The key apparently is to whip the line out when you feel them bite, but this just ends up with my hook becoming very close to toms face so i take it easy.

After a few moments Tom whips up his line with a pirana on, that was the last fish anyone except the guide caught. After a few more relaxing hours floating and rowing around the lake we return to the camp to cook toms catch, and the 5 the guide caught, for lunch.

After the lunch of piranas and the usual rice, pasta, beans we pack up and catch a ride in the back of the neighbours truck to the closest bus stop about an hour away, this was the most uncomfortable journey so far, the wooden seats of the truck felt like nails as we bumped along the dirt track. It couldnt have ended sooner.

From the bus stop, which was actually a wooden hut in the middle of nowhere we waited as the sun dropped in the sky, we were told half an hour but 2 hrs later theres no bus, it finally turns up. We arrive at Campo Grande missing our bus by 2hrs and have to wait another 6hrs til 4am to get the next one. The buses in Brazil are luxary compared to Bolivia, and pricey but no matter how much you pay they can still break downe, and did. After a 3hr delay the next day we arrive at midnight in Foz du Iguazu and check into a dirty hotel. After the last week sleeping in buses and hammocks a bed was enjoyed even though it cost 3 times as musch as the luxary rooms wed enjoyed in Bolivia.

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Comments

[BEttina]

Hi guys, it's really nice to follow your trip an i miss you all a lot! I am now saftely home in Sweden with my better half Leo, and his almost done jumper... My father is driving me nuts as usual (if you remember me talking about him) and the girls are still on Cuba drinking the rom. Take care now, and I hope to see or hear from you soon. With Love, Bettina

[Gemma]

Best animal ever
yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ps i miss you come home there is no Capybaras but there is the worst ever big brother ever. xxxx