http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from South America , Brazil , Mato Grosso do Sul en-us Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:18:04 UTC Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:18:04 UTC bonjour a tousje tiens juste a vous informer que je me rends dans le pantanal camper. J espere y trouver le jaguar. en tout cas j ai essayer de mettre le plus de chance de mon cote. Il n y a aucun acces internet la bas et je vais rester min 1 semaine et au plus 3 je vais essayer de negocier car ils ont des chevaux et peut etre que contre un coup de main j aurais la possibilite de rester 3 semaine http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Campo-Grande/blog-349055.html On the 14th I left the Pantanal and arrived in Bonito in the evening.In my previous entry I talk about the bad standard of services in Bolivia but here we fall into the opposite extreme. Everything is so neat and organised that it feels like being in a holiday resort. You can only do activities on an organised tour where they pick you up at the hostel and guide you all the way and our hostel even http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-346884.html Dag 135 137.Vi hadde en svaert daarlig natt med lite sovn. Paa rommet var det mer enn 30 grader og de to smaa takviftene hjalp lite. Vi maatte sove med vinduet aapent og vi fikk mange myggstikk i lopet av natten. Eirik sto opp kl. 05 og satte seg ved bassengomraadet. I bassenget var det 3 brasilianske gutter som hadde nachtspiel de hadde feiret han ene sin 18 aarsdag.Senere paa dagen skull http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Corumb-/blog-342250.html So...I can now confirm that a 14 hour overnight bus is not particularly pleasant...nor the most sleepinducing experience....in fact its pretty uncomfortable and smells wierd... and for some unknown reason there seems to be a speed bump every 10 metres in brazil....but in good news i survived and arrived at the iguassu falls...the iguassa falls were spectacular....much discussion was had amongst http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-325253.html I arrivied in Bonito Brasil and decided to go snorkling in the Rio de Prata. Here are some pictures from snorkling in the Rio de Prata. The crazy thing is after a truck ride you have to hike in your wetsuit for 45 minutes through the jungle to get to the entry point of the Rio de Prata. We spent about two hours snorkling down the river which was like snorkling in an aquarium. It was unbelievable http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-303587.html We needed to make our way from Brazil to Bolivia and so we decided stop somewhere in the Pantanal before crossing the border at Corumba. On reading about the Pantanal we discovered that most tours were 34 days which was time we simply didn't have. Instead we discovered a lovely town close to the Pantanal and Corumba called Bonito. Bonito is a small pretty town which is famous for crystalline wa http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-301152.html Day 243 Tuesday 20 MayYet another long bus journey ahead. Today I'm moving on to the border town of Corumba. Its an eight hour journey by bus which is a shame as the weathers fantastic outside but I want to make sure I got there in plenty of time for the Champions League final tomorrow.Not much happened on the bus journey until about 2 hours from Corumba. The bus stopped in some small villag http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Corumb-/blog-281228.html Day 242 Monday 19 MayI'd managed to get 12 hours sleep in but it was still only half nine when I woke up. With a few hours still to go there wasn't much else to do but stare out of the window. Beats working I suppose and theres nice views of the countryside.It turns out the bus was running 2 hours late so in the end it took 23 hours to reach Campoo Grande from Rio although i've crossed a time http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Campo-Grande/blog-279831.html Wednesday 9th AprilWake really early as is a lot of banging around in the space retaliation for last night I think so childish Give up and get showereddressed. Ater breakfast get Levy to finish off my tattoo so doesn't just look like someone has written on my arm We're taken back to the hotel to meet the minibus again... With Levy stopping to catch an armadillo en routeWe stop for lunch at http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-265172.html So when we last left you we were about to make our way from La Paz Bolivia to Bonito Brazil.... we had taken the smart option or wussed out depending on your point of view and decided to fly to the border and cut out about 48hrs of bus travel.Monday started early with a 530 pick up at our hotel the girl from the travel agent who booked our flights escorted us to the airport were not quite s http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-263700.html Bonito is experiencing an Ecotourism boom in the south of Matto Grosso do Sul it has an extraordinary diversity of natural wonders in a relatively compact area. Blessed with caves waterfalls crystal clear rivers forested hills all within a 50km radius a very small distance in Brazilian terms Bonito is riding the ecotourism wave very well. I travelled directly from a few days in the we http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-258306.html Je brzo rano sedim v hyper super internetovy kavarne v meste Corumba snazim si uzit mozna posledni solidni pristup na net na dlouhou dobu a sesumirovat tenhle clanek. Prestoze neni ani devet hodin a ventilatory jedou naplno tak uz jsem totalne propocenej to bude asi zase den. Posledni clanek jsem psal pozde v noci a tak mi par zasadnich veci vypadlo. Zacnu tedy tim co jsem posledne zapomnel.T http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Corumb-/blog-257521.html Po dlouhe dobe jsem opustil spanelsky mluici zeme a octnul se v Brazilii. Na hranicich na me diky rucne psanymu pasu zase koukali jako na paseraka ale nakonec jsem razitko dostal. Autobusovy nadrazi ve Foz do Iguacu bylo oproti argentinskymu protejsku jako chudej pribuznej. Pripadal jsem si tak nejak jako nekde na Ukrajine. Vedro se snazio rozehnat par ventilatoru pani s mohutnym kostetem neusta http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-256214.html The photos might look tropical but trust me the water was not as warm and inviting as it looks The water is crystal clear and so clean because most of it is filtered through aquifers and emerges at the surface at springs.....But before the fun in Bonito could begin we had to run the gauntlet of tour operators in Campo Grande who were trying to sell us a Pantanal Tour we found out afterwards http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-256124.html Today I went snorkeling near Bonito in Rio Formoso. I saw some nice fish snorkeled through some rapids and had a good time. Then I went to the municipal pool which is just another section of the same river and saw some more fish and some capuchins monkeys on the trees nearby. They made me miss the animal refuge in Bolivia a little but I'll get over it. There are no photos because my cam http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-253127.html I just came back from 4 days in the Pantanal the largest wetlands area around. Its supposed to be the biggest concentration of wildlife as well but if it is I didnt see it.The first day was basically just getting there from Campo Grande a 5 hour ride after 16 hours from Iguazu. The pousada lodge is pretty nice built on stilts which is a good thing because the whole Pantanal is flooded http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-252825.html I just arrived in Campo Grande a small city near the Pantanal. The pantanal is a big wetlands area with lots of animals. Im going on a tour of 3 or 4 days there and I dont think Ill write until I get back. Hopefully Ill have lots of cool pictures after that. http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Campo-Grande/blog-251591.html Paraguay Asuncion and the lovely blue hotel in a sweltering Concepcion are left behind. Bonito Brasil lies ahead. The trip across the border was tedious.At one point on the way to Bonito we first past and then retraced our steps to go to China Shopping. This was a HUGE really HUGE store that sold everything at outrageous prices hellip in dollarsAlso found in the complex was buffet http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-249607.html On The RoadWe are finally on our way travelling on a wonderfully yellow truck called Swampy and getting to know each other on our 10 week Budget Expeditions adventure. This truck along with the tents it is carrying will be our home for this whole time across South America. The bus is incredible huge with lots of leg room and two table areas at the front of the bus as well as a library at the ba http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-244908.html Aqui ser contada a histria da viagem para Bonito Everton e Renata em 2008 http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-241483.html So we hopped on a bus from Bonito to Jardim where we could transfer to a bus to go to Ponta Pura at the border of Brazil. In Jardim we lunched and went to an internet cafe. As the bus terminal was a good 2km from the town we needed to catch a taxi back to the station. And all we could get were MotoTaxis essentially taxis where you ride behind the driver actually on the motorcycle and no http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/blog-232311.html So we spent the night in the hotel in anticipation of a 9AM bus to Bonito the next morning. The laundromat didnt open at 8 as planned but we still were able to get the laundry and we also caught a bus at 11AM with a very efficient bus company Cruzero Do Sul we arrived in Bonito exactly when we were supposed to.And Carlos the driver of the Hostel picked us up as soon as we arrived. But the http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-232300.html Dec 25th26th We left the Pantanal and after a 5 hours bus trip down a dirt road we are now in Bonito which is a cute little town with pristine spring fed rivers. We spent Christmas here and went to dinner with our German friends whose names allude us. Today we went snorkelling down a river with crystal clear water and an abundance of fish life. What we plan to do tomorrow could be perhaps the p http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-230608.html We left Ilha Grande on a Private boat rather than the public ferry which we took to get there. When we returned to Angra Dos Reis we had wanted to take a bus to Sao Paulo where we could spend the night but the next bus was sold out. We could have taken a night bus there but we decided instead to push forward to Campo Grande where we could catch a bus to Bonito Sarahs whole reason for wan http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Campo-Grande/blog-229084.html We spent a few days relaxing in the eco holiday town of Bonito where we had a great time watching hundreds of fish of all colours and sizes whilst snorkelling in the Rio Do Prata. A relaxing experience with no effort required we just lay there in our wet suits and let the river current do all the work. After Bonito it was off to Foz do Iguacu and two days of exploring the huge and awe inspiring http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-218500.html Today 131007 we arrived via nite bus to beautiful Bonito in Brazil at about midday. we checked into the HI hostel and watched the England v France rugby semi final with some french. It was tense for a while but eventually we won. Ya that means we are in the final and have to watch the game tomorrow to see who we are up against. If it is Argentina in the final then we will be trying to get ba http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-212049.html ITA BonitoSbarcato a Porto Murtinho cerco inutilmente un ufficio dove farmi timbrare il passaporto e altrettanto in vano una banca dove prelevare reas. Riposo qualche ora in un ristorantealbergo libanese e poi prendo finalmente un autobus per Jardim e da l a Bonito.Bonito una citt piccola ma che sta crescendo rapidamente grazie alle risorse naturali che la circondano fiumi grotte http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/Bonito/blog-207805.html Well hopefully travelblog.org has all their problems fixed now so I can update everyone on my life down here in South PantanalLast week was full of its ups and downs to say the least but I have learned to live life on a day to day basis all while enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Last Tuesday Hudson was the only student to show up for English class. It also ended up being Hudsonrsquos las http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/blog-189645.html Greetings from South Pantanal I just finished up my 3rd English class today I have found teaching to be very rewarding both emotionally and physically. I am supposed to be focusing on the field guides but all of them have been at another lodge all week. So all of my students so far have been the kitchen staff wait staff bar staff and the nurse. I am a lot more happier and healthier feeli http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Mato-Grosso-do-Sul/blog-185561.html