Simple Pleasures

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Well hopefully travelblog.org has all their problems fixed now so I can update everyone on my life down here in South Pantanal!

Last 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 Hudson’s last class because he moved back to the city on Wednesday. After about 2 hours of working with the irregular verbs we decided to ride his motorcycle to one of the other lodges, Cordilheira. At first I was pretty nervous because no one at Caiman wears helmets (or seatbelts) and it was about a 20-minute ride down a bumpy dirt road! But after Hudson told me that he has been driving motorcycles for 10 years I felt a lot better.

Along the way there were also 5 rickety homemade bridges made out of thin boards that we had to cross. The boards are positioned vertically on their side, rather than flat and horizontally, with about 1.5 inch gaps between each board. So we had the cross them at an angle but Hudson made it look very easy and I was very impressed to say the least.

Along the ride I saw two of the biggest pigs I have ever seen in my life rolling around in a huge mud puddle. We also saw many cows (there are over 30,000 on the farm here) roaming around eating the grass. The cows are very inquisitive (looking at least) and any time you drive or walk past them they give you this blank stare like you have completely lost your mind. It cracks me up every time.

I also saw a lot of Pampus Deer and a couple Crab Eating Foxes. But the best part of the whole ride was when we saw a couple of Rheas, or Emas in Portuguese, taking a quiet afternoon stroll. Rheas look a lot like an Ostrich with their long, skinny legs and can be found every where walking around looking for bugs to eat. Hudson, being the big goof ball he is, decided to rev up the motorcycle engine when we got a little closer and they took off running. I know it probably scared the poor Rheas to death but the image of them trying to run reminds me of Olive Oil (from Popeye) and still makes me laugh till this day. The trip turned out to be a lot of fun and now I want a motorcycle!

Once at Cordilheira I took a nap in one of the hammocks beneath the palm trees. After about a 20 minute nap Hudson woke me up offering up my favorite snack of terere and mini cheese rolls (pao de queijo).

Cordilheira is a lot more isolated than the Main Lodge (where I live) so there is a lot more wildlife to see. I saw the cutest little Azara's Agouti running around looking for food. They are a brown color and look like a mix between a squirrels and a mouse. There were also a lot Quatis, Capybaras, various birds, a Giant Anteater and of course more cows.

After a few hours at Cordilheira it was time to head back to meet Renata for her English lesson. We studied for about an hour and she was very nice and a very fast learner.

That night after dinner they had a party here at my lodge. Everyone sat around in a circle beneath the stars and told a lot of funny stories. Brazilians love to laugh, always have a good time and will find any excuse for a party.

Then on Wednesday I headed to the other lodge here, Baiazinha, to spend the day with Victor and Didi. Both of them are experts on the Pantanal wildlife and I always learn so much from them. I got to Baiazinha just in time to have lunch with Victor and his guest from Brasil. However, I later ended up getting in trouble for eating in front of the guest because “employees” do not do that sort of thing! But anyways, after lunch Didi and I sat down for about an hour at the outdoor picnic table to study English. Then I was suppose to have a class with Victor for an hour but he insisted that I go horseback riding with Didi, Helder and Helder’s sister Anna. I think he just really wanted to take a nap!

So I went riding and it turned out to be a blast. It had been a while since I last rode but I picked it back up very fast. At first I was riding on Gold Nugget and the whole time he just wanted to go faster and faster and detested any horse walking in front of him! So after a while Didi switched horses with me so I could ride Chocolate who was a lot more laid back.
While riding all I could think about was how much I want to live on a farm so I can have a lot of animals and horseys. Maybe one day I will get my dream house in the country but still close to the city!

Once I got back from the horseback ride I went on the canoes with Victor, Didi and some of the Brazilian tourist. They had 6 kids with them so it was pretty funny watching the kid goof around. One of the boys saw a spider in his canoe and started screaming, crying and almost flipped the canoe trying to run away from the spider. I could not help but to laugh because I thought boys were suppose to be a little tougher than that! Other than the big baby boy, the canoe ride was pretty uneventful. However, I did get a great picture of the sunset.

Then after the canoe ride I sat down with Victor for about 45 minutes. Victor is very nice and is trying very hard to learn English. However, he is so busy with work that he lacks the time needed to actually focus on learning a second language.

After helping Victor I than helped myself by studying for the LSAT. The logic games are beginning to frustrate me but I think I am finally started to get the hang of things!

Then at 7:30 PM we left Baiazinha and headed to the BBQ. At the BBQ the moon was a beautiful deep orange color. We had the scope out and it really enhanced the view. It was amazing!

After the BBQ I was exhausted and went right to bed!

Over the weekend I just took it easy and had some “me time” and it was over before I knew it. Sunset is around 5:30 PM here so the nights are very long and extremely dark because there are no street lights or big city lights. On Friday night I was riding my bike back from Main Lodge when the right peddle fell off. That whole day everything had seemed to be working against me and then I remembered what one of my favorite professors told me: “just take it all in because the real world sucks”. So instead of having a mental break down I decided to lie down on the side of the road and “just take it all in”. When I looked up I saw millions of stars and a shooting star. It was truly amazing and allowed me to clear my mind of all the negativity that had been trying so hard to bring me down. FYI since Friday I have been through 2 more bikes due to flat tires and I’m becoming quite the bike mechanic!

Today (Tuesday) for the first time I tried cow liver! I decided to be adventurous and at least try a bite before I knocked it! It turned out not to be that bad. The worst part was getting over the way it looked and the idea of what I was actually eating! Needless to say that after one bite I came to the conclusion that rice and beans are not so bad after all! Then for desert I devoured a mango just like my adopted Auntie Carmaleen taught me in Jamaica and it was DELICIOUS. (The secret is to peel with your teeth and chow down)

Finally, a few people have been saying that this trip was a mistake. On Saturday night I was watching Sex and the City and Carrie said something that made me realize that this trip is not a mistake at all. And it went a little something like this: “Maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. Without them what would shape our lives? Perhaps if we never veered of course we wouldn’t fall in love, have babies, or be who we are. After all seasons change so do cities. People come into your life and people go. But it’s comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart and if you’re very lucky a plane ride away.”

I miss and love you all! -Claudia

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Photos

I want these!
In cordiheira lodge

sunset from the canoe
on the lake at Baiazinha

yours truly at cordiheira
with my wind blown hair!

Hudson!
at Cordiheira

Comments

[Perry Powell]

Hello
I'am very proud of you and what you are doing with your life. This expeirence will stay with you for the all of your life. Keep up the good work and post lots of pictures of yourself with your hair fixed. Ha! Ha! Love, Dad

[Liz Adams]

Mom
Learn and see all you can. Only one more week. Remember, you learn most by teaching others. I commend you for the trip. See ya soon. Hang tough. I dont worry about you cause your tough. A chip off the ole block. Love, your Mom.