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Published: August 6th 2007
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Hudson
all geared up ready to go Well it has officially been a week since I arrived to Caiman. So far I love everything about Brasil…well except all the ticks! The unique culture, the beautiful flora and fauna and of course the Brazilian cuisine are all and more than I ever expected!
This week I was able to go on many different safaris through the forest and on the lake. My favorite safaris this week was on the canoe ride Friday. The canoes here are 3 person canoes and I was riding with Hudson and Emerson. Since the men insist on doing all of the physical labor here I was able to sit back and enjoy the ride! Hudson is on of the food directors here and although he knows nothing about nature he speaks English fairly well. Emerson is one of the bartenders and even though he does not speak much English (yet!) he is very familiar with all the different animals.
While on the canoe ride Hudson and Emerson insisted on getting me up close and personal with the caimans! At first, I admit, I was terrified because where I come from we avoid crocodiles at all cost! But I soon learned that the
caimans here are not aggressive towards people. I have learned that caimans cannot hear, see, or smell very well. They rely on vibrations that they feel through their stomach. So unless you sneak up on them than they usually just dive under the water before you get too close.
I do not think I have ever seen so many animals in one place before. Everywhere you look the caimans are just chilling in the water or soaking up the rays on shore. Emerson told me that for every person in Brasil there are 20 Caimans! He suggested that I take some back home and then we can have 5 or every person. Some time this week I am going on another safari where we will actually feed the caimans!
Then on Friday night I went on one of the spot light safaris. It was really cold out that night so we were all bundles up in wool ponchos. On the way to pick up the guest Didi (pronounced Gigi) spotted a city of yellow eyes (caimans) as we drove over one of the many sketchy homemade bridges in our huge Ford F-350 truck. It was very strange because
a couple of hours later, on the way back, I did not seen any of them… I am still wondering till this day where they all went?!?!
But enough about the caimans! On the same spot light safari I also saw the giant anteater, and the smaller collared lasser anteater. The giant anteaters cannot hear, see or smell well either. They rely on vibrations felt through their little pokey tongue! They are nocturnal animas and during the day they sleep deep in the forest. For peace, quiet, and camouflage they cover their body with their long (almost as long as their body) and fluffy tail. They are solitary animals that only come out at night to eat. However, we were lucky enough to see one Poppa giant anteater carrying his baby around on his back… it was so cute!!
The smaller lasser anteater is very difficult to find at night because it is so small and very fast. But somehow our field guide, Carlos, was able to spot it in the tall grass. I did not get a very good view because he ran off. However, from what I could see it looked a like a possum!
On the day safaris I have seen some of the most beautiful birds in the world! I do not think I will ever be able to look at birds in a pet shop the same way again. The birds here are all free, very social and all look extremely happy flying around looking quite busy! My favorite birds so far are the hyacinth macaw, the toco toucan and the orange-backed troupail.
The hyacinth macaw is the largest parrot in the world that can live up to 60 years! They are a brilliant blue color with yellow rings around their eyes. Also they are monogamous birds and are rarely ever seen flying solo. Their favorite place to nest is in the Manduvi tree and their favorite food is palm nuts.
The toco toucan is also really gorgeous. Their beaks are bright yellow and orange with a black tip. They love to eat fruit and ticks (weird combo I know). They are almost always seen eating and one of their favorite snacks is mango (I think they would get along great with you Mom). When I was walking in the forest on Friday I almost got knocked out when one
the toucans decided he was done with his large chunk of mango and dropped it while he was perched in a tree…. Oh about 40 feet up in the air!
And finally last but not least the orange-backed troupial. They are a beautiful bright orange color with black and white coloring on their wings. They are very fast flyers and are always on the move. Therefore I was unable to get a good picture but I am going to keep trying!
Also on Friday when I was walking through the forest Didi introduced me to the very unique cooked wax tree. During the dry seasons there are a lot of fires here. Typically, fires destroy everything in their path. However, the cooked wax tree has the special talent to protect itself. As the bark heats up it melts into a wax that molds around the tree to protect it. It is by far one of the neatest and most interesting trees I have ever seen. I got a great picture and even a piece of the bark to bring back home.
Finally, one of my favorite past times here is the BBQ that is every Wednesday and
Saturday night. This is the only time when all the guest, from all three lodges, get together to share great food, drinks and stories over candle light, an open fire and live traditional music. Last Wednesday some of the guest there were from Germany and I really enjoyed talking to them. They taught me a few German and French phrases and they also told me about their tour of the Amazon they were on before coming here. There they saw hundreds of the rare pink dolphins and I was so jealous! My next trip is defiantly going to be to the Amazon!
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