Pantanal (Brazil) - Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

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8th Feb '07 - 24th Feb '07

I stayed on a farm in the Pantanal for two of my three nights. The Pantanal is to the best of my knowledge, the biggest swamp in the world. My bed was a hammock. First stop was the nearby river for a spot of piranha fishing. You had the choice of getting into the water or fishing from the bridge. I chose the water. So i got to wade chest deep into a river full of piranhas and caiman. The water was the warmest I had ever been in. It was warmer than every shower I'd had since i got to South America. But i still couldnt catch any pirahnas. I was useless. But I came back the following day and caught a couple. I got a set of there teeth too to prove it. Later on we cooked them and had them for dinner. There isnt too much meat on them though. I also took part in a bit of horseriding through the swamp and a swamp walk where I went out and waded through the swamp in search of wildlife. I saw a viper and lots of birds, some deer, and one part I walked through was home to a couple of Caiman. They swam away when they saw me coming. They know their place. For my last day in the Pantanal, I stayed at a lodge and took a boat cruise up the Rio Mirinda for more wildlife spotting. Next stop was Parati, a coastal town which was only accessible by boat up until 1954. Its an old colonial town and the streets are apparently engineered so that when high tide come in, the streets get flooded and that is how they are cleaned. Parati is situated in a bay and has alot of nearby islands. I took a boat cruise on a schooner which went around the bay, stopping at some locations including beaches where we could jump in and go swimming. After Parati, my 3 and a half month tour concluded at Rio. From here on I was on my own. First stop was the DHL office where I finally got my credit card and atm card. It only took 8 weeks. Next was the usual sites, Corcovado (the big Jesus), Sugar Loaf, Ipanema and Copacobana beaches. I also got to see two football games, Vasco Vs. Fluminense and Flamengo Vs. some Venezulan team in the Copa de Libertadores. Both games were at the Marcana Stadium. My hotel was right beside the arches in Lapa, which is a carnival hotspot. There were street parties there every night.On the Sunday night, I went to the Sambadrome to see 6 or 7 of the last 12 samba schools parade. It was spectacular. The photos will give you an idea. I also visited two Favela's in the city, including the biggest in Brazil, "Rochina". Favela is the name given to the slums in the city. There are apparently 215 of them. And they are controlled by the drug dealers who walk around casually with guns. The cops have no authority here but occasionally go in to kill some drug-dealers.

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