Animalia
Trip Start
Oct 13, 2007
1
13
14
Trip End
Jan 10, 2008
Pantanal, Brazil
Friday, December 28, 2007
After a sausage and egg breakfast, we all sat around while the Secret Santa presents were distributed. Our mission (which we had chosen to accept) had been to spend 30 argentinian pesos (US$10) in BA on our randomly picked target.
All the presents were surprisingly thoughtful and greatly appreciated, and we moved onto the second course in this day of excessive food consumption: dips, chips, sausages, salads, as we sat and watched and waited 'til the billy boiled. Although it was actually 3 huge slabs of meat (turkey, beef and pork) on a spit over an open fire and after a period of laid out reading, just after 4pm, the meat was ready and with potatoes (sweet and not so sweet) and gravy, we attacked the Chrissie dinner with carniverous fervour, the turkey disappearing suspiciously quickly.
Predictably full, our dessert was delayed until 6pm, when we feasted once more on hastily prepared and yet delicious Christmas pudding and tiramisu. Needless to say, there was no supper.
Instead, we prepared for the unseasonably early start the next morning, when we left at 6am for the Pantanal further north into the tropics.
The Pantanal is the world´s biggest wetland area (150,000 square km), and the most dense flora and fauna ecosystem on earth. A savannah of flat open plains, swamps, rivers and small forests, teaming with huge numbers of bird species: macaws (a portuguese word), toucans, hawks, ibis, and monkeys, capybaras (the largest rodent in the world), jaguars, swamps filled with lurking caiman, piranha, frogs, anacondas, spiders, all sweltering under the steamy sun and lingering humidity, encouraging the most noticeable of all: MOSQUITOS!
There were undoubtedly the most mosquitos I have ever seen in one place. The moment we stopped the truck to disembark, scourges of them swarmed around inside and outside the truck, hovering, waiting to attack any unprotected human flesh.
We left the truck for a few days and piled onto the back of a much smaller one to drive up to a farm further into the Pantanal. Our base for three nights, we slept in hammocks, rising early for nature walks, and horse-riding, resting in the stifling heat of the afternoon, before piranha fishing in the early evening.
Our early nature walk saw us tramping through the long grass, swatting mozzies away with broken off branches like...
However, it was all worth it as we soon spotted a baby macaw, cowering in its nest inside a tree, as its parents soared high above the canopy in formation. Further along, we looked on as an entire ecosystem awoke with birds chirping away, rustling leaves and branches on which monkeys swung past on the way down to the forest floor. A family of capybara trudged through from the swamp where caiman hovered menacingly on the water´s surface, still for minutes as they considered the options for their morning feed.
The afternoon saw a group of us, freshly showered (2-3 a day were absolutely necessary), striding out to a nearby swamp, fishing rods in hand. The shore was teaming with mosquitos as we waded in, tossing the lines in and within seconds, sharp teeth were attacking the baited hooks and the first piranha were successfully captured (piranha, like macaw is a portuguese word).
Just as quickly however, our presence came to the attention of one of a congregation of caiman guarding the bank on the other side of the pond.
For the next two hours, he followed us onto the shore, then circled our little boat as we set out into the middle of the pond, searching for more piranha. It inevitably got caught on one of our lines and took a considerable effort to remove, amid mild consternation, though not enough to prevent a brave (or stupid?) few from a brief swim with the piranhas and caiman before we returned to camp with the afternoon´s catch.
After viewing the sunrise the next morning, we boarded our horses and walked and trotted through the open plains and swamps of thick reeds and grass, before an extended 500m gallop to finish, which the excitable horses handled with aplomb.
The afternoon was left free for a highly spirited game of futbol between the highly fancied Brazilian team and a motley crew of a Scotsman, a Welshman, and two Aussies. After a lengthy, sweaty, and heated battle, the score was 4-3 to Brazil, but only after a disallowed goal from the other end prevented an even result.
As the sweat dripped down our heaving chests onto the surface, recently dampened by a tropical wet season downpour, we returned to the hammock district, downing some cold beer, tapping away on some Brazilian percussion instruments to the beat of the famous Capoeira.
After a final evening of surprisingly delicious feijoada (the Brazilan national dish of meats and rice and beans), the stage was set for a new adventure:
December 29, 5am - Depart Pantanal for Rio de Janeiro for New Year's Eve.
