Jan 27, 2005 - Brazil - The Pantanal

Started off in Corumba where we stayed in a fabulous youth hostel that had only just opened and was consequently empty, sparkling clean and very shiny!!! It also meant that we had the swimming pool to ourselves! From here we had a most excellent mini adventure into the Pantanal - a vast wetland the size of several European countries (230,000sq kms) with the greatest concentration of fauna in the New World. Our fellow travellers were Ludovic from Paris, Janus and Steffi from Munich and Dan from Kingston! Before we got underway we stopped off...

Jan 8, 2005 - Arrive in Veranopolis

Music...Sentimentos Brasileiro (ugh, I~m infected an entire country with Starbucks) Food...ahh, Brazilian buffet style lunch, lettuce, lettuce, lettuce e agua sem gas I finally arrived. It~s great, the place feels like a home away from home. It~s great to see the Pellicciolis! We drive back to Veranopolis (2hrs), stopping along the way for a fruit cup. As we arrive, I~m anxious to shower, but like last time, people drop by immediately. I meet the bride, Janine (a brazilian living in Italy). She~s extremely warm and very willing to speak...

Dec 6, 2004 - Bonito. Okay something just flew out of my keyboard. Ew.

Hi All, we're in Igaucu Falls, Brazil and came here from a lovely town called Bonito. Bonito is a Brazilian resort town. The town is tiny, but the big draw is the natural rivers and pools around the area. They're formed by calcium deposits so the water is really clear and you can see all the fish and stuff in them. There's really no way to describe it, but it is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen and by far my favorite place we have visited thus far. It's like I would imagine a tropical paradise of streams and little...

Dec 4, 2004 - Poopoo in the Pantanal

Hi All, We just hadn't had enough of the wilderness, so after our Sojourn in Santa Cruz, we headed right back out to the life of few showers and wild animals. The Pantanal is an area 5 times the size of France. We did however manage to meet a lovely French couple there. We had a great time. We stayed on a farm with cows, horses, and chickens. All the palm trees were full of parrots and I found a pair of hyacinth macaws (very rare) while running by one tree. I accidentally scared them out while going to see an armadillo. We also saw a...

Sep 24, 2004 - Bolivia - Potosi, Sucre, Pantanal, Bonito

Melissa and I are currently in the City of Bonito, Brazil. It seems like years ago that we were in Potosi so let's see how well we remember what occurred. While in Potosi Melissa saw the silver mines. She said it was an experience she will never forget. The men in their 50's teaching their 10 year old sons how to mine since the fathers die at such an early age due to all the toxins in the mines. As for Sucre. We spent the first morning in Sucre walking to the top of one of the hills to look at statue of Christ. It seems that most cities in...

Jul 3, 2004 - Campo Grande & The Pantanal

Check List: - Standing waist deep in a piranha infested river? Check. - Six 2m caimans (brasilian alligators) on the bank watching my every move? Check. - Handful of diced beef for bait? Check. - Bamboo stick with a line and hook? Check. Time to start piranha fishing! The river, the Rio Negro, I am standing in is teeming with piranha, as soon as the baited hook hits the water I can feel the aggressive nibbles as the fish go for the meat. Before long our guide has pulled the first catch out of the water. The trick is to jag the line as you...

Jun 27, 2004 - Bonito, the eco-tourism capital of Brazil

We arrived in Bonito yesterday. It was quite a journey to get here, since we had to fly to Campo Grande from Cuiabá, then take a 5.5 hr bus ride to Bonito from Campo Grande. It is a short stay too, because tomorrow we go back to Campo Grande to fly to Foz do Igaçu at the border with Argentina. Bonito was not originally part of our plans for Brazil, but during the weekend before Ted left for Brazil, we came across a newspaper article about Bonito and decided we had to fit it in. Bonito is becomming known as the "eco-tourism capital of...

Jun 24, 2004 - Garota de Copacabana

The major ecotourism town of Bonito was our next stop and quite a refreshing break after the pantanal. We relaxed amongst lush rainforests, chilled out by waterfalls and flirted with tour guides (christine having imported her lover tour guide from the pantanal) Although when it came my turn to play with the local fauna of bonito, I had to turn it down. I had made the mistake of correcting my tour guides english during a tour of this parrot cave, and he immediately proclaimed that i was his new teacher and he would teach me portuguese, and I...

Jun 14, 2004 - "There I was, There I was, in the Pantanal"

There is nothing I like more than to strap one on. A backpack that is!! After a warm welcome to Rio, it was time to explore Brasil.. ....backpacker style. We were heading to the Pantanal, one of Brasils most famous ecoystems in search of lions and tigers and bears (OH MY!) Actually, more like..anacondas, piranhas, and jaguars (OH FUCK!) The pantanal wetlands (the biggest in the world) are located on the western side of brazil and the entire ecoystems occupies parts of bolivia and paraguay as well. And while the Amazon is more famous, in the...