Pouso Boiadeiro At Fazenda San Francisco Pantanal

... unsuccessful...<br><br>It was roasting by the time<br>we got back to the lodge and had lunch. I had a loooong siesta while<br>most of the rest of my group packed their bags and left! They were on<br>a shorter tour than me. As a result, the afternoon's activity - a<br>walk through some farmland and bush - was just me and the guide. It<br>was hotter than hell and there were tons of mozzies but it was still<br>quite nice. We saw a few howler monkeys and more deer and it was nice ...

... up a conversation with me in Spanish as that the only language we (barely) have in common. I struggle as usual with even the most basic of questions and misunderstand when she asks me what I do for a living. So instead she attempts to explain her profession. At first I again don't understand until she says she's Senorita Brasil (Miss Brazil). Now this might just have been an example to convey being a model, but here's the photo you ...

... De capivara, wat veel te veel op caipirinha lijkt, is een mega grote cavia die maar een verdedigingsmiddel heeft en dat is zijn adem onder water inhouden heeft, vijf minuten is geen probleem. Op een van onze wandeltochten met Murilo zagen we een caipirinha stokstijf naar ons loeren tot we te dichtbij kwamen, hij een harde afleidingsschreeuw gaf en als in een tekenfilm met veel te grote sprongen van afwisselend vier poten onder zich en vier poten horizontaal het water in plontste ...

... and black striped) and macaws red and the blue hyacinth ones. Back in camp at 8am we ate breakfast and had the rest of the morning free till after lunch when we were to take the truck back out of the pantanal to meet the bus back to Capo Grande and the onto Iguaçu falls by overnight bus. I had another river swim and sat around enjoying the peace and relaxation we had been fortunate to experience the last few days. We were really reluctant to leave and if given another trip here we ...

We are ringing in 2009 with a whirlwind tour of Brazil in honor of Cayden Effie Rowntree, the beautiful, bawdy baby daughter of Jill's sister Ellen and her husband John. John and Ellen have been living in Sao Paulo, Brazil for the last 18 months and were gracious enough to host us throughout this trip. After a spending a few relaxing days of wining and dining and copious amounts of breast-feeding with the Rowntrees ...

... but instead spent the rest of the day playing ping pong and stroking the pet peccaries that lived on the ranch! The mummy peccary and her two babies were irresistable. Completely filthy little pigs but irresistable all the same. I thoroughly enjoyed scratching them behind the ears and watching them dance about the ranch. Our first activity was the second morning. We saw a toucan in one of the trees outside our room which was great as Rob was ...

... visit. From Buenos Aires we caught a flight to Rio, which I have to say i was a bit disapointed with. The Copacabana beach is dirty and two busy on a main road. and all the different areas of Rio look the same, unlike Buenos Aires where every area has its own distinct look and feel. I think its the lack of history that I didnt like. Rio is a city best seen from a distance, like the pictures I got from our visit to Christ the redemer. Guess what?....I went and ...

... fact we remembered was that it's legs are actually black, but it poos on them to make them white so that they reflect the heat and keep them cooler - nice! On our return we were treated to an amazing sunset before dinner and a talk about the next few days. The next morning we were up at six, called to breakfast by a bell and loaded onto an open truck for an hour's ride to a cattle ranch. Each time we boarded the truck we were treated to a safari and Leo ...

... were amazed to see that they were the rare/endangered blue Macaws. They even hung around and allowed us to snap off a few shots! Very playful creatures and the colours on them where incredible, we couldn`t quite believe that these animals where all wild and weren`t from a zoo. We headed back to the ranch now being careful where we stepped as a few alligators had also come to investigate the commotion. Being wetlands the Pantanal is full of many animals but ...

... Rachel. She`s an astronomer doing her PhD in Hawaii, so I asked her all those nagging astronomy questions I`ve had for ages! She also has a creative side, playing guitar and piano and also is into action sports such as skydiving, surfing and kayaking. She also lives on the island that they shoot the TV show LOST!!! We had an awesome chat and I really feel we could be mates for a long time, despite the geographical difference. After a yummy breakfast ...