well i really cannot believe it,this has been the best adventure of my life what an awesome country full of awesome people! It doesn't feel like the last day,i can't quite imagen being back in England.Dutchy minha flor eu precisa visitar voçe muito em breve!=)
It has been a very good last couple of weeks though,and i am sure that it wont feel like the adventure has actually finished when i get back,as there's so many people to see and tell stories to! Right now,agora mesma, nos estamos en Soa Paulo. Before we came here we managed to squeeze a quick visit to the Iguacu water falls in,just after the Pantanal. On the first day we went to the Brazilian side to see their view,and the next day we crossed the border in to Argentinia to see their side of these incredibal water falls. The Brazilian side was beautiful,and still amazing, but the Argentian side just blew us away! what an incredible amount of water and power,falling every second!It was slightly less exploited feeling on this side as well, though it still felt pretty rediculous at times.
There were so many rainbows springing from the clowds of spray, it looked like fairy land,so much so in fact that we almost expected to see some glittery little ponies jumping out of the pools!There was one moment where we could actually see the end of a rainbow right in front of our feet,just under a little bridge. we got very excited;"we're at the end of the rainbow!" and looked over the railing in to the water,and there we saw some coin that people had thrown in for wishes and good luck,right at the Lepricaun point=)
much love to you all,and to all of Brazil and the amazing people we've met and friends we've made,and Thank you Nutmeg for having this fabulous adventure with me!
xxxxxxxxxx
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
Megs version
Hello!
I was writing what is in my book about the Pantanal, but there were people waiting for the hostel computers so I put it off. But I just read what Ash wrote this morning and we have said pretty similar stuff really, and I don`t want to repeat ourselves...
All I have to add in is how many birds there were, everywhere, and the alligators - much bigger than Amazonian caymans, 2metres plus!
Also, the cat (Nana, a gorgeous purry thing with bright blue eyes... purring is ronrona) caught a little long snake, with a bright turquoise neck and head that shone in the sun... when it opened its mouth it split its head in 2. i threw shoes at Nana until she dropped it then held her back till the snake slipped up a tree- it was like watching water running upwards.
The only other thing, is my absolute certain overcoming of my vague fear of watery creatures... We'd just got back from a lovely ride, and feeling hot and smelly and mosquito bitten what I really wanted was a swim.
So I ran and changed, and ran down to the water to go and swim to the platform thingy in the middle, preparing myself for the anti-stingray walk that's a bit like ice skating in the mud... and there was a great big old alligator right in between me and the platform! I looked at him. He looked at me. And I just thought- hey, it'll be fine! And just got in and swam right past him! He just turned round slightly and watched me as I went past, probably more scared than me.
I thought no-one had been watching but Alex our absolutely lovely guide turned up on the shore saying,
"You are very courageous girl!" And drifted me out a tub of ice lollies made from the leftover juice from breakfast. Wow!
I could have stayed in that place for ages, just chilling out... have a swim with the alligators and Tucuman the capibara... go for a canoe or a ride, see some creatures...
All the exciting creatures are all around, alligators, tapirs, giant stalks, (when we first saw them I said- "Look at the stalks Ash!" and you should have seen the look she gave me, "They're not real Meg" as though I'd just said the stupidest thing in the world! So funny :) ) giant otters, Cara caras, capibaras... just part of the scenery I've never seen so much wildlife. You're lucky to spot some rabbit or pheasant in the UK aren't you, maybe a fox on a good day!
The mosquitos were the only thing that kept us on our toes, there are just as many as you'd expect in the biggest swamp in the world, that also happens to be in the tropics! By the end of 4 days there, we were absolutely covered in bites and not sleeping with how itchy we were.
I've started writing about our next stop, Foz, in a different entry, but today's the big day so I'll finish copying it out later. Much love! :) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
So I ran and changed, and ran down to the water to go and swim to the platform thingy in the middle, preparing myself for the anti-stingray walk that's a bit like ice skating in the mud... and there was a great big old alligator right in between me and the platform! I looked at him. He looked at me. And I just thought- hey, it'll be fine! And just got in and swam right past him! He just turned round slightly and watched me as I went past, probably more scared than me.
I thought no-one had been watching but Alex our absolutely lovely guide turned up on the shore saying,
"You are very courageous girl!" And drifted me out a tub of ice lollies made from the leftover juice from breakfast. Wow!
I could have stayed in that place for ages, just chilling out... have a swim with the alligators and Tucuman the capibara... go for a canoe or a ride, see some creatures...
All the exciting creatures are all around, alligators, tapirs, giant stalks, (when we first saw them I said- "Look at the stalks Ash!" and you should have seen the look she gave me, "They're not real Meg" as though I'd just said the stupidest thing in the world! So funny :) ) giant otters, Cara caras, capibaras... just part of the scenery I've never seen so much wildlife. You're lucky to spot some rabbit or pheasant in the UK aren't you, maybe a fox on a good day!
The mosquitos were the only thing that kept us on our toes, there are just as many as you'd expect in the biggest swamp in the world, that also happens to be in the tropics! By the end of 4 days there, we were absolutely covered in bites and not sleeping with how itchy we were.
I've started writing about our next stop, Foz, in a different entry, but today's the big day so I'll finish copying it out later. Much love! :) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
the Pantanal continued from Ash
Im am not going to talk about the Pantanal day by day,but the whole general feeling and experience.Its feels more right for that place,it was so homely and comfortable e muito tranquilo.
It was very hot there,as in the rest of Brazil,but very different from in Amazonia,where it was hot and humid.Here is was a dryer heat,despite being in the biggest,best swamp in the world! We spent most of our time either in the boat; languidly ambling(in a watery way)up and down the river,watching the amazing array of birds that live in the Pantanal,meeting a very surprised Tapir,and making friends with the family of otters(Arianhas), Or exploring the surrounding Savannah and woodland on horse back.
I was so happy to finally have a bit of horse time,well we both were, especially as it has been so long since we rode together,and really,riding and horses is what made us get to know eachother again when we were around 12 and 14. The horses were lovely,though very mosquito bitten, abit like us really.Both the ones i rode were white geldings, the first one was called Benjove(who i ended up calling Ben,and smiling every time as it reminded me of my lovely big brother),he was very chilled out,though a little grumpy, but had the funniest canter ever, like an excited rocking horse! We felt just like cow girls galloping around with our cowboy hats and stock saddles=) My second horse was called Sabia,which i think means wise or wisdom,i didnt do as much running around with him, but i really enjoyed getting to know him. It took a while i must admit,he really didnt like the smell of my mosquito repelant,he thought about everything, you could feel his little cogs working inside his head, everything time you asked him to do something.
I need to tell you all about the lovely Tapir we met,as he has made us laugh ever since! We were floating slowly downstream in the canoe,it was late afternoon in the beautiful golden sunshine and we were all feeling very happy and peaceful, when suddenly we heard some crashing and banging around from the trees on the bank. we paused and looked around us wondering what it could be. It got nearer and nearer and louder and louder,until suddenly a large animal sprang out in to the middle of the river with an almightly splash, it looked around itself some what startled and snuffling its funny long nose.We all just laughed and laughed until the tears ran down our cheeks, especially as it then continued its crossing of the river much more calmly and self contained.That is until it got to the opposite bank where the Tapir scrabbled it s way out and thundered off, crashing around even louder in to the undergrowth.
After we had met the lovely Mr Tapir,we went further down river to see if we could find the family of Otters.Alex our lovely smiley guide really wanted to find them for us as he had seen the otter ring that my beautiful mum gave me years ago( so thank you ma,we had the loveliest experience due to that ring!). We heard the Otters first,a faint honking coming from around the bend in the river. Then we saw the triangular ripples made by them swimming under water as they came towards out boat.We saw two or three at first,they suddenly stuck their heads out on long necks and honked at us,before disapearing in to the water again and escaping to the foliage of the bank.We continued to float down stream,very slowly for another 5 or so minutes,when suddenly there was a whole load of noise and commotion(they are very noisy playful things,with cheeky faces) and the entire family arrived,there was at least 15 all swimming towards us and honking loudly as they thrusted their heads out of the water.
It was very hot there,as in the rest of Brazil,but very different from in Amazonia,where it was hot and humid.Here is was a dryer heat,despite being in the biggest,best swamp in the world! We spent most of our time either in the boat; languidly ambling(in a watery way)up and down the river,watching the amazing array of birds that live in the Pantanal,meeting a very surprised Tapir,and making friends with the family of otters(Arianhas), Or exploring the surrounding Savannah and woodland on horse back.
I was so happy to finally have a bit of horse time,well we both were, especially as it has been so long since we rode together,and really,riding and horses is what made us get to know eachother again when we were around 12 and 14. The horses were lovely,though very mosquito bitten, abit like us really.Both the ones i rode were white geldings, the first one was called Benjove(who i ended up calling Ben,and smiling every time as it reminded me of my lovely big brother),he was very chilled out,though a little grumpy, but had the funniest canter ever, like an excited rocking horse! We felt just like cow girls galloping around with our cowboy hats and stock saddles=) My second horse was called Sabia,which i think means wise or wisdom,i didnt do as much running around with him, but i really enjoyed getting to know him. It took a while i must admit,he really didnt like the smell of my mosquito repelant,he thought about everything, you could feel his little cogs working inside his head, everything time you asked him to do something.
I need to tell you all about the lovely Tapir we met,as he has made us laugh ever since! We were floating slowly downstream in the canoe,it was late afternoon in the beautiful golden sunshine and we were all feeling very happy and peaceful, when suddenly we heard some crashing and banging around from the trees on the bank. we paused and looked around us wondering what it could be. It got nearer and nearer and louder and louder,until suddenly a large animal sprang out in to the middle of the river with an almightly splash, it looked around itself some what startled and snuffling its funny long nose.We all just laughed and laughed until the tears ran down our cheeks, especially as it then continued its crossing of the river much more calmly and self contained.That is until it got to the opposite bank where the Tapir scrabbled it s way out and thundered off, crashing around even louder in to the undergrowth.
After we had met the lovely Mr Tapir,we went further down river to see if we could find the family of Otters.Alex our lovely smiley guide really wanted to find them for us as he had seen the otter ring that my beautiful mum gave me years ago( so thank you ma,we had the loveliest experience due to that ring!). We heard the Otters first,a faint honking coming from around the bend in the river. Then we saw the triangular ripples made by them swimming under water as they came towards out boat.We saw two or three at first,they suddenly stuck their heads out on long necks and honked at us,before disapearing in to the water again and escaping to the foliage of the bank.We continued to float down stream,very slowly for another 5 or so minutes,when suddenly there was a whole load of noise and commotion(they are very noisy playful things,with cheeky faces) and the entire family arrived,there was at least 15 all swimming towards us and honking loudly as they thrusted their heads out of the water.
ooopS! from Ash
megnut just had a read through of my last blog,and just laughed when i next arrived..heheh oops!
my liile description of the pantanal being bigger the wales,was a bit underestimated...its about 5 times the size or more! And also i called one of the birds Anus,but what i actually meant to say was annu's.....=S
heheh see you all very soon
ash
my liile description of the pantanal being bigger the wales,was a bit underestimated...its about 5 times the size or more! And also i called one of the birds Anus,but what i actually meant to say was annu's.....=S
heheh see you all very soon
ash
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
swamp love! from Ash
Ola lovelies
i n my last blog i didnt quite finish describing the amazingness of the rainforest,or everything that we got up to,but Megnut has written a lovely description,so i think i shall just leave it at that,and continue with our next adventure=D
we have now not only been exploring the Amazon rainforest, but the Pantanal too.The day after we got back to Manaus from our funky jungle roots exbidition,we had a flight,changing in Brasilia,to Cuiaba.Both of us are feeling abit sad about the fact that we flew,despite it giving us an amazing view of the amazon from above, and a really beautiful sunset,so if any of you have a brain wave carbon offset scheme,we would love to hear about it!
Cuiaba is pretty much in the very centre of Brazil,in the middle of the Pantanal.
The Pantanal is a huge swampy area(i think Pantano means swamp in Portuguese..),bigger than the whole of wales. It is an amazing environment and habitat for wildlife,due to it being partly Savannah as well. The flora and Fauna are so rich there,more so than in Amazonia. We had been put in contact with a tour company called Ecoverde by the lovely Dylwyn and Tess jenkins.Dylwyn has known them,particularly Joel who runs the company, and Alex our guide, for a fair few years due to his Rough Guide Books work.
When we arrived in Cuiaba Joel met us at the airport himself and took us to a pousada for the night,as his own is under renovation.It wasnt the nicest place in the world,in fact it was a bit scubby,with lovely second,or third,use bedding!yay =)Joel was very funny and sweet as he had drunk a couple of beers before meeting us, and was worried we would think he was drunk and rude;`sorry girls,i dont normally do this,hopefully in the morning i`ll look less drunk and more beautiful`! It was lovely to be met by someone who had some kind of a connection to us , and him and everybody else there sent lots of Love to Dylwyn and Tess,and to remind them about a new copy of the Rough Guide!
To get to the actual,Ranch i feel like calling it, that the tours are run from,we drove for about three hours along completely straight roads,deeper in to the Pantanal.As we drove it felt like we were entering a western ,the road became a bright red dusty track,with little wooden bridges over the many rivers.Stalk nests perched atop the electricity poles,signs apeared saying `Cuidado`(careful) with a picture of either an aligator,a tapir or some capibaras,birds were every where;hawks,kingfishers,herons,Anus,and stalks(including the biggest in the world,with white bodies,black heads and orange chests.i actually diodnt believe they were real at first).
The house,when we arrived,was absolutely lovely,and just deepened the Western/living on a ranch feeling. It is painted all blue and white,and built in an L shape around a hammock and lawn area.The river comes just infront,and beautiful calm faces cows and horses roam around the surrounding Savanah(they have a coral,but the horses are only in there for feeding, grooming and refreshing them with cold water washes after our lovely rides). In the river there is a little wooded platform which you can swim out to and practice(or tr y to in my case)diving,or just sit and relax with your bottom in the water. There are Caimen in the river,but they dont cause much hassle,in fact brave old Nutmeg actually went for a swim with one!There is a lovely lovely Capibara who lives there too,diving down and munching on the water lilly roots.We named him Tucuman after one of our Argentinian friends.
I was going to save this and than add to it and post it later,but i think i shall just post it now and right another one to continue later when no one else needs the computer. It will be in nice chunks as well then =) so lots of love,speak to you soon!
xxxxxxxxxxxxash
i n my last blog i didnt quite finish describing the amazingness of the rainforest,or everything that we got up to,but Megnut has written a lovely description,so i think i shall just leave it at that,and continue with our next adventure=D
we have now not only been exploring the Amazon rainforest, but the Pantanal too.The day after we got back to Manaus from our funky jungle roots exbidition,we had a flight,changing in Brasilia,to Cuiaba.Both of us are feeling abit sad about the fact that we flew,despite it giving us an amazing view of the amazon from above, and a really beautiful sunset,so if any of you have a brain wave carbon offset scheme,we would love to hear about it!
Cuiaba is pretty much in the very centre of Brazil,in the middle of the Pantanal.
The Pantanal is a huge swampy area(i think Pantano means swamp in Portuguese..),bigger than the whole of wales. It is an amazing environment and habitat for wildlife,due to it being partly Savannah as well. The flora and Fauna are so rich there,more so than in Amazonia. We had been put in contact with a tour company called Ecoverde by the lovely Dylwyn and Tess jenkins.Dylwyn has known them,particularly Joel who runs the company, and Alex our guide, for a fair few years due to his Rough Guide Books work.
When we arrived in Cuiaba Joel met us at the airport himself and took us to a pousada for the night,as his own is under renovation.It wasnt the nicest place in the world,in fact it was a bit scubby,with lovely second,or third,use bedding!yay =)Joel was very funny and sweet as he had drunk a couple of beers before meeting us, and was worried we would think he was drunk and rude;`sorry girls,i dont normally do this,hopefully in the morning i`ll look less drunk and more beautiful`! It was lovely to be met by someone who had some kind of a connection to us , and him and everybody else there sent lots of Love to Dylwyn and Tess,and to remind them about a new copy of the Rough Guide!
To get to the actual,Ranch i feel like calling it, that the tours are run from,we drove for about three hours along completely straight roads,deeper in to the Pantanal.As we drove it felt like we were entering a western ,the road became a bright red dusty track,with little wooden bridges over the many rivers.Stalk nests perched atop the electricity poles,signs apeared saying `Cuidado`(careful) with a picture of either an aligator,a tapir or some capibaras,birds were every where;hawks,kingfishers,herons,Anus,and stalks(including the biggest in the world,with white bodies,black heads and orange chests.i actually diodnt believe they were real at first).
The house,when we arrived,was absolutely lovely,and just deepened the Western/living on a ranch feeling. It is painted all blue and white,and built in an L shape around a hammock and lawn area.The river comes just infront,and beautiful calm faces cows and horses roam around the surrounding Savanah(they have a coral,but the horses are only in there for feeding, grooming and refreshing them with cold water washes after our lovely rides). In the river there is a little wooded platform which you can swim out to and practice(or tr y to in my case)diving,or just sit and relax with your bottom in the water. There are Caimen in the river,but they dont cause much hassle,in fact brave old Nutmeg actually went for a swim with one!There is a lovely lovely Capibara who lives there too,diving down and munching on the water lilly roots.We named him Tucuman after one of our Argentinian friends.
I was going to save this and than add to it and post it later,but i think i shall just post it now and right another one to continue later when no one else needs the computer. It will be in nice chunks as well then =) so lots of love,speak to you soon!
xxxxxxxxxxxxash
Sunday, 5 April 2009
jungle fun
ola =)
im am just going to up date you on the jungle experience,as i didnt get a chance to once we had returned.
we had to get a coach for about 3 hours out of Manaus,and then a canao up the river(i cant remember what it was called but it means vulture) to the lodge. this consisted of a few wooded buildings all with leaf roofs,and a big tower over looking the river and rainforest. we stayed the first night here in hammocks,and then on the 2nd day went off in to the forest.
we arrived just before lunch(they have it very early here,muito cedo),which was yummy=) then afterwards went off in a canoe in to the floating forest. Apart from us two,there was only one other person in our group;an Argentian geeza Gillam,and our guide Francisco. The floating forest is a part of the jungle that gets flooded for every year during the rainy season. It is sooo amazingly beautiful in there,the water is so still,and the green trees tower over you,with spiraling vines hanging down. The reflections are perfect,because its so still,and so make trippy paterns everywhere to mesmorise you.
we went piranha fishing on the edge of the floating forest. i didnt catch any myself,but Nutmeg caught two bigguns! i was getting too distracted by some red catterpillers=S all together though we had about 11,including one monster of a pirhana that we got with a trap. this one jumped off the hook and in to the bottom of the boat,on to my toes!aaaaaaR! i didint realise how girly and high pitched i could go!=S when we got back to the lodge,with our bounty of fish,the lovely chefs there cooked em up for everybodies dinner,but saved the special beasty just for us. i dont like fish i admit,but i tried a bit of this one, it would have been a sin no to! And it was actually really mild,the mildest fish i'ce ever eaten.not so mild mannered though.
After dinner we went Aligator hunting..in the dark!heheh! we set off in our little blue canoe to the more reedy edges of the floating forest. it took a little while of getting stuck on low branches,tangling our hair in twigs and cobwebs,but we found some;the first was a little baby caiman(Jacare in Portuguese),with a goldeny colour,and black and yellow tail.it 's eyes and face were so delicate and detailed,like a magic little honey dragon.Francisco cought him so we could all have a look,and hold him too,which was amazing but we both felt quite upset for him,what a shock it must have been!these massive fleshy handy suddenly coming and grabbing you out of the water and then poking and prodding your beautiful skin,and dipping you in and iout of the water to make you use your different eye lenses! =(
After we had put the little magical honey dragon back home,we carried on our search,and this time found a stone aligator(jacare Pedra)this one was full grown,but still not big,about as long as my arm,but though small they are one of the most aggressive.The first one we caught was a bit longer than my hand,but they grow up to about two mitres.Francisco caught the Jacare Pedra as well,but we didnt hold him,just had a little feel.so hard,like stone,and so strong particularly the tail.he was a bit scary,the look in his eyes...big glowing round eyes.if it was me though id dont thik io woul have been to happy either. Francisvo wanted to this one home to show everybody at the lodge,so some how he managed to steer the canoe and carry the aligator back in the dark all at the same time.When we got there the other guests got very excited,and started growling at the poor thing,and then trying to put paper in his mouth to see if he would eat it. of course he wont eat it you fools! He'd rather a juicy bite from you,especially after that! Me and Meg exchanged disgusted,hippy-spawn looks.
that's it for now,but no where near the end of the jungle advenure,and so much more that i want to tell you! later later,im hogging the computer again =S
xxxxxxxxx muitas amore,e forte abracos para tudo
im am just going to up date you on the jungle experience,as i didnt get a chance to once we had returned.
we had to get a coach for about 3 hours out of Manaus,and then a canao up the river(i cant remember what it was called but it means vulture) to the lodge. this consisted of a few wooded buildings all with leaf roofs,and a big tower over looking the river and rainforest. we stayed the first night here in hammocks,and then on the 2nd day went off in to the forest.
we arrived just before lunch(they have it very early here,muito cedo),which was yummy=) then afterwards went off in a canoe in to the floating forest. Apart from us two,there was only one other person in our group;an Argentian geeza Gillam,and our guide Francisco. The floating forest is a part of the jungle that gets flooded for every year during the rainy season. It is sooo amazingly beautiful in there,the water is so still,and the green trees tower over you,with spiraling vines hanging down. The reflections are perfect,because its so still,and so make trippy paterns everywhere to mesmorise you.
we went piranha fishing on the edge of the floating forest. i didnt catch any myself,but Nutmeg caught two bigguns! i was getting too distracted by some red catterpillers=S all together though we had about 11,including one monster of a pirhana that we got with a trap. this one jumped off the hook and in to the bottom of the boat,on to my toes!aaaaaaR! i didint realise how girly and high pitched i could go!=S when we got back to the lodge,with our bounty of fish,the lovely chefs there cooked em up for everybodies dinner,but saved the special beasty just for us. i dont like fish i admit,but i tried a bit of this one, it would have been a sin no to! And it was actually really mild,the mildest fish i'ce ever eaten.not so mild mannered though.
After dinner we went Aligator hunting..in the dark!heheh! we set off in our little blue canoe to the more reedy edges of the floating forest. it took a little while of getting stuck on low branches,tangling our hair in twigs and cobwebs,but we found some;the first was a little baby caiman(Jacare in Portuguese),with a goldeny colour,and black and yellow tail.it 's eyes and face were so delicate and detailed,like a magic little honey dragon.Francisco cought him so we could all have a look,and hold him too,which was amazing but we both felt quite upset for him,what a shock it must have been!these massive fleshy handy suddenly coming and grabbing you out of the water and then poking and prodding your beautiful skin,and dipping you in and iout of the water to make you use your different eye lenses! =(
After we had put the little magical honey dragon back home,we carried on our search,and this time found a stone aligator(jacare Pedra)this one was full grown,but still not big,about as long as my arm,but though small they are one of the most aggressive.The first one we caught was a bit longer than my hand,but they grow up to about two mitres.Francisco caught the Jacare Pedra as well,but we didnt hold him,just had a little feel.so hard,like stone,and so strong particularly the tail.he was a bit scary,the look in his eyes...big glowing round eyes.if it was me though id dont thik io woul have been to happy either. Francisvo wanted to this one home to show everybody at the lodge,so some how he managed to steer the canoe and carry the aligator back in the dark all at the same time.When we got there the other guests got very excited,and started growling at the poor thing,and then trying to put paper in his mouth to see if he would eat it. of course he wont eat it you fools! He'd rather a juicy bite from you,especially after that! Me and Meg exchanged disgusted,hippy-spawn looks.
that's it for now,but no where near the end of the jungle advenure,and so much more that i want to tell you! later later,im hogging the computer again =S
xxxxxxxxx muitas amore,e forte abracos para tudo
Friday, 3 April 2009
27th March... it's a long un!
After grabbing some supplies in Santarem, we got the boat which had a very reasonable number of people on it and left at a very reasonable time!
It was weird not having our Argentinians with us, a very strong feeling of having something missing, but we still had our english boys :)
There wasn't really any room upstairs and we didn't really fancy going up top by the bar with its constant terrible music blaring, so we went downstairs with the crew and fragrant cargo of limes and plantain.
The others went to sleep in no time, while I made friends with Lucia, the 9year old in the hammock next door- we made a string of flowers to hang above her and her mums hammock, and she showed me some pictures of her family on her mums camera (including to my horror- look, here's a turtle we found! Look, this is it after5 we killed it, and look! this is us cooking it...)
The next day was Paulo's birthday!
We felt bad that he had to have it on the boat,but we all made hime cards and Ash wrote him a poem- when I ate my cafe da manha of maracuja (passionfruit) I cut it open in a star shape, and when I went for a shower I took it with me to clean out the inside. Then I coated the inside with glitter, filled it with sweeties & a pretty shell and rolled up the card I'd made and put it inside. (The joke is he doesn't like passionfruit...)
It's amazing what you can find time for, on a boat.
Later on as well, me and Ash added some doce de leite as icing to the cake I'd sneakily brought in Alter do Chao, & rainbow sprinkles on top of that, & the Happy Birthday candles I got in the post off mum.
They had got a little battered along the way though, so we just had to write YAR. Thought that would be OK, being on a boat and that :)
Just after the cake I spotted a family of spider monkeys running along the trees and just after that Ash spotted all these tiny yellow monkeys too!
Just after the cake I spotted a family of spider monkeys running along the trees and just after that Ash spotted all these tiny yellow monkeys too!
The last day then I spent a while up at the front, chatting to Lucia for some of the time, listening to music some of the time too, watching the banks with their changing scenery drifting past.
As we went past houses on stilts or aldeias, kids swimming or canoeing would rush over to play in the waves from the boat.
As we got closer to Manaus we crossed over from the brown water to the clearer but darker water of Rio Negro, and the wind coming downriver changed. A hot, humid, rich earthy wind came rushing to meet us, telling tantalising whispers of what was to greet us in the rainforest.
I felt closer than I have ever felt to the forest!
Soon Manaus loomed on the horizon- the squiggly organic skyline of the forest interrupted by the square-edged and no less busy concrete jungle.
The sun was just going down behind the factory chimneys, a constant belch of smoke and a huge flame blending in with the cloudy orange spill in the sky.
We pulled into the port and doddered around on the floating dock (designed to deal with about 14m change in water level seasonally!) before walking through the smelly and sleeping marketplace now populated only by tramps, cats and cockroaches to try and find a hostel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
O.K so I'm not going to say Manaus was fun.
The first evening was nice, we went out for pizza with Paulo Ricardo and Danny, and all really really enjoyed sleeping in a bed for the first time in just over 4 weeks.
But using the internet the next day and sorting things out, I phoned the co-op bank to see why I can't get at the 200 something now strangely gone up to 300 odd pounds... only to find out that it is a negative number, I am overdrawn and being made to pay for it. This is all from a stupid scam I got myself into by only reading the small print so many times, plus my phone thing which I probably mentioned already (lefty behind reception @ hostel, nicked, lots of money spent on contract because I wasn't told about it going missing, insurance doesn't cover unless told within 24 hours of theft, which wasn't even possible...)
So I spent the rest of the day in a manic panic very stressed out and upset, thinking about that terrible 40 hour journey where i was so sick, & the looooong trip up the river, in quite testing conditions, the big chunk of our budget that had gone on getting to the Amazon, only to arrive in this undeniably horrible city in the middle of the rainforest and not being able to get out of the city and actually see any of it!
Partly bacause it wouldn't be just me I'd have to get on a tour- I think Ash is on her last 100 pounds, which might just get her to Sao Paulo, only if she doesn't do a tour in the Amazon or in the Pantanal, or eat or sleep anywhere...
But anyway. I'm sure you don't want to hear about money worries, I'll quit complaining for now...
The others went out to a bar in Ponto Negro, and even though I'd plugged myself in to headphones on my own in our room for long enough to grow up and feel better, I couldn't face going out at all; I felt bad because it was for Paulo's birthday but it was not good for me at the time.
The next day was a great big improvement, I set up a temporary overdraft with co-op, which was really easy, and then an email off dad and a phonecall with mum later, I realised that I am in a much better situation and have lots and lots of thanking to do, for all my family getting me out of my hole, I really don't know what we would have done without any of you!
As soon as money was a bit more stable for us, we went about finding a tour ASAP to see the Amazon before Saturday- and thought it was only sensible to find out the details of the one based downstairs of our hostel before going off searching... they showed us pictures, told us some prices (which were at the low end of the scale in our rough guide) and the itinerary sounded great, so when we saw it was raining too, we just went back in and booked 3 days starting the next day :)
Feeling much happier, we went into town to enjoy our last night with Paulo Ricardo and Danny, a Dutch guy from the hostel came with us too, and sat outside a bar talking plans and dreams and missing the Argies.
Our Dutch friend told us a story that must match your 'Help, I've lost my virginity' story Naomi-
In Portuguese the word for condom is camisinha, which kind of translates as 'little t-shirt,' because to say something's small you just add 'inha' or 'inho' to the end of it.
So our friend was trying to buy himself a shirt and the helpful assistant hands him one which is a little too big, so he asks her uncertainly for a condom, to the amusement of everyone in the shop!
While we all had a giggle at this we spotted a familiar couple of figures, and suddenly there was Ariel and Javier, we rushed over to say hello, and Cristian, who had been ill with fever (not malaria though, he had a test)
So it was lovely to see everyone all together for the last time.
We dragged ourselves back to bed before too long though so that we could get up in time for our tour.
We got up at sparrowfart and caught a bus right out of the city for a good 2 or 3 hours, it was just us 2 and an Argentinian guy Guilherme, and our guide Francisco, who was telling me about the governments attitude to the rainforest, and how since it changed 6 years ago they are being much better, and have put in all sorts of rules and regulations, controls on how much wood leaves the forest.
Me and Guilherme put the world to rights the rest of the way- chatting about banks and money and poverty and corrupt politics and uprisings and solutions.
He had quite a negative view of the whole thing though, I mean I know the situation worldwide is undoubtedly bad in a lot of areas, but he I view it in a 'looking for answers' sort of way, he says it will never change and there's no point in 'the people' trying to do anything about stuff, comparing it with a greek myth where a man has to push a rock up a mountain for some reason. When he gets it there though it just rolls back down, so he pushes it up again. The same thing happens so the unlucky geezer has to push the rock up the mountain again and again forever.
He did say that some french philosopher (sorry I'm terrible with names- there's enough Portuguese and actual people's names to be dealing with!) said thatr the only way to look at it is to believe that this guy was happy to push the rock up the mountain over and over.
I don't like it though! The people wouldn't go pushing the rock unless there was some point to it, it would be nice to think he's have a chat with friends or the 'wise old man in the village' or something, and think of a different way of going about it, or something.
There we go though.
We arrived at a small town and got into a canoe (with a motor) and set off for another hour to get to the lodge. It was a really still day, but it started to rain really heavily, which looked really weiiird on the water.
We arrived at the lodge, which consisted of a few wooden buildings and a lookout tower, with a little while to wait for lunch, & there were a few people there already who had started their trip one or two days before.
Once we'd put up our hammocks and made ourselves at home whilewe waited for some food we went for a walk in the woods just behind the lodge- our first little taste of proper rainforest- it's so thick! There's no way you could just walk through, you need either a path or a machette.
And the pĺants grow in every direction, crazy twisty vines tangled around everything... it's beautiful!
When we got back I heard this funny noise coming from inside a shed. I thought at first it was someone with a wind-up torch just winding it really sporadically but that seemed a bit strange, after all it was daytime...
I said to Ash when it didn't stop- 'What is that noise? Is it someone mending a drill?'
I climbed up the side and had a peek through the gap between the wall and the roof, & looked down to see the two strangest looking creatures in a bucket!
For a moment or two I couldn't even take a stab in the dark as to what they were- squat but quite chunky bald baby birds, all scrawny with huge feet and huge beaks.
But then one of them turned its head on its side for a minute to have a look at me and when I saw it's beak properly it clicked- baby tucans!
I called Ash and we cracked up looking at the ridiculously proportioned little things making such a horrible noise, until someone came over and opened the door so that we could go in and have a proper look. The funny little things got so excited that they both fell out of their bucket, making an even worse racket!
We lauged even more as they wrestled with each other clumsily with theis oversized beaks, fighting for the banana Mr. Tucan daddy was feeding them, then left them in peace before they hurt themselves.
On emerging from the shed we noticed that the tree outside was full of green parrots, bigger than the little ones we've seen everywhere else, but perfectly camouflaged with the leaves of the tree. These are abandoned or lost babies the same as the tucans, tame more or less & living round the lodge where they are spoiled with the old fruit :)
We giggled at the parrots; who are like little clowns and love the attention; until lunch, which was deliciosa, then went off in a canoe (no motor this time) out over the river and into the drowned forest which made a kind of island in the middle.
The next bit I am not going to be able to describe, it was one of those places where you are almost afraid to breathe.
The water in here was so still, as flat as glass, and the silence rushed around inside my head like a wave, broken only by these beautiful watery bird calls and insects singing.
The water reflected the twisted trees and vines as clearly as a mirror, so as we slowly slid along the water surface it was like drifting along this plane, the complex patterns of the tall graceful trees as clear and pristine above as below.
Impossible to capture in pictures or words I think but with the silence it was profound, a double fairytale world.
I'd love to go in there in a kayak but myself, but with a compass or I'd be gone for days!
Pretty soon we saw two tucans, much more elegant and beautiful than their chicks, and when we went closer they stayed there shouting at us so we got to take a couple of pictures.
They are so beautiful, really sleek and graceful but gorgeous blocks of colour like a clown!
Their temperament resaminded me of a jay if anything, kind of suspicious and wise.
We set up some traps for these big tasty fish Matrichao by just tying a hook and string with chicken to a branch, and leaving them while we carried on exploring.
Next Francisco took us just out of the fairytale mirror forest to try and catch some dinner- piranhas.
O.K so I've told most of you this story already but I'm so proud I have to put it here anyway. I'll try and be quick :)
Francisco caught one straight away, I had my lump of chicken gobbled the moment I chucked it in the water (I didn't realise you actually had to yank it hard enough to get it through the little buggers tough lillte mouths, the moment you feel the bite!)
Once I realised though I started concentrating, you get into the zone, and when you feel some nibbling you can poise yourself ready to tug really quickly when you suspect something's really sinking it's snappy little teeth in, and then keep pulling, hard, till this bright whitey blue thing emerges, flapping madly at the end of your string. My first one came off the hook and landed at the bottom of the boat, flapping around. I got my toes out the way quick sharpish and let the guide do the gory killing bit.
I caught 2 in the end, (including the biggest one, I might add) Guilherme got a sardine who'se teeth were even more scary than the piranhas, and Francisco got 8 so there was plenty of dinner.
Although it's all down to chance really, now I'm no longer a fishing virgin I can appreciate fisherman's pride! I'm sure every time I tell the story my hands will be a little further apart :P
It wasn't as big as the one in one of our traps though, which was about 25cm long! We also had one matrichao.
After drifting back through reflection land and rowing the rest of the way back across the river, we were knackered, and swung around in hammocks (which will now always make me feel very at home :) until dinner
Yummmmmy piranha! It's really juicy and flavoursome, and not too 'fishy' tasting, even Ash didn't mind it and she can't stand fish. I kept my biggun's jaw, left it out for the ants to clean up & I've still got it- of course it'll come in useful!
After dinner we grabbed our torches and got back into our little canoe, and set off along the shore away from the lodge into the dark- on the search for cayman!
It was a gorgeous clear night with bright twinkling stars, but the moon was nearly new so it was pitch black. It was really exciting and a tiny bit scary!
We went off up into a little overgrown tributary through all the submerged treetops and into the shallower water and grassy areas, and when our wind-up torches went dim we just used Francisco's one so as not to make a racket- scanning around int the swampy areas looking for glowing little eyes.
When we spotted some we went over and Francisco just grabbed this tiny baby cayman over the side of the boat- and it was so beautiful, like a magic baby yellow dragon, really pretty black vibrant patterns and an amazing face, wise wide great big eyes, and squeaking for its mum.
These ones are called jacare tenga, and they get about 2 metres long.
The guide poked the poor thing around a bit to demonstrate its various things- (look, if you put it under water it changes the lens in its eye- in, out... in, out! And look, it has no tongue!
Then he told us to hold it- while I was hugely curious I also felt mean for it by then, being passed around our hot dry hands, and thought it was probably ready to go home, but to save being taunted for being frightened or anything I held it for a minute-
for such a jagged, toothy looking creature he felt so soft and tiny and delicate, as he squiggled around I worried I would hurt him.
It was really nice to put him back in the water, he didn't swim very far straight away and he looked so happy and much nicer in the water among the grass.
He swam off before we could take a picture though, so the only ones we've got are horrid ones of us holding him, blinded and stripped of his realness by the flash.
Off we went through the branches and vines again to find a bigger one, and it wasn't long after we went a little deeper into the scrub that we spotted some more glowing eyes in the distance.
We sneakily paddled over to where we'd seen the two yellow spots of light in the torch beam, and shone the torch around in the rushes looking for a flash of patterned scales.
'The water is very dark here,' says Francisco, peering into the murky weedy shallows, but a second later plunges his hand into the water, bringing up this great big cayman, about 70-80cm long, mouth wide open, looking very sinister and oddly helpless.
It really doesn't suit them, hanging by their throats!
'This one you can't hold,' he tells us, as we duck as far away from it as we can, picturing that thing loose in the bottom of the boat- I'm sure he wouldn't flap around helplessly like the little fishies from earlier, and his teeth are much bigger!
He did let me give it a little stroke though- it's so spiny, and even its tummy had an armour of rock solid scales, hence its name, Jacare Pedra- rock alligator. This one was much chunkier than the baby one, and a darker colour, but still with such a beautiful pattern all over it.
To our horror Francisco tells us he's taking it back to the lodge, 'to show the others.' Holding it by the scruff the whole way, he clambers past us to the back of the boat, starts up the motor and we speed off out of the channel into the big water towards home.
I felt for the poor thing, they're really king of where they live, and that was completely taken away from it as it hung from this guys hand, helpless.
When we got back the others were all amazed by it, crowding round and poking it, the annoying french guy stuffing a load of paper in its mouth- "Here, do you like paper? Do you like it? Wanna eat some paper?" Disappointed when it just hung there rather than snapping or doing some dramatic display though they soon gave up and got bored so Frabcisco took it back to the water.
I got laughed at when I asked if it would find its way back home.
I dreamt of boats and rats and rain. I don't think the rat bit was true, but the ground was wet in the morning.
As soon as we'd showered and eaten we donned our brilliant 2real jungle shoes(what a find!) and set off into the jungle to camp.
After canoeing a little way we got out and started walking through the jungle, following Francisco along a narrow path, ducking around hanging branches and vines and hopping over roots and boggy bits.
Soon after we entered the forest I jumped out of my skkiin as what sounded like a gunshot echoed into the firest around us. Francisco had whacked the trunk of a great big tree with the back of his machette, and th sound it made was huge.
Apparently Indians use Samauma for communication in the forest, the sound travels for kilometres. You can hit it with anything- a big bit of wood, your machette...
We stumbled o noisily after him with our big bag of jungle essentials, and crossing another soggy bit I lost my balance slightly and grabbed an innocent enough looking tree to save getting my toes wet,and instently had a weird pins and needly sensation all over my fingrts and the palm of my hand.
Looking I saw that it was covred in tiny black prickles so it looked like I had really hairy hands. I tried to brush them off but it wasn't happening, so I set about picking the buggers out pinch by pinch. Most of them came out no bother but just one finger that got the brunt of it had the ends left in and felt a bit sore, but it's ok.
Apparently the tree was a kind of bamboo, and looking more carefully you could tell that it might be a teeny but prickly, but hardly.
Francisco annoyingly took up pointing out every brutally spiky looking tree after that, warning me not to touch it and laughing. Grrrrr.
I'm still not used to how the plants fill every gap, all the way up- taking advantage of every possible surface and every sliver of sunlight till there's hardly a dapple on the forest floor.
Everywhere you look as well are ants nests, termites nests, hanging like stalagtites from branches or vines, towering up like castles from the ground or just built all the way round tree trunks.
Bustling but organised motorways span out in every directionfrom them, little lines of communication guarded all the way along.
At one point our path went through an ant city, the nest seemed t oconsist of about 20 individual normal to large sized nests and the whole thing was about the size of a small room! It was almost quite scary! (not as scary as Manaus)
When we were nearly at our camp Francisco took a slice out of a towering tree trunk, and white sap started pouring out.
He held his finger in the stream and licked off hte sap and we followed suit- it tastes sweet and milky and good.
The tree is called Solva, and the Indians use the sap to give to their children and in their food instead of milk- "because they can't get to the supermarket!"
Licking our lips and rinsing our sticky fingers in a little stream we spotted a shelter made of palm leaves- our camp!
The first thign we did once we'd dropped our bags was go off to find some dry wood, which was easy, there was a small dead tree really closeby, and once Francisco had cut it down it was just a matter of scraping and banaging the termites off it, and taking it back to make fire.
After lunch we went off for a jungle walk, which was much easier and much quieter without our stuff (we'd been carrying tarpaulin, pan, food, hammocks...)
So when we ducked through a quite close thicket of small trees (mind the spikes, meggy) we heard some rustling (O.K, crashing) in the trees above and looked up to see a troupe of capuchin monkeys swinging by, including a mum with baby clinging to her yellow fur.
They've got very comical little red faces, at one point I looked and there was one fairly close down, just paused and peering down at us, that amazing puzzled expression only monkeys can really pull off on it's face; I wonder if he was thinking how similar we looked, or how weird.
But he only stopped for a minute before swinging off t ojping his family, using his long black tail as freely as his limbs.
When the last curly tail had disappeared and the crashing leaves and branches had faded, we entered a slightly more shaded area with less groundcover, and Francisco pointed out a hole about 4 inches wide, similar to a lot we've seen and wondered what lives inside.
He wouldn't tell us though, just asked us to stay still and poked a stick inside.
Peering in I saw something move, brown and furry but it moved funny, in little jerks...
I don't guess straight away but then it comes into the light and it's the biggest spider I've ever seen in my life! The size of my hand stretched out, easily, and just as scary as you'd imagine.
This is the crab spider, the biggest tarantula in South America. You could look at pictures on google but we've got some stunners so maybe just wait.
It stood there looking threatening for a bit, waving its legs around, and when Francisco poked it with the stick it did a little handstand and showed off its poison- spraying bum... we all took a step back and soon our lovely guide unblocked his hole again and we moved on.
All through the forest are vines- every tree of a decant size seems to have at least one, and there's loads of differnet kinds. Some (90species+ apparently!) are water vines, and if you cut a section of it sweet water flows out the end- we tried some, it was... well, water :)
You've got t oknow your stuff though, because most kinds are poisonous or at least unpleasant.
A kind of ant eats one of the poisonous ones, and tribes use them as a mosquito repellent- if you knock on their door or make a hole in their house, then put your hand on it, they all swarm out ot see what's going on, and climb onto your arm ( they're not really bity ones). When they reach about halfway to your elbow you rub them off and the ones that get squished really smell of this poisonous vine, and the mozzies hate it!
We set off again along the little path worn by hundreds of... tourists, it`s incredible, with so many little ecosystems within the huge great big one of the rainforest. Among others we saw (and smelt!) a clove tree, rosewood, quinine (which the indigenous people use as an antimalaria medicine) Rubber, Xixua (tea made from it`s bark is good for rheumatism, & Bengue - the smell of this ones bark made me pull back, it`s not good! I took a minute trying to place where I recognised it from, and it`s Deep Heat! It`s the stuff they put in Vix and things for muscle aches , I always thought it must be some horrid chemical to make that smell but that`s how wrong I was :)
Me and Guilherme put the world to rights the rest of the way- chatting about banks and money and poverty and corrupt politics and uprisings and solutions.
He had quite a negative view of the whole thing though, I mean I know the situation worldwide is undoubtedly bad in a lot of areas, but he I view it in a 'looking for answers' sort of way, he says it will never change and there's no point in 'the people' trying to do anything about stuff, comparing it with a greek myth where a man has to push a rock up a mountain for some reason. When he gets it there though it just rolls back down, so he pushes it up again. The same thing happens so the unlucky geezer has to push the rock up the mountain again and again forever.
He did say that some french philosopher (sorry I'm terrible with names- there's enough Portuguese and actual people's names to be dealing with!) said thatr the only way to look at it is to believe that this guy was happy to push the rock up the mountain over and over.
I don't like it though! The people wouldn't go pushing the rock unless there was some point to it, it would be nice to think he's have a chat with friends or the 'wise old man in the village' or something, and think of a different way of going about it, or something.
There we go though.
We arrived at a small town and got into a canoe (with a motor) and set off for another hour to get to the lodge. It was a really still day, but it started to rain really heavily, which looked really weiiird on the water.
We arrived at the lodge, which consisted of a few wooden buildings and a lookout tower, with a little while to wait for lunch, & there were a few people there already who had started their trip one or two days before.
Once we'd put up our hammocks and made ourselves at home whilewe waited for some food we went for a walk in the woods just behind the lodge- our first little taste of proper rainforest- it's so thick! There's no way you could just walk through, you need either a path or a machette.
And the pĺants grow in every direction, crazy twisty vines tangled around everything... it's beautiful!
When we got back I heard this funny noise coming from inside a shed. I thought at first it was someone with a wind-up torch just winding it really sporadically but that seemed a bit strange, after all it was daytime...
I said to Ash when it didn't stop- 'What is that noise? Is it someone mending a drill?'
I climbed up the side and had a peek through the gap between the wall and the roof, & looked down to see the two strangest looking creatures in a bucket!
For a moment or two I couldn't even take a stab in the dark as to what they were- squat but quite chunky bald baby birds, all scrawny with huge feet and huge beaks.
But then one of them turned its head on its side for a minute to have a look at me and when I saw it's beak properly it clicked- baby tucans!
I called Ash and we cracked up looking at the ridiculously proportioned little things making such a horrible noise, until someone came over and opened the door so that we could go in and have a proper look. The funny little things got so excited that they both fell out of their bucket, making an even worse racket!
We lauged even more as they wrestled with each other clumsily with theis oversized beaks, fighting for the banana Mr. Tucan daddy was feeding them, then left them in peace before they hurt themselves.
On emerging from the shed we noticed that the tree outside was full of green parrots, bigger than the little ones we've seen everywhere else, but perfectly camouflaged with the leaves of the tree. These are abandoned or lost babies the same as the tucans, tame more or less & living round the lodge where they are spoiled with the old fruit :)
We giggled at the parrots; who are like little clowns and love the attention; until lunch, which was deliciosa, then went off in a canoe (no motor this time) out over the river and into the drowned forest which made a kind of island in the middle.
The next bit I am not going to be able to describe, it was one of those places where you are almost afraid to breathe.
The water in here was so still, as flat as glass, and the silence rushed around inside my head like a wave, broken only by these beautiful watery bird calls and insects singing.
The water reflected the twisted trees and vines as clearly as a mirror, so as we slowly slid along the water surface it was like drifting along this plane, the complex patterns of the tall graceful trees as clear and pristine above as below.
Impossible to capture in pictures or words I think but with the silence it was profound, a double fairytale world.
I'd love to go in there in a kayak but myself, but with a compass or I'd be gone for days!
Pretty soon we saw two tucans, much more elegant and beautiful than their chicks, and when we went closer they stayed there shouting at us so we got to take a couple of pictures.
They are so beautiful, really sleek and graceful but gorgeous blocks of colour like a clown!
Their temperament resaminded me of a jay if anything, kind of suspicious and wise.
We set up some traps for these big tasty fish Matrichao by just tying a hook and string with chicken to a branch, and leaving them while we carried on exploring.
Next Francisco took us just out of the fairytale mirror forest to try and catch some dinner- piranhas.
O.K so I've told most of you this story already but I'm so proud I have to put it here anyway. I'll try and be quick :)
Francisco caught one straight away, I had my lump of chicken gobbled the moment I chucked it in the water (I didn't realise you actually had to yank it hard enough to get it through the little buggers tough lillte mouths, the moment you feel the bite!)
Once I realised though I started concentrating, you get into the zone, and when you feel some nibbling you can poise yourself ready to tug really quickly when you suspect something's really sinking it's snappy little teeth in, and then keep pulling, hard, till this bright whitey blue thing emerges, flapping madly at the end of your string. My first one came off the hook and landed at the bottom of the boat, flapping around. I got my toes out the way quick sharpish and let the guide do the gory killing bit.
I caught 2 in the end, (including the biggest one, I might add) Guilherme got a sardine who'se teeth were even more scary than the piranhas, and Francisco got 8 so there was plenty of dinner.
Although it's all down to chance really, now I'm no longer a fishing virgin I can appreciate fisherman's pride! I'm sure every time I tell the story my hands will be a little further apart :P
It wasn't as big as the one in one of our traps though, which was about 25cm long! We also had one matrichao.
After drifting back through reflection land and rowing the rest of the way back across the river, we were knackered, and swung around in hammocks (which will now always make me feel very at home :) until dinner
Yummmmmy piranha! It's really juicy and flavoursome, and not too 'fishy' tasting, even Ash didn't mind it and she can't stand fish. I kept my biggun's jaw, left it out for the ants to clean up & I've still got it- of course it'll come in useful!
After dinner we grabbed our torches and got back into our little canoe, and set off along the shore away from the lodge into the dark- on the search for cayman!
It was a gorgeous clear night with bright twinkling stars, but the moon was nearly new so it was pitch black. It was really exciting and a tiny bit scary!
We went off up into a little overgrown tributary through all the submerged treetops and into the shallower water and grassy areas, and when our wind-up torches went dim we just used Francisco's one so as not to make a racket- scanning around int the swampy areas looking for glowing little eyes.
When we spotted some we went over and Francisco just grabbed this tiny baby cayman over the side of the boat- and it was so beautiful, like a magic baby yellow dragon, really pretty black vibrant patterns and an amazing face, wise wide great big eyes, and squeaking for its mum.
These ones are called jacare tenga, and they get about 2 metres long.
The guide poked the poor thing around a bit to demonstrate its various things- (look, if you put it under water it changes the lens in its eye- in, out... in, out! And look, it has no tongue!
Then he told us to hold it- while I was hugely curious I also felt mean for it by then, being passed around our hot dry hands, and thought it was probably ready to go home, but to save being taunted for being frightened or anything I held it for a minute-
for such a jagged, toothy looking creature he felt so soft and tiny and delicate, as he squiggled around I worried I would hurt him.
It was really nice to put him back in the water, he didn't swim very far straight away and he looked so happy and much nicer in the water among the grass.
He swam off before we could take a picture though, so the only ones we've got are horrid ones of us holding him, blinded and stripped of his realness by the flash.
Off we went through the branches and vines again to find a bigger one, and it wasn't long after we went a little deeper into the scrub that we spotted some more glowing eyes in the distance.
We sneakily paddled over to where we'd seen the two yellow spots of light in the torch beam, and shone the torch around in the rushes looking for a flash of patterned scales.
'The water is very dark here,' says Francisco, peering into the murky weedy shallows, but a second later plunges his hand into the water, bringing up this great big cayman, about 70-80cm long, mouth wide open, looking very sinister and oddly helpless.
It really doesn't suit them, hanging by their throats!
'This one you can't hold,' he tells us, as we duck as far away from it as we can, picturing that thing loose in the bottom of the boat- I'm sure he wouldn't flap around helplessly like the little fishies from earlier, and his teeth are much bigger!
He did let me give it a little stroke though- it's so spiny, and even its tummy had an armour of rock solid scales, hence its name, Jacare Pedra- rock alligator. This one was much chunkier than the baby one, and a darker colour, but still with such a beautiful pattern all over it.
To our horror Francisco tells us he's taking it back to the lodge, 'to show the others.' Holding it by the scruff the whole way, he clambers past us to the back of the boat, starts up the motor and we speed off out of the channel into the big water towards home.
I felt for the poor thing, they're really king of where they live, and that was completely taken away from it as it hung from this guys hand, helpless.
When we got back the others were all amazed by it, crowding round and poking it, the annoying french guy stuffing a load of paper in its mouth- "Here, do you like paper? Do you like it? Wanna eat some paper?" Disappointed when it just hung there rather than snapping or doing some dramatic display though they soon gave up and got bored so Frabcisco took it back to the water.
I got laughed at when I asked if it would find its way back home.
I dreamt of boats and rats and rain. I don't think the rat bit was true, but the ground was wet in the morning.
As soon as we'd showered and eaten we donned our brilliant 2real jungle shoes(what a find!) and set off into the jungle to camp.
After canoeing a little way we got out and started walking through the jungle, following Francisco along a narrow path, ducking around hanging branches and vines and hopping over roots and boggy bits.
Soon after we entered the forest I jumped out of my skkiin as what sounded like a gunshot echoed into the firest around us. Francisco had whacked the trunk of a great big tree with the back of his machette, and th sound it made was huge.
Apparently Indians use Samauma for communication in the forest, the sound travels for kilometres. You can hit it with anything- a big bit of wood, your machette...
We stumbled o noisily after him with our big bag of jungle essentials, and crossing another soggy bit I lost my balance slightly and grabbed an innocent enough looking tree to save getting my toes wet,and instently had a weird pins and needly sensation all over my fingrts and the palm of my hand.
Looking I saw that it was covred in tiny black prickles so it looked like I had really hairy hands. I tried to brush them off but it wasn't happening, so I set about picking the buggers out pinch by pinch. Most of them came out no bother but just one finger that got the brunt of it had the ends left in and felt a bit sore, but it's ok.
Apparently the tree was a kind of bamboo, and looking more carefully you could tell that it might be a teeny but prickly, but hardly.
Francisco annoyingly took up pointing out every brutally spiky looking tree after that, warning me not to touch it and laughing. Grrrrr.
I'm still not used to how the plants fill every gap, all the way up- taking advantage of every possible surface and every sliver of sunlight till there's hardly a dapple on the forest floor.
Everywhere you look as well are ants nests, termites nests, hanging like stalagtites from branches or vines, towering up like castles from the ground or just built all the way round tree trunks.
Bustling but organised motorways span out in every directionfrom them, little lines of communication guarded all the way along.
At one point our path went through an ant city, the nest seemed t oconsist of about 20 individual normal to large sized nests and the whole thing was about the size of a small room! It was almost quite scary! (not as scary as Manaus)
When we were nearly at our camp Francisco took a slice out of a towering tree trunk, and white sap started pouring out.
He held his finger in the stream and licked off hte sap and we followed suit- it tastes sweet and milky and good.
The tree is called Solva, and the Indians use the sap to give to their children and in their food instead of milk- "because they can't get to the supermarket!"
Licking our lips and rinsing our sticky fingers in a little stream we spotted a shelter made of palm leaves- our camp!
The first thign we did once we'd dropped our bags was go off to find some dry wood, which was easy, there was a small dead tree really closeby, and once Francisco had cut it down it was just a matter of scraping and banaging the termites off it, and taking it back to make fire.
After lunch we went off for a jungle walk, which was much easier and much quieter without our stuff (we'd been carrying tarpaulin, pan, food, hammocks...)
So when we ducked through a quite close thicket of small trees (mind the spikes, meggy) we heard some rustling (O.K, crashing) in the trees above and looked up to see a troupe of capuchin monkeys swinging by, including a mum with baby clinging to her yellow fur.
They've got very comical little red faces, at one point I looked and there was one fairly close down, just paused and peering down at us, that amazing puzzled expression only monkeys can really pull off on it's face; I wonder if he was thinking how similar we looked, or how weird.
But he only stopped for a minute before swinging off t ojping his family, using his long black tail as freely as his limbs.
When the last curly tail had disappeared and the crashing leaves and branches had faded, we entered a slightly more shaded area with less groundcover, and Francisco pointed out a hole about 4 inches wide, similar to a lot we've seen and wondered what lives inside.
He wouldn't tell us though, just asked us to stay still and poked a stick inside.
Peering in I saw something move, brown and furry but it moved funny, in little jerks...
I don't guess straight away but then it comes into the light and it's the biggest spider I've ever seen in my life! The size of my hand stretched out, easily, and just as scary as you'd imagine.
This is the crab spider, the biggest tarantula in South America. You could look at pictures on google but we've got some stunners so maybe just wait.
It stood there looking threatening for a bit, waving its legs around, and when Francisco poked it with the stick it did a little handstand and showed off its poison- spraying bum... we all took a step back and soon our lovely guide unblocked his hole again and we moved on.
All through the forest are vines- every tree of a decant size seems to have at least one, and there's loads of differnet kinds. Some (90species+ apparently!) are water vines, and if you cut a section of it sweet water flows out the end- we tried some, it was... well, water :)
You've got t oknow your stuff though, because most kinds are poisonous or at least unpleasant.
A kind of ant eats one of the poisonous ones, and tribes use them as a mosquito repellent- if you knock on their door or make a hole in their house, then put your hand on it, they all swarm out ot see what's going on, and climb onto your arm ( they're not really bity ones). When they reach about halfway to your elbow you rub them off and the ones that get squished really smell of this poisonous vine, and the mozzies hate it!
We set off again along the little path worn by hundreds of... tourists, it`s incredible, with so many little ecosystems within the huge great big one of the rainforest. Among others we saw (and smelt!) a clove tree, rosewood, quinine (which the indigenous people use as an antimalaria medicine) Rubber, Xixua (tea made from it`s bark is good for rheumatism, & Bengue - the smell of this ones bark made me pull back, it`s not good! I took a minute trying to place where I recognised it from, and it`s Deep Heat! It`s the stuff they put in Vix and things for muscle aches , I always thought it must be some horrid chemical to make that smell but that`s how wrong I was :)
I was really happy to start spotting particular trees and plants I recognised, and I knew we were getting closer to the camp, as although I couldn`t see the sun , my tummy was enough to tell me it was getting close to dinner time!
This time it was rice and egg, and once the light had faded and the fires glow was our only light , everyone took to their hammocks ready for an early start in the morning.
I went for a little wonder for a wee - not too far though, as Francisco warned us about snakes and spiders... and after the monster that we saw earlier I wasn`t keen on meeting any of them, even with my trusty 2real shoes!
I looked up past the trees stretching up all around me and could see some bright stars through the canopy, nearly the only light.
That's why I thought it was odd that some patches of the forest floor had a pale whitish light on them as though the moon was shining through the thick ceiling of leaves. There was no moon, so I had a look with the torch, and it was glow-in-the-dark leaves! I had no idea they existed!
I drifted off to sleep in my lovely hammock home with no mozzie net or anything, to the sound of all the night time insects and birds and frogs, waking just once in the night (desperate for a wee which was...um... interesting; it was so dark I couldn't even see the white strings of my hammock which are usually a glowing guide for me. I wasn't sure which way I was facing or where my shoes were, (or the river!) and didn't want to potter around barefoot in the pitch black with all them creepy crawlies around... I found them in the end though and held on to a bit of string so I could find my way back! Still didn't go very far though...)
As soon as we'd had breakfast (bananas, egg & roast pineapple) we set off quick sharpish to get back to the lodge in time for lunch, then back- the boat ride, bus journey (in which the others slept and I madly scribbled away in here...) and before we knew it we were back in this city, which seemed even crazier now we'd really been in the rainforest it's surrounded by.
I looked up past the trees stretching up all around me and could see some bright stars through the canopy, nearly the only light.
That's why I thought it was odd that some patches of the forest floor had a pale whitish light on them as though the moon was shining through the thick ceiling of leaves. There was no moon, so I had a look with the torch, and it was glow-in-the-dark leaves! I had no idea they existed!
I drifted off to sleep in my lovely hammock home with no mozzie net or anything, to the sound of all the night time insects and birds and frogs, waking just once in the night (desperate for a wee which was...um... interesting; it was so dark I couldn't even see the white strings of my hammock which are usually a glowing guide for me. I wasn't sure which way I was facing or where my shoes were, (or the river!) and didn't want to potter around barefoot in the pitch black with all them creepy crawlies around... I found them in the end though and held on to a bit of string so I could find my way back! Still didn't go very far though...)
As soon as we'd had breakfast (bananas, egg & roast pineapple) we set off quick sharpish to get back to the lodge in time for lunch, then back- the boat ride, bus journey (in which the others slept and I madly scribbled away in here...) and before we knew it we were back in this city, which seemed even crazier now we'd really been in the rainforest it's surrounded by.
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