GIRLS ON TOUR 2006

PIRANHAS, ALLIGATORS AND MOZZIES

24 hours from Rio by bus, 4 hours to the Pantanal gateway by minibus and a 6 hour jeep ride across fields, savannahs and dirt tracks and you get the picture this place is remote, very remote indeed.  We see jacare, water pigs, otters, emus, cows (thousands of them) as well as macaws, beautiful paraqueets and many other types of birds on our journey into the wilderness.  We arrive at our camp after dark, having seen the most moving sunset, the horizon here goes on and on forever. 

  Pantanal sunset, January 2005

The Pantanal at night is amazing.  Fireflies light up the sky, the full moon shines so brightly in a jet black sky and the stars sparkle down on us.  On our first night I gently swing in my hammock overlooking the moonlit lake, I listen to the frogs calling to each other and I feel truly contented.

We spend our days horseriding, pirahna fishing (the German guy nearly lost his toe, v. funny!)and hiking.  Nic our guide for tells us to wear our sandals when we go for a walk as we might get a little wet...... what an understatment wading waist deep through alligator infested waters.  All that time spent choosing my sandals wasted in one walk!!!

  I wasn´t kidding!

Our evenings are spent covering my mosquito eaten body in some smelly local remedy, drinking beer round the camp fire and singing Oasis loadly and badly the more we drank!  It´s here Lee falls for her man, I´ll let her tell that story!..........  (especially interested in hammock manouveres hun!)