AR-Brazil: Iguaçu-Pantanal

~14th February 2019~

So what’s with the 5:30am party. I was woken up by loud raggaetón music playing not far away from the campsite. I thought it was around 2am and perhaps a group of people had brought their party to the campsite after being chucked out of the club but nope. About half hour later, I heard what I thought was a motorcycle backfiring but later was told that it was a combination of that and the guard firing blanks or something as warning shots for the group to disperse. Most of us were up and we witness some exchanges with some of them just made us chuckled, it was like Laurel and Hardy.

What a start for Valentine’s Day and we have a relatively long drive with a border crossing into Brazil to Foz do Iguaçu. The drive and border crossing were uneventful except for the fact that this was the last border crossing for the trip. By the time we arrive it was quite late and we were given the option to camp or dorm room for accommodation. For a small extra, I was keen on just staying in the dorm room for the next couple of nights.

Barbecue was organised for the night as well as a speed dating since we have three Dragoman trucks on site. A quick walk around the hostel, Hostel Nature, there were lots of things set up for us to play. They have the slack line, zip line, wobbly bridge and water sport as well. Dinner was amazing with the variety of meat and sides on offer and it was good to eat proper food rather than pizza, it makes such a difference.

Dinner was almost over and Jaz, trip leader for Amber, stood on a chair started talking about the speed dating and giving instruction on how it’s going to work. In the corner of my eyes, I saw Dee and Lisa slipping out moving away from the dining area. Dilemma, to join or not to join. Maybe one round and I could bow out after especially it looked like there were too many ladies anyways. It was a great first round, where I got to know David who is working with Jaz on leading the Amber group. Finishing the two minutes on a high, I bowed out knowing it would be best before I made a fool of myself or got too tired and testy.

~15th February 2019~

Kylie and the trip leaders had planned for us to go to the Brazilian side of the Iguaçu falls first then the Argentinian side the next day, apparently it’s better on the other side. The plan was for the truck to drop us off then we make our way back ourselves.

It was amazing to see the power of water through the waterfalls. Words would fail to describe the scene and the feel of the place. It was a nice bus ride from the entrance and even though it was raining, we were all still excited to see the falls. The viewpoints provided the view from different angles and we could see the Argentinian broad walk where we’re going to be the next day.

After the waterfalls, some of us went to the bird park just opposite the entrance and this bird park is one of the best that I’ve been to. Some of the areas were open to people to interact and it was just simply amazing just to see the colourful macaws up close.

The bus services back to the hostel was simple enough and the one we took was just filled with people from Dragoman. Once we were back at the hostel, it was time to play with the slack line and the stuff they have setup around the grounds. I managed the slack line pretty well but with support as there was a line to hold on to, which was great since the line was higher than the one in Pucon.

~16th February 2019~

We’ve seen the Brazilian side, now it’s the Argentinian side and to do that we had to cross the border back to Argentina for the day. All three groups jammed into a big coach (not a bus or a truck) with a guide that managed all the border crossing and supposedly for the falls too.

Since I’m not doing any additional activities, it’s just simply walking the trail and enjoy the wonderful views of the waterfalls. The place was heaving with people since it’s the weekend so locals would have come and visit the attraction as well. I knew my legs were less than perfect so I’m just doing what I need to see the infamous waterfall section called Garganta del Diablo and what a sight. The view just got better as the day went on.

I had my empanadas stolen by a monkey while in the park. It was the second time a monkey stole food from me, ridiculously fast and cheeky buggers they are. Lucky I had one already and Kylie gave me another to stave off the hunger. I should have been more careful holding my food around all these truly wild animals.

It took a whole day for me to walk two trails very slowly and it really showed how tired I was. Reflecting on it now, I was a feeling the travelling fatigue where there were just too much to see and do that I don’t want to see and do anymore. This feeling continued until the Pantanal.

When we got back to the hostel, it was shower and chilling out on the slack line trying to find my focus. Quite a few people came over to give it a try which was nice and fun to watch. The light hearted evening was just what I needed.

~17th-18th February 2019~

All three trucks were heading down to Bonito at the same time and it was a source of amusement when we spotted the other trucks en route. It was also a long drive day with over 700km to cover and by the time we reached Bonito, I was rather spent. Long drive days were beginning to wreck major havoc with my body.

I passed on the tours and trips available for Bonito because I was feeling so indifferent about doing anything. I ended doing laundry since they have a really good facilities for that and went out on a long walk around the town and at the edge of it. It was beginning to feel like I was travelling on my own again where I started to chat with people and just chill out plus I managed to do some writing as well, which was good. These ‘me’ time days are so precious for me to manage my own well being and my interaction with other people.

Bonito is now on the list of places to go back to so that I could go for the featured activity of rappelling down a cave and snorkel, Abismo Anhumas. It’ll have to be timed so that Rio da Prata will be flooded a little for the walkway to be submerged. After the time off, I was really for the Pantanal.

~19th February 2019~

It was a short drive in the morning to reach Fazenda San Francisco and everyone was in high spirit at what’s to come in the next couple of days. The fazenda is located way out from the main road in a protected land for wildlife with variety of birds and beautiful settings. We were scheduled for horse riding or canoeing for the afternoon and night safari after dinner. But first, lunch and it was one of the best meals that I’ve had for a long time and in fact the food in the fazenda was amazing throughout our stay.

A bit of chill out time and it was time for canoeing. I was thinking with the heat of the midday sun, canoeing will be better than horse riding and tomorrow morning will be a bit more fresh for riding around to look for wildlife. We saw many things along the stream, yes that’s what they called it but it looked and feel like a river. Among them was the rarely seen giant otters that came out to check us out when we past their territory. I started to wonder if the fazenda takes in volunteer because I wouldn’t mind spending some time learning about the wildlife around South Pantanal.

There was time before dinner after the afternoon activity so most of us jumped into the pool to cool down from the midday sun. We were playing catch in the pool and just chilling out. This was where and when I found calmness in water by doing breaststrokes across the pool in one breath. My body responded well to the gentle glide of the water and my breathing improves over the course of the lengths I did. I felt better for it especially after the iffy period in Bonito.

Right before dinner while I was on the way out to the truck to fill up my water bottle, I came across a couple of photographers following something across the fazenda’s ground and it was an anteater. It was just before sunset and by the time the rest of the guys come along, it was dark and I felt lucky to have spotted it before dark. I thought it was a tapir to begin with forgetting that tapir is the one with a shorter snout and short hairless tail.

After a delicious dinner, we were all set for the night safari and it turned out to be one of the best experiences ever. Amando, one of the guide, was the spotter for the night and it was impressive to see him work. We saw many wildlife while we were out. Armadillo, capybara, marsh deer, cayman, anteater, owl and wait for it…jaguar, a couple of them. It was a night to remember especially when it’s a rare occasion to even spot one and we saw two. That ended the night for us on a super high note.

~20th February 2019~

Everyone was still on a high from the night before and after breakfast, I was on a horse again riding through the fields. It’s going to be hard to top the night safari when it comes to wildlife spotting but the anteater in daylight was a treat. I still needed help with the horse riding of course and both Amando and Fino were readily available to help me with the horse.

By the time we were back at the fazenda, Carmen and Amber had just arrived from their morning drive over from Bonito. It was near lunch time then and after that, Carmen group joined us for a boat ride with some piranha fishing. It was a nice afternoon to be on a boat and Fino, as always, was amazing in spotting and telling us about the wildlife around us. It was also fun to have Herald, a trip leader on Carmen working alongside Anya, joking around and playing pranks on people. The piranhas that the group caught were then fed to the caymans and birds on the way back.

Free time was spent in the pool doing lengths to build up the strength of my breathing and to soothe my joints by moving them with less pressure and stress. The rest of the time was spent chatting with the trip leaders which I found to be easier. I would loved to have spent more time at the fazenda and I had to keep reminding myself that the trip was just to sample the places so that I could plan my next trip back. I was looking forward to be back in the continent in a few months’ time and explore it more.

Dinner for the night was a barbecue in the nearby field prepared by the locals and they even had entertainment for the night, dancing. It was food and an early night for me since the place was swarmed with mosquitoes and just not in the mood for socialising.

~21st February 2019~

I woke up early to do a few lengths in the pool before the day safari which was refreshing and it felt good. Perhaps that’s what I needed to maintain my equilibrium for the rest of the trip. A quick shower and breakfast, then it was time for the day safari. There were many wildlife and most we’ve seen over the last couple of days. While it was a nice ride and walk through one of the trails, it wasn’t as eventful as we expect it to be.

We had an early lunch since we had a long-ish way to go for our next stop at Campo Grande and before we left, a photoshoot session of the three trucks for the fazenda. We were supposed to be bush camping but Kylie managed to book us into a pousada for the night but that would mean that we will have a longer drive day to Brotas the next day. Campo Grande was nearer to the fazenda than the bush camp would have been.

When we arrived, Kylie managed to negotiate with the manager so that we could set up in the garage area to prepare dinner and to have breakfast the next day instead of going to the nearby field. It’s a nice pousada with shared double room, a good option until I heard from David about the spot they managed to find for their bush camp. Well, at least I know who would know the spot the next time I need to bush camp around the area.