On the drive today played a game with Webster and Maartje were we had to collectively write a song. One person would write one line of the song and then the next would have to write the next, but fitting in with the rhyming pattern, it was pretty funny. Then due to my new found sexy husky voice I was volunteered to sing it. Some how it morphed into a blues song. Made a mental note that I really need to learn to play the guitar when I get back home.

We got to Ouro Preto before lunch. Most of us had bought stuff for lunch at a supermarket that morning so we just made sandwiches when we got to the hostel. The a youth hostel we were staying at was on a hill next to a huge brooding church. The “evil church” as Maxine called it, was visible from the town and provided a good reference point. The views over the city from the hostel were stunning. Ouro Preto was such a picturesque town. First task was to clean the tents. The truck was parked at the top of the hill so we had to carry tents and poles down to the youth hostel. Then we cleaned up the tents so they would be ready for the next group. After this we had a spot of lunch and then Fi and I headed into town. Had a real good talk to Fi and it was great to be able to talk to a friend and get things off my chest. It’s strange how sometimes you know what has to happen but you just need someone else to say it.

We found an amazing chocolate shop on the high street. It was really expensive but really nice chocolates. We walked back up the hill to meet up with our guide who would take us to the gold mines the next day. We decided we would try to eat as a group so we walked back down the hill. There was a lot of walking up and down hills in Ouro Preto which is probably why there was hardly any obese people, well locals anyway!

It was more of a bar which did food than a restaurant. Which was great as the food was cheap. Most of us were drinking bramah beer but Fi was on the Caprioski (like a moito but with vodka instead of rum and no mint) and boy were they strong. I forget which drinking game we were playing but Fi introduced “international drinking rule”. This was to be her undoing. Double taps, no pointing with the fingers and drinking with the pinky extended. Add to this that her food was really late in coming and she was smashed. I’m not sure why but a tuneful rendition of “American Pie” was visited on the pub, mainly by Webster and Eugene. After talking to god in the toilets Eugene walked Fi home back up the hill. The final bill was actually really small. Considering we’d drunk well over a crate of litre bottles of beers, plus Fi’s six Caprioskis, various rum & cokes and all the food. I think the final bill was something like 30 R each. Obviously someone had not been counting our drinks properly. Charlotte, Maartje and Mirrka left, but Charlotte left her bag with her camera. Some dodgy photos where taken with it before Charlotte came back for it.

Even then I don’t think she realised that Donna was busy putting her camera back in her bag when she walked back through the door. After a few more drinks Donna and Dion left and finally the rest of us wandered back up the hill. We had a few more drinks back at the hostel and then got to bed.

Got Maartje to have a look at my throat and just check that there was no infection. She couldn’t see anything at the back of my throat so we agreed to leave of the antibiotics and see if my body can kick whatever is there by itself. We arrived at the final wild camp of the trip around 11pm. Again it was at a service station. It is interesting the Dragoman definition of a “wild camp”. For me a wild camp is somewhere in the middle of nowhere where you have to hike to get there and there is nobody for miles. Definitely not a dusty service station. We set up the tents and crashed out.

Marcello joined us after breakfast and we drove to a farm which was set up with various trails and hikes. Maxine, Maartje, Charlotte and Mirrka decided to head straight to the lake to sun bathe. The rest of us made our way to the canopy walk. This was a series of challenges set up high in the tree canopy. This was great fun, but I can imagine it you’re scared of height it wouldn’t be fun. Most of the challenges were about balancing on logs and ropes. You were tied on with a full harness though so even if you slipped you wouldn’t got anywhere. Dion went first and then Me and Fi. We zipped through the challenges quite fast but by far the most difficult was one with a series of horse stirrups that you had to walk through (10m up in the canopy).

The last challenge was a zip line. You could either sit down into the harness and take it gentle or run and throw yourself from the tower. Of course I had to do the run and jump…. yee haa!

A short walk back to the start to take of the harnesses and then we could head to the lake to catch up with the girls. The pool was a natural formation it was like a swimming pool. It’s actually deep enough to hold water polo competitions and every year there is a huge national championships held there. There was a cliff from which we could jump. It was probably about 4m from where you jump into the water. There was a tree with a rope swing next to where we could jump from. Marcello climbed up the tree ran along the branch and jumped into the water. It was amazing; the guy must be part monkey. Jepser and climbed back up and had a go at the rope. After this Marcello showed me where it was safe to dive in. Only from about 3m this time though. My technique isn’t good enough to dive from much higher than this though.

After drying out in the sun we walked back to the truck. From here we drove to the next farm where we split into two further groups. Those who wanted to do the horse riding and those that would take the jeep tour. Before setting of we had lunch. The previous day Fi’s group had prepared a pasta salad which made a nice change from either sandwiches or empanadas for lunch. Fed and watered we split into the two groups. The riders where Me, Fi, Maartje, Charlotte, Maxine and Mirrka. Though we started of walking and trotting it wasn’t too long before the group was cantering. The scenery was amazing and I really felt like I was in a western. I was having a great time. I think everyone was loving it. It was easily the best the days riding I’ve had.

We arrived at the next waterfall. This should have been the waterfall that we were originally going to abseil down. Unfortunately the guide who was to take us on this had broken his leg. This would have been a great way to see the waterfall but it wasn’t to be. We were there much sooner than the others. This surprised most people as they had expected that with the jeep and short walk they would have arrived before us. This would probably had been the case if we had walked or trotted, but cantering had eaten up the distance. The water was pretty cold though but I was beginning to wish that I hadn’t given Eugene my swim stuff to bring up in the jeep.

We weren’t waiting too long though. There was a natural rock formation, perfect for jumping. The platform was 10m. The highest I have ever jumped from. Marcello went first and then Maartje, Charlotte, Jesper and I went up to look. Jesper took some photos but said that he had done enough crazy things in his life already. That left me, Maartje and Charlotte. I made the mistake of standing on the edge too long and believe me it looked really high. I backed off and the Marcello came back up. He just said you have to go it. Actually he first said make sure you watch is on properly otherwise when you hit the water they tend to pop of. He goes diving around there collecting watches that people have lost from jumping in. With that he smiled and just jumped again. Maartje was then next to stand on the edge. She was saying “should I do it”. I was “Yes, but if you go then I will as well”. She then said “well how many times am I going to be able to do it”. With that she jumped. Eugene said later that as soon as she jumped he knew I’d be down next. He was right. No mistake this time. Step up to the edge and then straight into the air. Complete with the war cry of “England!” It was a really big rush, but to be honest if Maartje hadn’t done it I probably would not have done it.

Next up was Charlotte. As she jumped though she leaned slightly back so instead of her body following her legs she hit the water at an angle. Her arse got the full impact and her back. I was already into the water and was next to her when she came up. She was pretty winded and upset but she’s one tough cookie! I had to hold her hand so she could get her breath back and then she swam back to the edge. We had then planned to ride back to the last activity; the flying fox. Dion offered to ride there and I think he was hoping she would take the jeep back because we had had so much fun on the way out. But fair play she said she would ride.

The next bit of the ride was also great fun. Fi’s horse was a stallion like mine and there was obviously a bit of a rivalry going on. Fi’s horse would be sweating up and getting a bit jumpy. Fi was asking us all to walk for a bit but most of wanted to canter. The road opened up and then Fi set of initially at a canter. I was quick to follow. The next moment both horses are into full gallop. Fi is a great horsewoman and there was no way I would win this race. I was about half a length behind pretty quickly and each one of us racing down each side of the track. To be honest I thought if I come off here I will probably die. I slowed up my horse and Fi pulled up further up the hill. I don’t think I’ve seen Fi with such a big grin!

With a few more canters we made our way up to where the flying fox starts. The flying fox is an 850m zip line. The drop from one side to the other is 50m with a full drop into the canyon of over 150m at the deepest part. In theory it is possible to get up to 50kph. As our little horsy group got there first we were kitted up and ready for off before the others got there. I asked Marcello to take a group photo, meaning a group who had done the horse ride. Someone replied “that’s not the group, just Martin’s harem!”

Yet again I was first off Marcello pushed me back as far as he could and then I was off. I recorded a video down. The rush was amazing. By leaning back in the harness and pushing my feet forwards I was able to get a streamline position. I covered the 800m in just over one minute. The others said that just as I started a Tocan flew straight in front of me. Unfortunately I didn’t see it either in real life of recorded on the video my little camera took on the way down. Looking back at the video you can’t see the Tocan either, but you can get an idea of the speed as I approached the woods at the end. As I was at the bottom I was able to take photos of the rest of the group as they came down. By the funniest was Webster. Everyone else was grinning and smiling as they came down. Webster had a funny pained expression. Apparently the harness had trapped one of his balls! Not the best experience of his trip!

Once everyone had got down we drove back to the truck in the jeep. It had been a fantastic day. But it wasn’t over yet! The music festival at Vila Sao Jorge that had been taking place in the village we visited yesterday was finishing today. A few of us had decided to head to the festival. So we hired a bus to take us back to the village and pick us back up at 2:30am. We drove back to the posada and Ian’s group started preparing the BBQ. This was the first BBQ of the trip. At it would take a while Eugene and I headed into town to the bar with the Wi-Fi. The bar owner said that there would be a live band on at the pub that night. After booking my flights and hostels for Campo Grande and Rio we headed back for the BBQ. The bus turned up at 9:00pm and Sarah, Jesper, Maartje, Charlotte, Maxine and I jumped on. I was convinced at this point that I had lost my camera, or worse that it had been stolen. I was convinced that I had left it outside my tent and no matter how hard I looked I couldn’t find it. It turned my tent upside down. This didn’t put me in a great mood! Once in the minibus we called back to the place where we had done the zip lining as Maxine thought she had left something and then went to the festival.

I’m not sure how you would describe the music. Perhaps folk music would be the best way. But there was a definite “hippy” vibe. I wish I could say that I had a great time and there were times when the whole crowd was dancing in a large spiral that was fun. But to be honest my mind was elsewhere.

Looking back I was glad I went for the experience but at the same time I also wish that I had gone with the others to the bar in town. It was a shame to finish the day low, I guess it was my own fault and yet again I had just hoped for something that wasn’t going to happen. We left the festival at 2:00am. We got back and everyone went to bed. I stayed up and got the fire going again. Then Johnny Walker and I had a chat to try and get my head straight. I think I finally went to sleep around 3:30am.

Our guide Marcello turned up and we drove out into the national park (Chapada dos Veadeiros). The plan for today was to go for a hike and see the waterfalls. It was a really hot day. I had almost 3 litres of water but some of the others only took a litre. The area we were walking through had a history of quartz mining. Until fairly recently the quartz crystal from this region had been used in electronics but now modern synthetic quartz was much better. Quartz is still mined in this region, but no longer in the national park. The amount of quartz crystals meant that the local town (Sao Jorge) had a distinct hippy feel. Lots of healing going on!

As we walked along we could see the hand dug old mine workings and crystals on the ground. Some of the crystal were so clear it looked more like glass that what I had previously seen as quartz. Marcello also pointed out the flora as we walked along. Much of this has adapted not only to the low water levels here, but also the frequency of fire. Natural fires are started in two ways. Lightning storms are fairly common, but also because of the prevalence of quartz crystals over time these become exposed and act like magnifying glasses. One of the trees, Quina, had a bark that protects the tree in fire. It is a very slow burning wood. The previous night at the fire pit we had some of this wood on the fire. We didn’t realise until Marcello pointed this out why the wood would not burn.

As we walked down to the first waterfall the view down the valley was amazing. The first waterfall was the highest though with the low water level it would be even more impressive in the wet season.

At the top of the waterfall was a small lake with another smaller waterfall. We went swimming here and it was such a great feeling to be in the cool water on such a hot day. So many people had come to the town for the music festival so the crowds here were amazing. That said, in there was plenty of space in the water itself. I was a bit disappointed that I had lost so much fitness since the last time I was able to swim in the pool in Cuba. We had some lunch and then I had another dip before leaving.

The next spot wasn’t waterfall as such as more a river with some minor waterfalls. When Marcello had originally described this I was thinking it would be similar to Aqua Clara in Mexico. But as I should know by now; every place, every experience is different. It was fun to play around in the waterfalls and although it wasn’t possible to swim against the current as it was too shallow. Sitting in the waterfalls was like getting a water jet massage. It was relaxing.

By this stage most people had used their water. I was carrying the chlorine tablets so I was able to dish these out so the group could get more drinking water.

By this stage it was mid afternoon and we walked back to the main entrance where we had left the truck. On the way back we drove back into the village. The girls were excited to do some more shopping. I stocked up on ice for the bar, which was the most expensive so far; almost half as much again as usual. I wandered back to meet up with the others. Fi was debating on whether to buy a bracelet so the guy made her a ring there on the spot. However she was mortified when the guy slipped it onto her wedding finger. Apparently its really bad luck!

We drove back to Alto Paraiso and I had some time to head into town to the local bar which had wi-fi. Ian joined me a bit later. When we got back to the compound dinner was well on. Fi and her group had prepared Chicken Fajitas. It was a really nice meal. Perhaps one of the best truck meals so far. Afterwards we retired to the fire pit and had some more drinks. The owners had a small kitten that came to join us. It kept trying to get into the tents and climbing up the outside. We christened it whisky as it kept trying to get it my shot glass. Eventually it settled in Maartje’s lap!

This would be a pretty long day as we were going to spend the morning in Brazilia and then head out to Alto Paraiso where we would stay to visit the national park (Chapada dos Veadeiros)

We got to Brazilian for around 10am. The first place we visited was the memorial to JK, the president who oversaw the building of the city. Not to be confused with JFK or the lead singer of Jamiroquai! The desire for a capital in the centre of Brazil was even written into the first constitution after independence. Brazil had had three capitals, the first was Salvador and then Rio before Brazilian was built. Until JK many presidents had promised to build a new capital but he finally made it happen. One of the catalysts to push for a capital in the interior was in the 1930’s a motion was put before the League of Nations by the French to create a new country in the interior of Brazil because it was sparsely populated. It was a fairly popular philosophy that it was OK for more populace nations to invade less populace nations in order to annex land. By making a capital in the geometric centre of Brazil, the country would be able to populate the interior and also have a valid counter claim against any land grab by western imperialists.

After the JK memorial we drove further into the city and visited the large radio mast. It was free to go up and the view was absolutely amazing.

From the top you could see all the way down the main avenue towards the government buildings and the lake at the bottom. From the radio mast we walked towards the Sanctuary of Dom Basco. Dom Basco was the monk who had a dream about where the city should be built. In his dream he walked all over Brazil and found the perfect spot in the interior. The Sanctuary was a really interesting church. From the outside it looked like a contemporary concrete box, but the way the light played through the stain glass windows gave in interesting effect inside. In fact it was almost like being underwater with so much blue light. There is supposed to be an amazing chandelier in the centre of the cathedral but unfortunately it was being taken in for repair.

I was finally able to get some money out of the ATM which was a relief as I had had to borrow some money since Pocane. Then Maartje, Charlotte, Mirrka, Lisa and I went for some lunch in a mall. The food was no great, slow service and over priced. We were also a bit late getting back to the truck.

Back on the truck we drove a little further down the main avenue to the metropolitan cathedral, designed by Oscar Niemeyer. I really like this building. It reminds me a bit of the catholic cathedral in Liverpool.

Inside the way the light comes through creates a really interesting space inside. I definitely saw some interesting ideas to try and recycling into some of my own work in the future.

From the cathedral we drove to the bottom of the main avenue to see the government buildings designed by the architect Oscar Niemeyer. As we left the buildings there was a small film crew doing what looked like an interview. The person on film looked really animated and Dion hit the Truck horn to give him a wave. The guy was shouting in our direction. Then composed himself to restart the piece so Dion gave another toot. This happened a few times and was most hilarious as the guy got more upset and animated with each go.

It would have been interesting to go inside these but we just didn’t have the time. I wasn’t too bothered though and if we had to sacrifice something on the trip, to pay for the extra time in the Pantanal, I was glad that it was Brazilia. On the way out of town we called at the supermarket so that the cook teams could buy for the next few days. It was a big shop, between three breakfasts, lunches, dinners and restocking the bar.

On the way from Brazilia to Alto Paraiso we played a drinking game based on Presidents an Arseholes. In this version everyone had a role from the president down to the arsehole and you can order anyone lower than you to do something. Usually like arsehole get me a beer! Maartje, who had been arsehole on the previous round and had risen to a higher position said “OK can I f**k the arsehole now”. She meant to say “f**k with the arsehole” but needless to say the effect was most hilarious. Webster who was arsehole at the time almost couldn’t believe his luck. Jesper made Webster do some press ups as part of his round. Doing pressups in a moving truck is not easy and Webster smack his head into Trevor (Trevor is the steel safe at the back of the truck). Not sure which one came of worst though. The drive passed in no time and if was a great laugh.

When we arrived at Alto Paraiso it was our turn to cook. Most of the group decided to upgrade to rooms but a few of us that were running on a budget opted for tents; Majjrte & Charlotte, Sarah and Jesper, John and me. We pitched the tents pretty quickly and started cooking. The plan was to do a coconut curry but because we had to buy frozen chicken it took ages to cook through on the stove. It was an OK meal, but it could have been better. There was plenty to go round though. After the meal we sat around the camp fire for a bit drinking a few beers before turning in for the night.

My voice was also feeling pretty sore this morning. I think that the singing was the final straw. I’ve been suffering with a bit of a cold since the pantanal. I thought I had got rid of it, but it has returned. I think that we are all passing the virus round, mutating it and then re-catching it. Needless to say I’m not too thrilled with the idea of losing my voice.

As with all long truck days we got on the road very early. Instead of doing a truck breakfast and getting out the tables we just popped into a service station and had a few “frago pears” for breakfast. These are shredded chicken coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried. They are really tasty, especially with hot sauce, but not great for the cholesterol.

I wish I could say that this was an eventful day but actually this was one of the few days in which I took no photos. The day was pretty much full on driving. A lot of time spent playing cards, draughts and chess with Jesper, reading and sorting through photos.
We stopped for a dinner at a pizza restaurant. Like most small towns the restaurants are pretty small and because of the size of the group the quickest from the truck we able to sit outside the restaurant. This was the best place because even though it was about 8pm it was still pretty warm. Fi, Maxine and I sat just inside at a small table. Ironically though we were the last into the restaurant we were served first. I had a pizza with the Brazilian sausage. It was really nice, made in a proper pizza oven also.

We got to the village of Abadiania (?) around 11:00pm. The hotel that Dragoman usually used couldn’t take everyone as a coach party had also turned up at the same time. We had to split the group into two lots. To say the hotel was basic was an understatement. But there was enough rooms and beds so that was good enough for one night. I was able to charge up batteries again which was great as Brazil only use 110v so the batteries in my camera are lasting much less than normal. Considering it was so basic I actually had a great night sleep.

The day did not start well. After breakfast a group of us set of to get the tractor and pick up the timber we had got from the woods the previous day. The owners of the posada then said that we could not use this timber as it belonged to the adjacent ranch. This was really annoying to say the least. We had spent a great deal of time the previous day sourcing this timber and it was great for what we needed.

The owners of the posada then said that there were timber piles we could us from their land. I set of with some of the guides with the tractor to find the timbers. The first few planks where pretty big and would be great for runners which the truck wheels would be in contact with. The guides also said that there would be another huge runner on the other side of the river. One of them went back to bring a boat so we could cross the river and look at the timber. The plank in question was actually part of a jetty that had fallen into disrepair and literally into the water. It took two of us to drag this plank from the water and then four of us to get it onto the boat and back across the river. With the four runners we needed to source some spreaders. These came from various wood piles around the woods at the back of the posada. We had to be really careful about handling wood from these wood piles and we found several large spiders and even a snake that had made its home in one of the wood piles.

With the trailer full of timber we made our way over to where the truck had driven. The route that Kent and Dion had defined went alongside one the track that followed the powerlines. This route provided the shortest distance across the quagmire. Luckily after a few days of hot weather the mud had dried out. It may have been possible to attempt to cross without the raft in place but if a wheel had sunk into the mud their would be no going back. There was two groups; a cutting group that had beaten a path for the truck through the undergrowth and a bridge group. The cutting group had already laid some brush across the path and on top of this we laid the spreaders and then the runners. I was the leader of the bridge group and directed where we would place spreaders and runners. I was really nervous as everything was placed on instinct without any calculations. Eventually Dion and I were happy that everything was as good as it would get.

Dion backed up the truck and slowly approached the raft. As the back wheel hit one of the runners it broke but the truck had passed this point and slowly continued. Dion then revved the truck and built speed to get over the last part of the ramp and onto freedom. I was so relieved we had made it through the first obstacle. Simpson Engineering: we do National Stadiums and bridges in the Pantanal!

The bridge team disassembled the raft back onto the tractor and we made our way to the next obstacle. Originally when Kent had planned the road he had to plan a cross country route as the roads had not dried out properly. However one of the guides had said that the road was passable now. In fact Dion was pretty much able to get the truck to the road. There was just a small section where we had to build up the ground into a ramp and fill in some of the ruts. This didn’t take long and then Dion reversed the truck over the ramp and onto the road. This was it. We were home free. Everyone was so happy and the escape from the Pantanal was almost complete.

Donna and Dion took the truck onto the road and Dion set about making the truck road worthy; pumping up the tires, changing the diff lock and various other tasks. The rest of us went back to the posada. We dropped of the timber at a wood pile behind the stables and then set about packing up the camp. We even had a bit of time for a quick dip in the pool. We then loaded the tractor with all the camping gear and bags. With the bags stored we all jumped onto the vehicle used for jeep safaris. The irony is that had the weather been fine we would have done a jeep tour on the first night. Now we only managed this on the very last day. Not that it was much of a jeep tour we pretty much headed straight out along the road and met up with the truck close to the main road. After packing all the boxes and tents we hit the road again back to Pocane. To say that everyone was in high spirits was an understatement.

We stopped briefly in Pocane. After time in the Pantanal several of us were broke so we headed to the only ATM in town to try and get money out. The bank did not take international cards and the ATM next door refused my card. It had been blocked again by the bank. Not happy that this is happening too often. The others had a similar problem. So Mirrka, Maartje, Jepser, Sarah, Charlotte wandered round town first to the post office which again didn’t have any international ATM. Finally we went back to the bank and Jesper and Mirrka persuaded the bank to give us money on the cards but without going through the ATM. No one else had any ID and in a way it was good because it took about half an hour. In the end we had ten minutes to get into the centre and grab a bite to eat and get back to the truck. We were all pretty hungry and grumpy but in the end it worked out OK. I borrowed some cash from Kent until I could get to an ATM.

In order to catch up with our schedule we opted to eat at road side diners for the next two days rather than buy and cook food. We were on the road again and heading to Brazilia. There is not really a lot to say about the rest of this journey. We stopped for dinner at a non-descript service station and ate at the buffet. Some of the group ate at a different restaurant within the same compound.

Back on the road quickly after dinner we carried on the drive with the idea of trying to get as far as possible before stopping to pitch tents. To pass the time Webster, Charlotte, Maartje and I played a drinking game with dice called “3 man”.

It was really simple game. When you rolled a double six you could make up a new rule. Someone, I think Webster, made the rule than when you rolled a double you had to sing a song that everyone could join in with. Of course one of the problems with drinking games is that you need to go to the toilet a lot. Perhaps not the best move on a truck that was only due to stop for pee-stops every two hours. We eventually made camp which was an abandoned service station.

We got back for breakfast and then set about making plans for our escape from the pantanal. Dion had some work to do on the truck and it looked as though we needed a raft of sorts to drive over the worst of the mud so that the truck wouldn’t bed in. If the truck sank at all in the mud it would be game over and we would be stuck for a long time. It so happened that the previous day in walking with Maxine I had spotted a pile of timber in the woods. I had no idea whether this belonged to anyone, probably the adjacent ranch, but it just seemed to be there doing nothing. I spoke to Dion about this and we decided we’d scope it out later. Pretty much spent the rest of the morning chilling in the hammock.

I would have happily drifted of, but there was a bit of excitement from outside the dining hall. The guides had decided to bring the anaconda back from the tree. Why, I’m not sure, perhaps to give the guests a closer look. Though I think they should have left it alone, it allowed me to get really close to the snake.

I asked the guide who was holding it whether I could hold it. I’ve never held a snake before and it was not what I expected. The skin was very dry and I could feel the muscles under the skin rippling as I held it. Speaking to Jesper later for such a large snake you should support the weight of it in the middle. I could feel the anaconda trying to pull it head from my grasp and it was getting distressed. I was worried I would hurt it in some way and Diceasar was also saying “don’t break its neck”. In the end I gave the snake back to Diceasar who put it down near a tree so that it could climb to safety. A great experience though not sure I would like to meet it again in a few years when it’s grown up.

Dion and I looked at the timber I had seen in the woods and asked the guys at our Posada whether we could use it for building our raft. Max, the guide said it wouldn’t be a problem. In hindsight we should have confirmed this with the owners of the posada. Later that afternoon Ian, Jesper, Eugene, Kent, Webster and I headed back to the planks and started moving them out of the woods. In all there were about 60 timbers we could use. The wood looked as though it had been stored in the woods for some building purpose but was now quietly rotting. In fact moving the timbers we disturbed several terminate and ant colonies as well as discovering huge cockroach type bugs and spiders. For now we just moved the timbers from the woods and stacked them with the intention of getting the tractor and trailer there the next day.

After an hours hard work we felt that we deserved to cool down in the pool. A bit of synchronised jumping/bombing was a great way to round of the day. Fi was also unceremoniously thrown into the pool. Well she looked as though she really really wanted to get into the pool, but didn’t want to, so I just helped out! How kind am I?

Another great sunset rounded the day off nicely and everyone was excited for our great escape the following day.

I decided to turn back and head back to the Posada. On the way back met Maxine and we decided to walk the reverse circuit to the one we had done with Diceasar the previous day. We didn’t see much except for a “Fi Tapier” aka a horse. So called because every time Fi tried to draw any animal it ends up looking like a horse.

This time we approached the river from the woods. As Maxine and I got close to the bank we heard a splash as a large animal or bird dove into the water. We then heard a sound of loud exhaling, similar to what we had heard the previous day with the Giant Otters. We never saw an otter but I’m pretty sure that this is what made the splash. We then walked back along the river to the posada. On the way back got some better photos of the female howler monkeys close to where we had seen them the previous day.

Most of us had breakfast from the truck to try and save some money. The rest of the morning was pretty chilled and in the afternoon a few of us opted to take another boat trip. This time we headed up stream to explore the other part of the river. It was nice to be doing something but I would have preferred to be going out later in the day. At 2pm the sun was hot and most of the animal would be taking shade. To be honest it wasn’t a great time to take a boat ride, but the other option was to do nothing. We saw plenty of birdlife though; herons, kingfishers; black hawks and cormorants.

When we got back to the posada there was visible excitement at the jetty. An anaconda had been spotted close to the posada just downstream. We piled back into the boat and our guide took us to the spot downstream. The anaconda was small, maybe about 2.5m in length, so about a year old, and was curled up in the high branches of a tree next to the river. Even though it was a small anaconda it was amazing to be this close to it. The colours were so vivid. After a while we went back to the posada so that others could head out to see the snake.

I watched the sunset from my hammock. It was such a great way to relax. I’m looking forward to bringing my hammock home and setting it up in the garden. It would make a nice change to have a permanent home for it instead of lugging it all the way from Belize.

In the evening some of the group opted to cook to keep the costs down whilst others, including me, ate at the dining hall. Later that evening after a few games of “ambition” the local guides and housekeepers lit a bonfire over by the stables. I got talking to another of the guides, Roberto as well as some of the housekeeping staff. It was a fun night!

The early morning hike started off by heading back along the road we drove in along and then cut through some of the forest back towards the river. The reason for getting up at this stupid time was that it is suppose to be the best time to see animals. Someone should have told the animals this though as we didn’t see a great deal of either bird or animal life on this hike. That said it was nice to be up a doing something. As we got back close to the posada Eugene and I split from the group and walked to the river to take some photos of the dawn.

As we finished breakfast there was several chestnut eared aracari in the trees close to the dining hall. These are a small bird related to the toucan. This was quite unusual to see so many together. The smaller birds were out in force as well at the bird feeding stations. Maybe the cold weather which had get the birds away for the previous day was really on its way out.

After breakfast the two groups headed off for a morning walk. Our group headed across some of the land owned by an adjacent ranch and then into the woods. As we approached the woods I could see something black in the tops of the trees. These turned out to be howler monkeys. I was surprised as how quiet these were compared to the howler monkeys we had seen in Central America.

As we walked through the woods Diceasar pointed out various things along the way such as the Caraca Hawks and Black Vultures.

As we walked along the river bank we heard a noise like someone exhaling loudly. Diceasar was pretty excited about this and the next moment we saw a family of giant otters swim past. These are really beautiful animals and they were pretty inquisitive about us, looking out of the water at us. Eugene managed to get a great photo, but the rest of us were either too slow or not in a great position to get a shot.

We walked along the river through the woods for a bit longer and then struck inland. We saw a small rodent called an agoti but this was about it. We reached the edge of the marshland we had ridden through the previous day made our way back to the posada.

When we got back Eugene, Fi and I had opted to do another horseride. I think more people would have liked to do another ride but unfortunately there was only three horses available and it was first come first serve.

I think that I must have had the horse that Webster had the previous day as it did not want to do anything more than walk, an even then walk as a sloe pace. The guide cut a switch from a tree and said that I was to use it to get the horse to move on. The first time I uses this on the horses hind it tried to buck. When it realised that I wasn’t phased by this it then broke into a trot. This would form a pattern to be repeated for the rest of the trek. My horse would fall behind with a slow walk. I would then kick it to get it to move on, when this failed I would hit it with the switch and then it would buck and break into a trot. Towards the end I would only need to kick it to trot for a while. At the very end we were even able to get a small canter down the last leg of the track. I was so glad that I had learnt to do a rising trot all those years ago as when we came back I wasn’t sore in the least. Eugene on the other hand hobbled from the horse having been crushed against the saddle.

When we arrived back Donna and Dion had reccied the way out. They pretty much confirmed what we had thought earlier in the day. There was no way were going anywhere and we would be grounded for the next few days. The slight irony to this is that Eugene and I had been complaining that we were not spending enough time here. We had asked Dion if there was any way we could leave mid afternoon instead of straight after lunch. The reply was that we would get back to Pocone too late. Be careful what you wish for.

To help us out the Posada said that we could camp in their grounds and we could still eat in the dining hall. This gave us more time to explore the area. In the afternoon a few of us went Piranha fishing from the jetty.

Though I could feel the piranha biting I didn’t manage to catch one this time. Eugene caught a few though. Webster managed to catch a Cayman.

One of the guides managed to unhook the cayman which were impressed with until Jepser pointed out “how many times do you thing a stupid tourist does something like this!”.

Later on I went for a walk with Fi but we ended up turning back as the mosquitoes were pretty aggressive. One of the great things about walking with Fi is that is there are any mosquitoes she’ll attract them all so you don’t get bitten. After we got back to the Posada I chilled out in my hammock by the pool reading Treasure Island till the evening meal was ready.