Good Morning! It’s Day 2
©Exploramum and Explorason – the gorgeous sunrise here at The Pantanal, Brazil
Feeling Close To God
©Exploramum and Explorason – the sun peaks through the trees
For some reason, I felt like today was different from any other day. It was like I was closer to God. As I walked down the river, I had to battle with mosquitoes which kept sucking at my blood. It was all my fault since I wore open shoes for this morning photography session.
My feet really had a rough time, and I wish I was wise enough to come out in closed shoes but I knew I would miss the sunrise, so I soldiered on.
©Exploramum and Explorason – misty waters
Tiny Birds in the Largest Wetlands
©Exploramum and Explorason – the tiniest bird
Next, I watch this tiny bird – it is probably 2 inches long. Actually, I am impressed my little waterproof camera captures it in amongst the water lilies.
Breakfast
©Exploramum and Explorason – beautiful sunrise
We eat breakfast with the rest of the tour group and are told we have a morning boat ride after which we will have the rest of the day off.
This is quite a disappointment and me and a lot of other guests are quite upset about this as we have paid to explore the region of the world’s largest Wetlands Brazil.
Dress to Avoid Mosquitoes
©Exploramum and Explorason – combat clothing – anti mosquitoes!
We have an ‘Aussie Mozzie hat’ that I think I should have sold 10 times over to nearly every guest here. My son has it on along with a good layer of insect repellent and as a result, evades any mosquito bite. There are so many comments from all of the guests on his ‘battlefield armor’ too.
‘Tinny’ Boat Ride
©Exploramum and Explorason – getting the ‘tinny’ ready to launch
The morning mist lies over the river as we head down to the boat, and small caiman eyes peek out at us.
Explorason is very eager to go for the boat ride. He is ‘head rope boy’ and wants to help untie the boat as we go to take off from the riverbank.
We Have Company
©Exploramum and Explorason – heading out in ‘The Tinny”
Joining us in the boat is a new person – we head off today with a guy from the Czech Republic. He is lovely and is a professional sportsman and skier and we get along well.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Having fun out on the water
We are off in our ‘tinny’ boat with him to see the fauna and flora in this area. A ‘tinny’ is a lightweight aluminum boat with a small motor.
Unfortunately, there is little to be seen today here in the world’s largest Wetlands Brazil and we feel quite deflated but determined to enjoy the nature around us. We did not come all this way just to be eaten alive by mosquitoes and to be sunburnt either, it is time for fun.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Beautiful day
The water is like a mirror as we head towards the Paraguay River. We feel wild, free and happy!
Iguanas, Kingfishers, And Toucans
-
- ©Exploramum and Explorason –
-
- A Toucan
-
- A Kingfisher
It is a wonderful day and the sky looks too blue. We spot two iguanas in a tree on the riverside. I also get to spot a couple of Toucan – I love them!
In the pictures above, you can spot some of these animals. We also see a Kingfisher and many other types of birds.
Piranha Fishing
©Exploramum and Explorason – trying to fish for Pirahna
As our Czech friend fishes for Piranha, but as he does we have a triple barge float by and the waters are disturbed and we head back to The Lodge after this.
World Schooling
©Exploramum and Explorason – tourist boats are popular as a way to see the wetlands
It’s time for lunch and then we have a rest for the afternoon before a little time of learning about the world’s largest Wetlands Brazil.
I figure out that this is the best time to do some unschooling or worldschooling and I realize that my son is learning so much in The Pantanal. So we try to study a few of the animals we have seen and a little about the area.
A Drunk Guide
At around 5:00 pm in the evening, we finally get to attempt to go Piranha fishing once more.
However, one guide is ridiculously drunk. He comes back minus his boat as he left this down the river, as he drunk himself stupid at the bar. I think I would be very unhappy if I were the clients! He then comes back and tells them that their tour is off for tomorrow.
His tour group and their clients just sit there and are so polite. They realize this guide is drunk, and so they don’t enter into an argument.
Our Tour Guide Tries Again
-
- ©Exploramum and Explorason –
-
- Pirahna fishing
We, however, head off with our guide once more to attempt piranha fishing with our Czech friend. Later that night we are told it is illegal to fish, and that our guide has no license.
Again, we are then told once more that the water has no oxygen and that we are wasting our time. So ten minutes later we move to a second spot which of course is also useless. Then we quit and return back.
Caiman Closeup
©Exploramum and Explorason – eyes in the water as the caiman slips away
I am pretty shocked as we exit our boat. There is caiman right at our Lodge water’s entrance. You can see the eyes in the water behind my son. Thank goodness they are lazy. They don’t bother with humans or even animals unless provoked. We will do no provoking!
Planning Tomorrow
In saying that, we have had THE BEST room, the lady cook has given me free beers. The riverboat guide has been good – but we expected more than just a ‘tinny’ ride up the river and illegal piranha fishing.
Lessons In Life
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade
©Exploramum and Explorason – sunset over the Pantanal
Comments and Questions
- How would you cope if a tour you went had events like this occurring?
- Would you be upset if the tour guide was too drunk to work?
- What would you do?
- Please share your thoughts with our readers in the comments below – we’d love to know.
At least you had that wonderful dawn. Good idea not provoking the caimen lol. And you did get to go piranha fishing another time. Beautiful photographs.
Yes, the dawn was my favourite part!