Pentanal - or ``Sylvie in Wonderland´
Well, it was pretty eventful getting here but it has been really worth it - already. I arrived at LHR much too early (I had warned me that 3 hours would be sufficient but in view of the recent troubles I didn´t want to risk it so allowed 5). The airport was almost empty which stunned me... I guess everybody was looking for ways of avoiding Heathrow by then. The only thing that bugged me was not to be allowed to carry toothpaste in my hand luggage and Air France did not give us any toothpaste or hand cream in their goodie bags either, nor in the toilets. So being 40 hours without cleaning my teeth was horrid when I usually clean them every 4 hours... especially as I had a few sugary drinks to give me energy and perk me up. I was seated next to a lady who should have flown over the night before but had missed her connection as her London-Paris flight had been 2 hours late the day before. Made me realise how very lucky I was to have a narrow escape. I could not have coped wasting a whole day in Paris when there is SO much to do and see in Brazil. My 1st flight was 40mns late but they made up the time in mid air and we only landed 10mns late. We were immediately whisked off by car to our boarding planes and I was actually the last one to get on that 2nd flight. I even managed to grab the last aisle seat, thank God as I hate being stuck in the middle... when people recline the seat in the front, you cannot breathe.
The flight was fairly smooth but too hot to sleep much. Movies were boring but I didn´t care as I really wanted to sleep as much as I could. I landed at Sao Paulo 10mns early and had to wait not 3 hours as planned, but 5 for my 3rd connection as the plane was late coming in. But as I changed time zone, it seemed I had only lost 1 hour. It is now -5 hours from GMT. Once at the airport I managed to get some Brazilian Reals (their currency) out of a cash point and got my card back ok, phew.
I also got all my luggage back ok which was amazing considering that 20,000 pieces of hand luggage had gone astray in the recent crisis. So, was I glad to see my suitcase turn up... believe you me. When I flew from Sao Paulo to Cuiaba (heart of the Pentanal) I was shocked by how very barren it looked from the air. A far cry from the endless sea of green that is the Amazon. This was SO brown and with so very few trees that I was truly puzzled as to how this area could be known as one of the world´s greatest wildlife sanctuary. The only green bits were around the brown river that had many twists and turns... hardly anywhere else. So I was expecting a lot less when I landed... fearing I´d be very disappointed...
My driver/guide/naturalist was waiting for me and was super helpful. He is just the right balance, doesn´t talk too much but has a keen eye for spotting birds and can think one step ahead of me as to what I might need next. He also understands light and photography, another must!
We stopped to have lunch before driving off into the wilderness and though I wasn´t very hungry because we had had snacks on the plane I think it gave me a bit more energy. Though I had been warned in my books not to eat peeled fruits, salads, cheese and God knows what else, I ignored all the rules, and had a thoroughly enjoyable meal. My favourite was some kind of haloumi cheese grilled on a stick, with hot potatoes... it was just divine. And the fruit juices were also yummy. I have no idea what they were but I find nature has got so many treats in store when it comes to flavours and tastes... so I can never resist them.
My guide, Roberto, also explained that though the landscape looked a bit bleak, it would all change when we get to the Pentanal. That it is a very flat area (not very scenic as such, not a great place for landscape for instance) but that it is packed with bird life in particular and that I would see know as soon as we entered the promised land.
And he was right... the moment he said ´we are entering the Pentanal now´ it was if an invisble barrier had lifted. I am not kidding you if I say that within 1 MINUTE we had spotted 25 different species of birds... without even TRYING to. This was just awesome. I got out of the car and I just did not know where to look. You would have needed 10 pair of eyes. There were birds on your left, right, centre (later on a frog even dropped from a tree onto our windscreen! hitch-hiking?)... I cannot even tell you what the birds were, I had seen a great many of them before but it was as if 80% of what I had discovered in the last decade of my world travels was summarised right here in ONE moment in ONE tiny space (200 m2 maybe). The sheer DIVERSITY and DENSITY of this place is truly beyond compare. You just have to see it to believe it. Countless ibis, storks (and other BIG birds), egrets, herons, kingfishers, etc. some hyacinth macaws (vivid blue with yellow circle around their eyes and a long tail), some toucans... Another 30mns and another 30kms went by and we had seen yet another 50 birds or so... I mean, 50 different species of birds. My guide said that this was peak season for migrations because the waters have receded and so it is a bit clearer which makes it easier for the birds to fish efficiently. There were also more caimans than I had never since in my whole life... not just dozens of them, but hundreds. They would sunbathe in packs on the river banks and you could see 50 at a time... if you had a phobia of crocs you would have a hard time because they are absolutely everywhere. In most countries of the world, you tend to mistake dead trunks for crocs, but here it is the opposite. There are far more caimans than dead tree trunks ! At dusk 3 caimans even crossed the road right in front of us. My driver said that last week he saw an anaconda that way, he was about 7 meters long and looked like a dead trunk across the road. He also saw 5 jaguars in one day along that same road... though the tourists he was with only saw 1 because they were chatting and by the time they focused their attention, it was too late. Jaguars are incredibly silent and fast. You blink and you miss them. But we could still enjoy walking safaris because they never attack humans unless we threaten their young. What amazes me is that you can stop the car anywhere, get off and stare at the marshland for 1 minute and you will notice about 30 birds that you could not see from the car, even driving at 20mph. What also seems surreal here is that you can see SO much right by the side of the road... even though it is very dusty in the dry season and as a bird, I personally would not want to be there, but they do. And you slow down and scroll the window down and most don´t even bat an eyelid because they are SO used to tourists. I guess that because there are millions of birds here, you could be anywhere and you would see as many.
There are mammals too and on our first drive we saw quite a few capybaras. They are the largest rodents in the world and could look like a big dark brown rabbit but with small ears and higher legs. They are very cute, especially the little ones and are the jaguar´s favourite food. Actually, my guide was telling me that humans don´t really eat capybara meat because, as they are vegetarians feeding on plants and roots their meat actually tastes like medicine !!! Jaguars will also kill calves (from cows) on farmland, but only do so train their young on the art of killing. They will not actually eat the calf. This, understandably, annoys the farmers greatly and it is when they are likely to shoot. As in Costa Rica though, the government does have a policy in place that says ´spare the jaguar, forget the cow, we will give you money for the loss instead´ but unfortunately because there is so much paperwork involved and it is so complicated to prove you actually owned the dead cow, some farmers feel that prevention is better than cure. Sad.
When we got to our lodge it was just getting dark but we didn´t see any of the nocturnal animals (so far). I had a luke warm shower (and had to be very quick because it got very cold) to try and keep me awake and though we were supposed to do a night drive till 11pm, we agreed it was best if I went to bed at 8pm since I had to be up again at 5am for the morning drive...
20 August. So, here I was, up again at the crack of dawn... and we boarded a boat that took us upstream to an area where giant otters live. It was about 1h away and though it wasn´t particularly cold it soon felt a lot colder when we were on the water, going at some speed. The sun didn´t seem to rise early enough and to be warm enough even. We saw a young tapir swim across the river almost right in front of us, which was wonderful timing... and when we got the otter´s den, we saw only one but she was really cheeky and even tried to leap in the boat to grab our fish. She had the usual white mark under her neck with several spots (her fingerprint). She would ´sit up´ in the water and eat her fish quite vigorously, you could hear all the fishbones crack. A caiman soon made a move and tried to get some free snacks from us too but, because HE didn´t look cute, we thoroughly ignored him. I was also astounded by the number of birds that stand just inches away from caimans´ jaws when I would never dare but my guide said it is because birds know that the caimans´ stomach are full of fish during the dry season. Later on, they have to be more wary as they will even eat other caimans or their own offspring if they feel hungry ! Can you picture that ? I mean, here you are, hungry... open the cupboard, find you have no more food or tins and you spot your child standing next to you, looking at you innocently and expecting your parental protection when you suddenly see them as food... and think ´oh, my kid will do just fine´. I don´t think so... yuk. Jaguars are supposed to be quite common here and we did see some fresh pawprint this morning on the road but no real thing yet. Roberto was telling me that now cat skin is no longer fashionable, they are hardly hunted, it is just the farmers who give them a hard time.
Righteeo, I am now going to wash my hair whilst it is daylight, as we only have hot water here that is generated by a solar system. They also had to switch on the generator for me to access the internet (via satelite). I truly am in the middle of nowhere but it is such an immense priviledge to be here. It does merit all the superlatives that the Pentanal is often associated with. Anyone who is a bird lover should come here.... and indeed, to spot wildlife it is SO much easier than the Amazon. Tonight we have a long safari planned by night, and hope to spot some of the other bigger cats too. And giant ant-eaters.... Looking at the wildlife books at the library here there are so many mammals I had not even heard of before... we truly live on a planet that has got countless secrets to reveal if we are willing to look for them long and hard... and far ! :)More later... thinking of you all...
PS - so far I have not taken any decent shot though as it is so hard to know which film speed to use and 100ASA is ok mid-day (when the animals are sleeping) but too dim at dawn and dusk... so I am not sure that technically this will be a great success. This is when I realise that digital cameras are far superior !
PS - not feeling too jet-lagged yet but a bit dopey right now... cokes do help! I know they are bad for you but they help me quite a bit... hum.
PS3 - as this internet access is costing me $15 per hour I will leave it 2-3 days till I have more to say ... unless I can see a jaguar, of course... as I would be too excited to wait 2 days!
Well, it was pretty eventful getting here but it has been really worth it - already. I arrived at LHR much too early (I had warned me that 3 hours would be sufficient but in view of the recent troubles I didn´t want to risk it so allowed 5). The airport was almost empty which stunned me... I guess everybody was looking for ways of avoiding Heathrow by then. The only thing that bugged me was not to be allowed to carry toothpaste in my hand luggage and Air France did not give us any toothpaste or hand cream in their goodie bags either, nor in the toilets. So being 40 hours without cleaning my teeth was horrid when I usually clean them every 4 hours... especially as I had a few sugary drinks to give me energy and perk me up. I was seated next to a lady who should have flown over the night before but had missed her connection as her London-Paris flight had been 2 hours late the day before. Made me realise how very lucky I was to have a narrow escape. I could not have coped wasting a whole day in Paris when there is SO much to do and see in Brazil. My 1st flight was 40mns late but they made up the time in mid air and we only landed 10mns late. We were immediately whisked off by car to our boarding planes and I was actually the last one to get on that 2nd flight. I even managed to grab the last aisle seat, thank God as I hate being stuck in the middle... when people recline the seat in the front, you cannot breathe.
The flight was fairly smooth but too hot to sleep much. Movies were boring but I didn´t care as I really wanted to sleep as much as I could. I landed at Sao Paulo 10mns early and had to wait not 3 hours as planned, but 5 for my 3rd connection as the plane was late coming in. But as I changed time zone, it seemed I had only lost 1 hour. It is now -5 hours from GMT. Once at the airport I managed to get some Brazilian Reals (their currency) out of a cash point and got my card back ok, phew.
I also got all my luggage back ok which was amazing considering that 20,000 pieces of hand luggage had gone astray in the recent crisis. So, was I glad to see my suitcase turn up... believe you me. When I flew from Sao Paulo to Cuiaba (heart of the Pentanal) I was shocked by how very barren it looked from the air. A far cry from the endless sea of green that is the Amazon. This was SO brown and with so very few trees that I was truly puzzled as to how this area could be known as one of the world´s greatest wildlife sanctuary. The only green bits were around the brown river that had many twists and turns... hardly anywhere else. So I was expecting a lot less when I landed... fearing I´d be very disappointed...
My driver/guide/naturalist was waiting for me and was super helpful. He is just the right balance, doesn´t talk too much but has a keen eye for spotting birds and can think one step ahead of me as to what I might need next. He also understands light and photography, another must!
We stopped to have lunch before driving off into the wilderness and though I wasn´t very hungry because we had had snacks on the plane I think it gave me a bit more energy. Though I had been warned in my books not to eat peeled fruits, salads, cheese and God knows what else, I ignored all the rules, and had a thoroughly enjoyable meal. My favourite was some kind of haloumi cheese grilled on a stick, with hot potatoes... it was just divine. And the fruit juices were also yummy. I have no idea what they were but I find nature has got so many treats in store when it comes to flavours and tastes... so I can never resist them.
My guide, Roberto, also explained that though the landscape looked a bit bleak, it would all change when we get to the Pentanal. That it is a very flat area (not very scenic as such, not a great place for landscape for instance) but that it is packed with bird life in particular and that I would see know as soon as we entered the promised land.
And he was right... the moment he said ´we are entering the Pentanal now´ it was if an invisble barrier had lifted. I am not kidding you if I say that within 1 MINUTE we had spotted 25 different species of birds... without even TRYING to. This was just awesome. I got out of the car and I just did not know where to look. You would have needed 10 pair of eyes. There were birds on your left, right, centre (later on a frog even dropped from a tree onto our windscreen! hitch-hiking?)... I cannot even tell you what the birds were, I had seen a great many of them before but it was as if 80% of what I had discovered in the last decade of my world travels was summarised right here in ONE moment in ONE tiny space (200 m2 maybe). The sheer DIVERSITY and DENSITY of this place is truly beyond compare. You just have to see it to believe it. Countless ibis, storks (and other BIG birds), egrets, herons, kingfishers, etc. some hyacinth macaws (vivid blue with yellow circle around their eyes and a long tail), some toucans... Another 30mns and another 30kms went by and we had seen yet another 50 birds or so... I mean, 50 different species of birds. My guide said that this was peak season for migrations because the waters have receded and so it is a bit clearer which makes it easier for the birds to fish efficiently. There were also more caimans than I had never since in my whole life... not just dozens of them, but hundreds. They would sunbathe in packs on the river banks and you could see 50 at a time... if you had a phobia of crocs you would have a hard time because they are absolutely everywhere. In most countries of the world, you tend to mistake dead trunks for crocs, but here it is the opposite. There are far more caimans than dead tree trunks ! At dusk 3 caimans even crossed the road right in front of us. My driver said that last week he saw an anaconda that way, he was about 7 meters long and looked like a dead trunk across the road. He also saw 5 jaguars in one day along that same road... though the tourists he was with only saw 1 because they were chatting and by the time they focused their attention, it was too late. Jaguars are incredibly silent and fast. You blink and you miss them. But we could still enjoy walking safaris because they never attack humans unless we threaten their young. What amazes me is that you can stop the car anywhere, get off and stare at the marshland for 1 minute and you will notice about 30 birds that you could not see from the car, even driving at 20mph. What also seems surreal here is that you can see SO much right by the side of the road... even though it is very dusty in the dry season and as a bird, I personally would not want to be there, but they do. And you slow down and scroll the window down and most don´t even bat an eyelid because they are SO used to tourists. I guess that because there are millions of birds here, you could be anywhere and you would see as many.
There are mammals too and on our first drive we saw quite a few capybaras. They are the largest rodents in the world and could look like a big dark brown rabbit but with small ears and higher legs. They are very cute, especially the little ones and are the jaguar´s favourite food. Actually, my guide was telling me that humans don´t really eat capybara meat because, as they are vegetarians feeding on plants and roots their meat actually tastes like medicine !!! Jaguars will also kill calves (from cows) on farmland, but only do so train their young on the art of killing. They will not actually eat the calf. This, understandably, annoys the farmers greatly and it is when they are likely to shoot. As in Costa Rica though, the government does have a policy in place that says ´spare the jaguar, forget the cow, we will give you money for the loss instead´ but unfortunately because there is so much paperwork involved and it is so complicated to prove you actually owned the dead cow, some farmers feel that prevention is better than cure. Sad.
When we got to our lodge it was just getting dark but we didn´t see any of the nocturnal animals (so far). I had a luke warm shower (and had to be very quick because it got very cold) to try and keep me awake and though we were supposed to do a night drive till 11pm, we agreed it was best if I went to bed at 8pm since I had to be up again at 5am for the morning drive...
20 August. So, here I was, up again at the crack of dawn... and we boarded a boat that took us upstream to an area where giant otters live. It was about 1h away and though it wasn´t particularly cold it soon felt a lot colder when we were on the water, going at some speed. The sun didn´t seem to rise early enough and to be warm enough even. We saw a young tapir swim across the river almost right in front of us, which was wonderful timing... and when we got the otter´s den, we saw only one but she was really cheeky and even tried to leap in the boat to grab our fish. She had the usual white mark under her neck with several spots (her fingerprint). She would ´sit up´ in the water and eat her fish quite vigorously, you could hear all the fishbones crack. A caiman soon made a move and tried to get some free snacks from us too but, because HE didn´t look cute, we thoroughly ignored him. I was also astounded by the number of birds that stand just inches away from caimans´ jaws when I would never dare but my guide said it is because birds know that the caimans´ stomach are full of fish during the dry season. Later on, they have to be more wary as they will even eat other caimans or their own offspring if they feel hungry ! Can you picture that ? I mean, here you are, hungry... open the cupboard, find you have no more food or tins and you spot your child standing next to you, looking at you innocently and expecting your parental protection when you suddenly see them as food... and think ´oh, my kid will do just fine´. I don´t think so... yuk. Jaguars are supposed to be quite common here and we did see some fresh pawprint this morning on the road but no real thing yet. Roberto was telling me that now cat skin is no longer fashionable, they are hardly hunted, it is just the farmers who give them a hard time.
Righteeo, I am now going to wash my hair whilst it is daylight, as we only have hot water here that is generated by a solar system. They also had to switch on the generator for me to access the internet (via satelite). I truly am in the middle of nowhere but it is such an immense priviledge to be here. It does merit all the superlatives that the Pentanal is often associated with. Anyone who is a bird lover should come here.... and indeed, to spot wildlife it is SO much easier than the Amazon. Tonight we have a long safari planned by night, and hope to spot some of the other bigger cats too. And giant ant-eaters.... Looking at the wildlife books at the library here there are so many mammals I had not even heard of before... we truly live on a planet that has got countless secrets to reveal if we are willing to look for them long and hard... and far ! :)More later... thinking of you all...
PS - so far I have not taken any decent shot though as it is so hard to know which film speed to use and 100ASA is ok mid-day (when the animals are sleeping) but too dim at dawn and dusk... so I am not sure that technically this will be a great success. This is when I realise that digital cameras are far superior !
PS - not feeling too jet-lagged yet but a bit dopey right now... cokes do help! I know they are bad for you but they help me quite a bit... hum.
PS3 - as this internet access is costing me $15 per hour I will leave it 2-3 days till I have more to say ... unless I can see a jaguar, of course... as I would be too excited to wait 2 days!
posted by Sylvie at 6:47 PM
<< Home