Days 22 & 23: the Pantanal

I normally hate getting up early but this is a must. Our guide for the day, Domingas, is waiting at 4 a.m. in her 4 x 4 and we set off on the same round south as on Sunday. This time it's a 3 1/2 hour drive, easily passing Rio Claro and finishing at Porto Jofre, with the essential inky black coffee as the morning fix.

This wetland is not Amazonia but part of the Parana system, which ultimately drains into the River Plate at Buenos Aires. But the land of tango feels very distant as we cruise these swampy rivers. We spot families of capybara hooting nervously to warn of the jacares which patrol these waters, only their eyes showing above their surface.

But the king of the predators awaits in the bushes. After an hour of searching. Domingas locates a spot where jaguars are likely to roam ans sure enough, we see one lurking on the river bank. It's a thrilling sight. I'm not sure who is the more cautious, ourselves in the canoe or the big feline; anyway after 10 minutes, it jumps into the water and we follow its course as it swims briskly. The jaguar finally halts at a clump of bushes and emerges with a jacare, lying face upwards and very dead. It seems that the crocodilian has been killed earlier and none of the other local creatures has dared to deny the jaguar of its prey. Domingas, having been the first to spot this, helpfully calls over two other boat parties to witness the scene. Meanwhile the jaguar tries to haul the jacare up the bank from the water's edge but it's too much for him alone and he starts to lunch on it, before perhaps getting help from his mate. It's an unforgettable sight. The thought that anybody would want to poach them for body parts or any other reason is appalling.

Nothing much can top this but the drive back to Pocone is enjoyable as the sun sets, leaving increasingly lengthy shadows. The termite mounds rise like hillocks amongst the browsing white cattle. Domingas (pictured above) has been an excellent guide---she has, after all, had to stay focused from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m.---and I wish her every success.

After a final breakfast in Pocone, we board the bus back to Cuiaba. This is sadly where Doree and I are to go separate ways but I am grateful for our very enjoyable week. Cuiaba is pleasant enough but as a state capital seems undistinguished. The cracks in the pavements are more like chasms and could easily cause an accident to the unwary; there is a general shabbiness about the buildings that I wouldn't expect to find in a Spanish-speaking city of the same size (about a million). Oh well, the little restaurant across from my hotel does a bargain prato executivo (business person's dish) for about US$3 and beers at US$1 each.Read more