Brazil is a huge country; about the size of the U.S. To try and see it all in a couple of weeks is ridiculous. So I decided to save Brazil for another time - when it could be a trip in itself. But I needed to get from Bolivia to Argentina, and going through Brazil's Pantanal - the large grassy wetlands teaming with wildlife in the country's south - to get there seemed to be the easiest route. Besides, it would give me the opportunity to go fishing for piranha. And who would pass that up?
Going through customs at Campo Grande's airport in Brazil reminded me that I was entering the only country of my trip where Spanish was not the first language. I tried using some Spanish with the guy going through my bag. He replied in Portuguese and then in English that I was in Brazil now and people wouldn't understand Spanish.
Maybe if I slurred it a bit?
I tried that approach with the taxi waiting just outside the airport. He just stared at me. I pointed to the hostel listing in my good book. He nodded and started driving. The ride was quiet - clearly he didn't speak English either. When we arrived at the hostel I was thankful there was a meter in the car. I fished through my pockets for a few of the Brazilian Reals I had just withdrawn from the ATM in the airport and thanked the driver with a "gracias". He tapped my arm and said "obrigado".
Now I knew two words in Portuguese.
Fortunately the young guy behind the desk in the hostel spoke fluent English (and Spanish) and directed me to a private room with its own bathroom. I was exhausted. I needed to set up a tour into the Pantanal - the main reason I was in Brazil - but first I needed a nap.
When I woke up three hours later I took a shower (showerhead just to the left of my toilet - no curtain) and decided to search for something to eat before looking for my tour. I had sent an email to a trekking outfit that was supposedly located in the bus station across the street. So I popped into a diner next to the station. I just pointed to what I wanted and also said the word Fanta. The food I had here pretty much set the bar for all the food I had in Brazil. It was terrible. Now don't get me wrong. I'm sure Brazilian food in general is delicious. Just not in the Pantanal. No matter where I went in the Pantanal the food was awful. But it filled me up. And so, after finishing my reheated whatever they were, and watching a dubbed Britney Spears movie on the TV everyone's eyes were fixed on, I went looking for the trekking company in the bus station. It was closed. With no hours posted.
There is nothing to do in Campo Grande. At least not where I was staying in Campo Grande. It's not really known as a tourist destination. Just a city where one can find tours into the Pantanal. Seemed like the perfect time to catch up on blog stories. I bought a Fanta and a candy bar (the best thing I had to eat in Brazil) and hit the cyber cafe by the hostel. First I sent an email to the closed trekking company saying I was in town and hoping to do a four day tour soon. Then I worked on uploading pics and blog stories for the next several hours.
In that time I got an email back from the trekking company asking where I was staying and that they could get me a tour for the next day. I offered that I was at a cyber cafe next to my hostel. An hour later a man walked into the cyber cafe and asked if I was Dan. He explained he was the manager of the trekking company and had been at the hospital all day with his mother in law. He asked that I meet him the next morning at 8am to get everything worked out and that I could be on a bus by 10am. I said obrigado and finished up my blogs entries. It was 10pm and with nothing to do I decided to get some sleep. The next day I would be hitting the Pantanal.
To see pics of my time in Brazil, follow this link:
http://flickr.com/photos/15233918@N00/sets/72157603948681054/
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