My last 2 weeks in Brasil, despite the disappointing group trip, have been filled with a multitude of aquatic activities and stunning watery views that have constantly caused me to marvel at the world and its water cycle and all that it enables, whilst getting very very wet!
We started off in colonial paint-job perfect Paraty, my last days on the Atlantic coast before I slowly make my way to the Pacific. I was determined not to let down Lou's voice in my head, no matter what the temperature, and so, after much deliberation, I jumped off our sailing boat and swam to the little island we'd stopped by - I marvelled at the beauty of the little beach up close and even managed a lap around the boat before re-embarking. The next day I went a step further, and many degrees colder, as I built up the courage to set off down the natural slip'n'slide of Cachoeira do Toboga. Why is it that water feels so much colder when you inch your way in (as I attempted pre-slide) rather than just taking the plunge, as it were?
Our next destination was a more sedate affair, admiring the Pantanal's wetland rivers and rice paddies - the perfect habitat for a diverse range of wildlife. Whilst on our serenely paced horse-rides, truck drives, boat trips and canoe paddles we saw mixed-race cows, marsh deer and capivaras (world's largest rodent) in abundance as well as various parrots, Falcons, storks and kingfishers that our local guide Victor was particularly good at spotting. We found a few giant ant-eaters (the strangest animals ever), caiman and even an anaconda but most impressively of all we caught sight of a jaguar - twice! Even the tour guides got excited as they'd been here 6 times and never seen one. You might wonder how such an array of different animals could all inhabit the same area, but with the open fields, marshes, jungle and waterways, adding in the wet and dry seasons and the natural symbiosis of so many of the species it's not so surprising - 'Water - the giver of life' exemplified!
Next stop was the aptly named town of Bonito, where we got up close and personal with the life within the water. The limestone in the surrounding area create a highly filtered river called Olhos d'Agua (eyes of water) which we floated down whilst gazing at the world below in crystal clear technicolor. I could barely control my excitement, the snorkel and my hired GoPro all at once - I felt like I was filming a David Attenborough documentary - so many beautiful fish and underwater landscapes we aren't often able to see. Another other-worldly sight awaited the next day as I put my adrenaline-junkie head on once more and decided it was a great idea to descend 72m on a little rope into Abismo Anhumas - another fine product of collaboration between water and rock. As I rapelled down painfully slowly (it really hurt my hand to
keep squeezing the mechanism) perspiration added to the total volume of water in the cavern. The lake below was considerably colder as I found out on our spooky snorkel among the giant stalagmites. The formations both above and below the waterline were so peculiar (one shaped like Gollum another like a screaming woman) it is hard to believe they were all formed by the slow drip of good old H2O.
Good old H20, in its sheer abundance on the other hand, again with a little help from rock formations (it's partner in crime), is to answer for the last stop on our tour - the mighty Iguassu falls. It's fairly hard to put the sight of that much water falling all around you into words - everywhere you run, whichever way you turn there is another thundering flume of white water to behold. With more waterfalls than u could possibly imagine, it made me wonder how on earth all that water can have fallen out of the sky and flow into the sea without flooding the earth? I do remember learning about the water cycle at school and understand the theory but when confronted with only one part of the cycle - it's utterly baffling! As the lyrics 'don't go chasing waterfalls' rattled round in my head I thought - what terrible advice from TLC there, i had the best 2 days doing just that.
I realise I have given my Facebook (and your news feed) and aqua overload this week but if you haven't seen my latest albums - go check them out!
No comments:
Post a Comment