Brazil 2025 part 6

   Our next three days at San Francisco ranch go like this. Up at 4:30, eat breakfast at five o’clock, load on the touring truck at 5:30.  We are taken back to headquarters around 11:00 a.m., eat lunch at noon, try to take a nap before going on our afternoon drive which starts at 2:30. Back to the ranch at 5:30, eat supper at 6:00, back on the truck by 6:30 and do a night drive that ends around 10 p.m.!

    The first day we meet up with a research team that are studying Crab-eating fox and Ocelots to see how each species is doing on this ranch compared to other parts of the Pantanal. The team have live traps set and are trying to capture a crab-eating fox whose collar has lost power. The team leader has informed Fred that they have captured two foxes, (neither one turns out to be the collared fox) and we go to the first area to watch them release the canine. The fox is amazingly calm until they open the cage door. When the cage door is opened the fox bolts for freedom and never looks back. We meet up with them at the second site and again, no agitation in the cage by the fox, but as soon as the door is open the little fox is a blur as it runs from the human spectators.

   This afternoon Paul and Fred end up in a contest on who can find the most Marsh Deer. The deer are an endangered species but not on this ranch. The deer do so well here because of the ranches main crop which is rice. There are water canals and boggy areas that the deer love plus they graze in the rice fields.

At the end of our afternoon drive as the sun is nearly down our driver spots a giant anteater! These are the oddest-looking creatures! The anteater is in a pasture, and the South African man asks if we can try to get closer to the anteater on foot. Fred agrees that this will be okay. It is a hopeless attempt as the anteater keeps walking away from us faster than we can close the gap. Once we are in the pasture Fred spots a second anteater on the edge of the field. You can tell it is an anteater, but it is not close enough to document with a photo. Paul had hoped we would see an anteater, so he is quite happy.

     We do not see much on our night drive and Fred tells us we have the misfortune of a full moon while we are here. During a full moon mammals are not moving around much. We do see a couple of foxes, plus a barn owl diving for prey. The highlight was spotting a cayman killing a huge snake in one of the canals. No chance for a photo darn it.

     Today the native South Africans are going home so our group is down to six. This morning, we see myriads of beautiful birds, a couple of fox, and Marsh deer. Fred tells us that we have seen nearly two hundred species of birds!  

    We arrive in the parking lot and discover that a busload of people has arrived for a day at the ranch and they are waiting to eat lunch. Thankfully Fred has arranged for us to be at the head of the lunch line.

    This afternoon it is really hot which is not made any more comfortable by the hot wind that is blowing. Thank goodness for my neck cooler. Again, we see lots of birds plus the Marsh deer contest is continuing. Fred is winning. The rest of us are helping Paul if we see a deer that Paul overlooked. We point out to Fred that he has an advantage because he is sitting on the chair that is affixed to the top of the truck cab which gives him a clearer view. He just shrugs his shoulders and laughs.

   Tonight, the Indian couple decide not to go with us on the night drive. The man seems to be bothered by mosquitos, but Paul and I have not been bothered by the pests. They chose the wrong night to stay behind because we have not driven far when our spotter finds a giant anteater. We sit and watch the animal nosing around in a pasture for a while then move on. Amazing.

    Towards the end of our night drive the truck driver picks up speed. Our spotter and the driver are talking excitedly to one another. Soon our spotter shines his light on a walkway that is built out into a boggy field (these walkways are made to allow people to get through the marshes). There is a magnificent jaguar walking on the wooden structure. The big cat soon disappears into the darkness. We had no expectations of seeing a jaguar here, so this was an incredible bonus. We were all getting a little sleepy, but this certainly woke us up!

    On our third day we have a unique experience of watching the farm crew loading fertilizer into a plane. We watch as the plane takes off and begins dropping the fertilizer on the wet rice fields. Paul and I have also enjoyed looking at the farm equipment that we have encountered on these drives. The San Francisco Ranch is 15,000 hectares which is nearly 37,000 acres! Fred told us there are around 7500 head of cattle, counting cows, calves, and feedlot animals. I do not remember how many acres of rice they had. Fred also informs us that fifty percent of the ranch’s income comes from tourism.

   Later we sit and watch as some cowboys are moving a herd of yearling bulls. They are bringing them out of a pen onto the road. All goes well until one bull suddenly decides he does not want to leave the pen. After evading the two cowboys on horseback several times, the bull attempts to go through the fence. He is unsuccessful in getting through so the renegade gives up and walks through the gate. We watch as the cowboys and cattle move on down the road then return to the lodge for supper. These cattle were headed for a feedlot. They do not steer their bull calves.

    Tonight, our game drive was very sparse though we did watch a pair of crab-eating fox hunting in some tall grass next to the road. Although the pair worked hard, they came up empty.

    This morning, we begin our long journey home. We eat breakfast at five and return to our room to finish packing. Paul left our room for some reason and soon came back in to inform me that there was a Hyacinth Macaw in a tree behind our building. I grab my camera and get some shots of the beautiful bird. Paul tells the other people in our group about the Macaw, and they all go unpack their cameras to photograph this hard-to-find Macaw. A great way to end our time here.

    The Colorado couple and Fred are not going with the Indian couple and us to the airport because their flights are later. We take a photo with Fred; tell him he was a great guide and give him a well-earned tip. We say goodbye to Fred and the couple from Colorado and load up for our last road trip in Brazil.

   Our trip home was a long one but the complete opposite of the debacle of getting to Brazil, meaning it all went smoothly. It was a great trip but as always so good to get home.

Brazil 2025 part 5

    A cold front came through last night with strong winds and the riverboat was sailing into the wind and waves. I woke up several times and could feel our ship hitting waves and rolling a bit.  Paul slept through the night and never noticed the waves at all. Consequently, we are behind schedule as far as where the captain had hoped to be this morning.

Paul and I went outside at five a.m. to look at the sunrise and came right back in. It is chilly and with the stiff wind, it is not comfortable. What a change from yesterday. After breakfast we load up in the speedboat.

    Although our boat driver stays as close to the edge of the river as he can, we are traveling into the wind. This means the wind-created waves are coming straight at us.  The river is rough and at times there will be a wave that is three feet tall, (I asked Paul about the height, and this was his estimation). Our driver must speed into these large swells to make it over them. This maneuver sends a spray of water into the boat. This is one time it is good to be sitting in the middle seats! We hardly see any birds, I assume they do not like the wind or the temperature.  Fred must see the discomfort of his charges and asks us if we want to go back to the riverboat. Every one of us agrees we want to return. Some explorers we are!

    We decide to go back out on the speedboat this afternoon, this is our last chance to explore by speed boat after all. At least the sun is out although it is still windy. We must cross some rough water but then our driver turns into a side channel which is protected from the wind, (and much smaller than the Paraguay river). We see a Toucan, a Trogan, and a Great Horned owl with two chicks in a nest so this alone was worth the trip. We arrive at a crystal-clear pool of water where a lot of the group had hoped to swim and snorkel, but it is just too cold.

    Fred sings for us one last time and gives an educational talk on Macaws. He also brings the cowboy-hat wearing chefs out and introduces them to us. We give the incredible cooks a much-deserved round of applause for all the delicious meals they have prepared for us.

    Tonight, the KC Chiefs are playing in Sao Paulo. As crazy as it seems, Paul and the man from Colorado can watch the game on the tv in the dining room. Not exactly roughing it are we?

    Today the riverboat delivers us to the town of Carumba. Upon seeing the slot where the captain must maneuver the boat into, I cannot see how in the world he will manage it. However, with seemingly little effort he pulls into the space next to another riverboat. Before we disembark the crew lines up in the prow of the boat. We shake hands, thank them for taking such good care of us and give them a well-deserved tip.

    There is a van waiting for us at the boat dock. Some of the crew loads up our luggage and we climb into the van. We are driven into the historic part of Carumba where a young woman is waiting for us. We climb back out of the van and take a walking tour in the old town of Carumba. As we walk, the young woman fills us in on the history of her town as we admire the colorful buildings.

    When our tour is over, we crawl back into the van and are driven to a house that is now a museum. The museum was the home of a wealthy couple who left the house and their belongings to the city with the intent for it to become a museum. It is filled with beautiful furniture, has a big library, and a large room dedicated to Don Quixote. The man was obsessed with Quixote. There are Quixote paintings, statues, toys, and books he collected in many languages.

    Our next stop is visiting a man who is famous for constructing guitars from native wood. We are given a tour of a room filled with memorabilia and guitars. He also strums on one of his creations while he sings to us. We end the tour in his simple workshop which is behind his house.

    Our last stop before lunch is at the top of a steep hill. There is a statue of Jesus that looks like a replica of the famous statue in Rio de Janeiro. There is also a nice bird’s eye view of Carumba.

   Time for lunch, which is in a museum dedicated to cowboy life in the Pantanal. Fred has outdone himself here. Our table is set up in the middle of the displays, and a trio of men are serenading us as we eat. We are served ten different dishes, one at a time. Though the food was delicious, and the portions small I do not think anyone was able to eat everything.  The guitar player and accordion player are excellent. They both have great voices too but when the guitarist sang on his own, I literally got goose bumps. What a haunting voice this young man has. The song I remember clearly was “Easy like Sunday Morning.” Yes, they mostly sang American songs.

    It is time to journey to the San Francisco ranch, so we say goodbye to and thank our knowledgeable guide. I tell her that her English is superb, and she thanks me for the compliment.

     After three hours on a very rough highway and some dirt roads we arrive at our destination. The first thing we see when exiting the van is a pair of Macaws eating from the unique bird feeder. The feeder is the top rail of the wooden fence that has been hollowed out. When everyone is finished snapping photos of the Macaws, Fred leads us to one of the owners who is waiting for us. The young woman points out the restaurant, the office, informs us where to drop off our laundry, etc. We are shown to our rooms which are spacious, simple, and very clean. There are three beds, a half dozen wood platforms attached to the wall to set your luggage on, a small bathroom, and air conditioning. It is all we need.

    We eat supper at 6:30 but it is not just our group. The ranch has many guests here. Most are Brazilians who come for one night to enjoy the country life. They are taken on drives in trucks that carry sixty people. No thanks! The guests also enjoy the pools, hammocks, liquor, and the buffet. Our supper is good but a step or two down from our meals on the riverboat.

    After supper we go on a night drive. I am a little uncomfortable with the spotlighting but that is the only way you will see anything. We get lucky and our spotter finds an ocelot hunting by the edge of the road. The small cat catches what our spotter thinks is a guinea pig. We watch from a distance as she gobbles it down. We sit and wait and sure enough the ocelot comes towards us with no fear at all. She goes into a field and this time we clearly see her pounce on something. Since it does not take her long to consume it the guides figure it is a mouse. Cool, we had hoped to see an ocelot and that can be checked off the list.  We also see crab-eating foxes and some owls. I also am surprised at how the animals and birds don’t seem to be affected by the spotlight. We get back to our rooms around ten o’clock, tired but happy.