Walking in the Pantanal

We were going for a trek through the jungle but to get to a good spot we had a ride on the back of a truck. We had not gone 100m when we came across jaguar prints. It was ironic that we had driven for miles along tracks through the jungle and we had a visitor just q1oom from the entrance to the posada. I reflected whether I would have slept in a hummock in the open had I known that there was a jaguar walking about not far away from me.

a little further on we stopped to observe a tortoise although it followed its defensive option and pulled its head in and its legs. We watched for a while and then it tentatively put its legs out and tried to walk backwards to get away from us. We drove on to leave it alone.

There were toucans flying about above us marking quite a racket and occasionally grouping together in the trees.

The area is just flat wetland for as far as the eye can see.

And every where were caiman, such as two sun bathing on the island in the middle of the photo and a close up.

And another capybara.

A boa constrictor crossing the road in front f us. It was lucky as we slowed to look at it although most local traffic would swerve to run it over.

It stayed still util it saw or rather smelt us and then it slithered away quickly into the undergrowth at the side of the road.

We didn't even need to go very far to see the wildlife as there was plenty walking around the posada.

Somewhere nearby in the grass was a dead or nearly dead animal as evidenced by the vultures circling in the sky and some watching from their perches in a nearby tree.

Though some bushes we caught glimpses of some deer.

And then it was time to leave, taking the truck along the bumpy road  for an hour to get to the main road and smooth tarmac. Then it was a long two day drive to get to the coast. Driving standards vary but we saw few accidents although this lorry had taken a turn at speed and had tipped over.

We had seen plenty of railway tracks but no trains. And then we saw one parked in a siding but no engine and so far away even with a zoom that there was little to see but it proved that the lines were still used however infrequently.

The roads to date had followed the slopes of the hills without any cuttings or embankments. As we got nearer the economic powerhouse of the country on the south east coast near Sao Paulo and Rio, there were tower blocks and the road builders had made cuttings, embankments and occasionally tunnels through some of the hills.

At least we had travelled hundreds of kilometres and had reached the sea and our ext stop for a few says.