Friday - Tortuga Negra, Santa Cruz

Tortuga Negra (Black Turtle Cove)
This morning we all got up early and piled in the pangas for the final Galapagos Adventure. We were going to ride through the mangroves at Black Turtle Cove and not have any landing. I wondered how it was going to be different than the panga ride through the mangrove at Elizabeth Bay, and thought this was probably a wasted day.

I couldn't have been more wrong! One of the first things we saw was an early morning feeding frenzy of blue footed boobies. There were 100s of them - maybe 1000s!! They moved as an entire flock, then dive bombed the water. After a minute or two, the flock would fly to another nearby area of the cove, and dive again. Watching the blue footed boobies dive is amazing. They pull their wings in close to their body and dive straight down, like a torpedo or bullet. A few times I nearly had to duck as the flock flew over us, and I was hit more than once with the water from their splash. Being caught in this swirling mass of diving boobies was one of the highlights of the trip!



As the sun came further up, the flock of boobies broke up, with a few remaining in the area, but many heading far out of our sight. We then continued through the mangroves, spotting lots of animal life under the water. One person on the other panga spotted a sea horse. We all tried to crowd around and see it, but I never got a good look at it.



Also under the surface of the water were lots of sea turtles, white tipped reef sharks, a couple of sting rays, and more impressively, a large group of golden cownose rays! They were absolutely beautiful as the glided through the water. I was really happy that I brought my polarizing filter with me!

As we slowly paddled through the cove, I spotted a few pelicans. One of them happened to be sitting on a nest with a chick. I don't think I've seen a pelican chick before, so this was a special goodbye treat.

After about an hour and half, it was back to the Beluga for breakfast and to make one last pass at my cabin to make sure everything was packed. Then we climbed into the panga one last time for our final trip to shore. I must say, I'm not going to miss having to get in and out of the panga!

Once on shore, we waited for the bus to pick us up for the airport, and the crew followed with our bags. We checked our bags at the airport, got a special Galapagos Island stamp in the passport, and had about an hour to shop for trinkets before heading back to Quito.

What a great trip!!

Saturday - Quito

I arrived back in Quito on Friday afternoon and took a taxi to my hotel. I got the same room as I had a week earlier. I spent most of the rest of the afternoon taking a much needed nap, and then wandered around the Mariscal district (gringo Quito) for the rest of the evening. I decided to have dinner in an Italian restaurant a few blocks from my hotel, and walked in to find Hildegard and Klaus. I joined them at their table and we had a nice dinner. They then walked me back to my hotel, since it was on the way to theirs.

On Saturday, I debated whether to catch a bus to Mindo for the day or even Otovalo. Instead, I decided to check out the market at El Ejido park. When I got there, I wasn't in a very shopping mood, and wandered around for a while, but really didn't feel like dealing with the crowds or looking at stand after stand of practically the same stuff. There were a few nice paintings, but they wouldn't have fit my decor, so I wasn't really interested in them.

Since Carolina Park was fairly close, I hopped in a cab and headed over there to visit the botanical gardens. The park was huge, and the gardens were on the opposite side of the park from where the cab dropped me off. I'm glad I didn't tip him!

As I walked through the park, I watched a dog obedience class for a while. There were also several exercise classes going on - aerobics, T'ai chi, etc. Despite all the families and activity in the park, there were also quite a few people that looked unsavory. I felt a little uncomfortable walking through the park alone. In fact, I had that general feeling of discomfort througout Quito.

Once I found the entrance to the gardens, I paid my $2 admission and went in. Once inside, I felt a little safer. I decided that a criminal would probably mug somebody in the park for free, rather than pay $2 to do it in the garden (and then have to pass security on the way out).

The gardens were fairly small, but had quite a bit of diversity, and were nicely laid out. One of the highlights of the garden is that it houses 1200 orchid species, along with representative plants from a half dozen ecosystems in Ecuador.

There were lots of benches so you could sit and enjoy the plants and birds. As I was taking a nice break and just enjoying the gardens, I saw the weirdest looking bird. It looked a lot like a large humming bird, but had a tail nearly three times its body length. It was difficult to take a picture of, but I got a quick shot of it when it stopped to drink out of a puddle (see pink square in the picture).

I think it is either a black-tailed trainbearer or a green-tailed trainbearer. These links take you to better pictures than what I took. Just seeing that bird was pretty cool and worth the trip to the gardens!

After leaving the gardens, I headed back to my hotel for a late afternoon nap. After waking up, I walked a few blocks for an early dinner. My flight was at 6:30 the following morning, so I needed to call it an early night and get everything packed and ready to leave the hotel by 4:00 am. The next morning, I said goodbye to Ecuador.

[I finally edited my Day 1 in Quito entry to include pictures of historic Quito]

Galapagos Summary and Tips

One of the greatest challenges when booking a Galapagos trip is figuring out which islands to visit. In part, this is going to vary by the time of year. Which animals do you want to see? Do you want to see them in mating season or with newly born young? Do you need to snorkel in warm water or could you handle the cold water? (You don't want to miss snorkeling!)

During my trip during late September / early October, I knew I was missing most of the young of the blue footed boobies, but I was there in time to see the mating rituals of the waved albatross and the frigate birds.

Below are the islands I visited and the animals that I thought were highlights of each site:

North Seymour

• frigate birds and swallow-tailed gulls

Española

• Gardner Bay - sea lions, sally lightfoot crabs
• Punta Suarez - waved albatross, nazca boobies, red-billed tropic birds, marine iguanas (bright red and green), mocking birds

Floreana

• Punta Cormorant- flamingos, sting rays
• Post Office Bay - horse flies, snorkeling with sea lions

Santa Cruz

• Puerta Ayora - tortoises at the Darwin Research Center, finches
• Highlands - wild tortoises
• Tortuga Negra - blue footed boobies, golden cownose rays, pelicans

Isabela

• Punta Moreno - flamingos, white tipped reef sharks
• Elizabeth Bay - sea turtles, penguins, herons
• Urvina Bay - land iguanas, painted locusts, mocking birds

Fernandina

• Punta Espinoza - flightless cormorants, galapagos hawk, marine iguanas

Santiago

• South James Bay - fur seals, galapagos scorpion, yellow warbler

Bartolome

• penguins

General Tips:

1. Read as much as you can about the animals and geology of the islands before you go. That way you already have an idea of what to look for on each of the islands and what it looks like. While the guide was pointing out animals for much of the rest of the boat and telling them about the biology/ecology of those animals, I was able to half listen and concentrate on getting better pictures. Plus, I didn't need to write down that slide #243 was a nazca boobie, because I was already able to identify it.
2. Selecting your yacht can be a daunting task. You have to balance the itinerary you want with the cost, level of comfort, and availability. Even after doing that, be prepared to be flexible, since your yacht and itinerary is still subject to change (weather, mechanical issues, or "lost" reservations).
3. On the smaller yachts, "luxury" really isn't luxury. I went on the "luxury" yacht Beluga. The Beluga was clean, comfortable, served excellent meals, and provided good customer service. However, the cabins were still very small. Only soap was provided (no shampoo or other toiletries typically associated with luxurious accomodations). The only reason this really stands out to me is that I accidentally packed a container of body wash, rather than shampoo. I noticed this the first day in Quito, and decided not to buy a small bottle of shampoo because I was sure that my luxury yacht would provide some. I was wrong. I spent the cruise washing my hair with body wash and soap - although not a big deal, it is something to know.
4. While the trails are fairly short (typically 1-2 km) and relatively flat, the terrain can be very uneven and rocky. If you have weak ankles or balance problems, be sure to bring sturdy shoes and even a walking stick. I found both to be very useful.
5. You also need to be able to get in and out of the pangas. You will do this multiple times a day - from the yacht, to the island, from the island, to the yacht, and often times in/out at open sea while snorkeling. Sometimes the waves are quite rough, so again balance is required. If you are clumsy or heavy/fat, inflatable zodiacs are more stable than "canoe shaped" boats. Just something else to consider when booking your yacht.
6. If you visit August - October, the water will be cold. You don't want to miss snorkeling, so a wet suit comes in very handy (it is a necessity if you can't handle cold water). You will want to check to see if your yacht rents wet suits and snorkel equipment. If not, you will want to provide your own. If you are a difficult size to fit (especially very large), your yacht may not have anything that will fit you (or if you need a prescription lens in your snorkel mask). Be prepared and bring your own. It's worth the extra cost and effort, so you don't miss snorkeling.
7. Bring lots of sunscreen and use it EVERYWHERE. Make sure to get your feet, back of legs, ears, neck, and even top of head if you don't wear a hat or have thick hair.
8. Most important, bring your sense of humor. Being in close quarters with a dozen or so strangers for a full week can be a challenge if you aren't willing to go with the flow and laugh once in a while.

Galapagos Planning: T minus 2 days and counting

I'm finally starting to get used to the idea of the new itinerary. I went to the library yesterday and looked up a couple of books on the Galapagos that had a lot of pictures. The following two books had some spectacular pictures.




"The Galapagos Islands" by Pierre Constant 2006






"Galapagos, islands born of fire" by Tui De Roy 1998



Some of the most spectacular pictures were taken on Fernandina and Isabela, although I'm not sure they were from areas that I will actually see. Hopefully I will at least see some of the spectacular scenery.

The other thing that is making me a little happier with the itinerary is that currently is appears as though I may have a room to myself on the Beluga. When I look at ship availability for my dates, there currently shows 1 berth available and noted with female share, last minute rate.

Galapagos Trip - Planning

Bumped into an "upgrade" 

Back in May, I booked a Galapagos Island cruise on the yacht, Fragata, which was scheduled to leave later this month. Today, I received an email with the following information:

Due to an unintentional error on behalf of the operator of the Fragata, they have upgraded you to the Luxury class motor yacht, Beluga! For more information on this yacht, feel free to go to http://www.enchantedexpeditions.com/yachts_beluga.htm

While the "new" yacht is probably nicer than the Fragata (it costs more than 2X that of the Fragata), I didn't pick the cruise based on the yacht. I picked it based on the itinerary. With the Fragata, I would visit Genovesa, Santa Fe, and South Plazas islands. The Beluga does not go to any of these three islands! Instead, it goes to Fernandina and a couple of places on Isabela islands.

I'm sure these are very nice, but I spent weeks researching the different islands and which animals I wanted to see. I was willing to pass on seeing the flightless cormorant (on Isabela) to see the red footed boobies, red-billed tropic birds, and short eared owls on Genovesa. (I can see the latter two birds on some of the islands that remain the same for both itineraries, but they aren't as "easy" to find on those islands as the ones I am giving up) Both Santa Fe and South Plazas are excellent places to see land iguanas. I'm not sure I will see them on Isabela.

While I'm sure that I will have a great time once I'm there, I can't help but feel extremely disappointed that the trip I invested a great deal of thought into planning (and paid for months ago) was drastically changed so close to my departure!

Bank robbery? 

 I went to the bank today to get cash for my trip to Ecuador. There were several 'unsavory' looking people in line, so I decided to write down the amounts of each denomination that I wanted, rather than being overheard talking to the bank teller. I found a piece of paper in my bag, and wrote down that information, then at the top of the page scrawled "Crisp Unmarked Bills!"

I then wrapped that piece of paper around my withdrawal slip, bank card, and driver's license. When I got to the window, I slid the whole thing under the glass, oblivious that the only thing he could see was

Crisp Unmarked Bills!

It took me a split second to realize why he had a look of panic on his face and then I quickly corrected the looming problem by telling him to unfold the paper - that my ID and withdrawal slip were inside. He chuckled and told me that "unmarked bills" is a term that I should avoid during future trips to the bank. D'uh!

That problem solved, the teller tried to fulfill my request of a specific number of each denomination that was crisp, clean, and free of any tears or extraneous markings. He had to dig through several tellers' drawers in order to find enough bills that fit the order. Finally he got everything I needed, and as he was handing me the money, he commented that it probably would have been easier if I had held him up!

*The official currency of Ecuador is the US dollar. I read on several tourist information sites and guide books that it is best to carry small bills, and that it is hard to get people to accept the bills if they are torn, dirty, worn out, or have writing on them. Hence my desire to have small unmarked bills.

Mensa World Gathering 2006

I just got back from spending 5 days at the Mensa World Gathering in Orlando. According to the press, over 2000 people from over 38 countries attended. I'm not really sure how to describe the experience.

I spent most of my time with the Gen-X SIG, some of whom are part of my core group of friends in Phoenix, some were people that I met at previous gatherings, and a number were new people that I just met. The Gen-X events were well attended and a lot of fun - even when the Disney cops made us disperse to the hospitality room. In fact, the hospitality room was a great place to really get to know individuals better. A group of 6 of us spent the entire night in hospitality talking until the mid-hours of the morning (I went to bed at 9:45 am).

One person in the group of 6 that stayed up all night (and in the group of 3 that stayed up until 3:30 the following night) was a guy named John. He was cute, fun, witty, nice, smart (I guess that one's a given at a Mensa event) and just so adorable I wanted to take him home with me! We exchanged emails, so hopefully we will remain in touch.

Another of those in the group was Shawn, from the reality TV show Beauty and the Geek. Shawn gave a presentation the previous day on what it was like to be on the show. His presentation was fun, light, and very funny. In addition to having a "cute geekiness" to him, it turned out that he was a very fun, witty, funny, and genuinely nice guy. (I know guys hate to be called "nice" but Shawn really is - and in a good way.)

In addition to all the good memories, I also had too many encounters with creepy lecherous men who lacked social skills - they stood too close when they talked, they stared at inappropriate places on your body, they opened conversations with off-color jokes, and they tried to ignore the "hug dots".

Hug dots come in three colors:

• green indicates that the wearer is willing to be hugged by anyone - friend, foe, pedophile, letch, leper, etc;
• yellow tells potential huggers to ask the wearer for permission before touching;
• red means "hands off!"

As far as I know, Mensa is the only organization that implements these hug dots, for a membership that obviously can't read social signals on their own. This makes me question the whole premise of Mensans being the top 2% of the population in intelligence. Obviously the tests used to determine Mensa eligibility do not include all 7 of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. I think it probably only measures three of them:

• Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
• Linguistic Intelligence
• Spatial Intelligence

It leaves the other 4 intelligences out:

• Musical Intelligence
• Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
• Intrapersonal Intelligence
• Interpersonal Intelligence

It seems like there should be a test that requires Mensans to score at least in the 50th percentile for interpersonal intelligence - although it seems like too many are in the bottom 2%.

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence was something else that was lacking in some members. The Gen-X group hosted a dodgeball tournament. Two people were injured - one enough to require a wheelchair for the duration of the gathering (and probably the next month or so). I feel sorry for him when he gets home and back to work. Imagine having to explain to your friends and coworkers that you are in a wheelchair because a bunch of nerds and geeks kicked your @ss in dodgeball!

Brazil Adventure (Aug 18-Sept 2, 2005)

Because I really enjoyed the trip I took to Rio a couple of years ago, I decided to return to Brazil and see more of the country. I picked three main regions I wanted to visit:

1. Iguassu Falls (Brazil and Argentina sides)
2. the Pantanal
3. Garopaba, to see right whales.

Aug 18

I flew to Houston, than changed planes in Sao Paulo and Curitiba, before arriving in in Foz do Iguacu.

Aug 22

After visiting Iguassu Falls, I caught a flight to Campo Grande and then a bus to the Pantanal and later Bonito. After visiting both, I returned to Campo Grande for the night.

Aug 29

I flew from Campo Grande to Florianopolis than headed to Garopaba

Sept 2

Left Garopaba and then flew from Florianopolis to Sao Paulo, then to Houston and back home.

Foz do Iguaçu

My first afternoon, I arrived in the town of Foz do Iguacu, Brazil. I checked into the Hotel Rouver and dumped my stuff, then took a walk to explore the city. I was pretty worn out from traveling all day, so had an early dinner and then collapsed on the bed for the night. The next morning I woke bright and early, had breakfast, then caught a city bus to Iguacu Falls. Iguacu Falls consists of 275 falls, forming a gigantic semi-circle 2.5 km long, with millsions of gallons of thundering water plunging to depths 75m below. The falls are located at the border of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, and bring together the Iguassu and Parana rivers.
On the Brazilian side of the falls, the trails are mostly concrete (sidewalks) with wooden railings to prevent you from falling into the waters below. There are a few steps and some grade changes, but it is a nice leisurely stroll, unless you are part of a tour. Then they march you right along.
There were lots of birds along the trail, including this toco toucan. It didn't seem to shy around people either.

I brought Benigni along with me, so I had to take an obligatory picture of him. I tried to get the rainbow to look like it was going in the glass. The final picture didn't quite have the effect I was going for, because a toucan swooped down and tried to steal Benigni. I had to hang on for dear life. Benigni's stem was already damaged from a prior journey, and the toucan ended up damaging it further. I had all I could do to keep it in one piece and in my possession.

There were also quite a few butterflies in the area. Over 700 species have been identified in the park.
I also happened to catch this pair of mating grasshoppers "in the act".
But the real attraction was the falls.

The waters above the falls are deceptively tranquil.

Despite tons of signs warning not to feed the coatis, people did anyway. The restaurant had to hire people whose sole job it was to chase away the coaties. I almost lost half of my sandwich to one. I let go of it to take a drink and one of the sneaky devils almost snatched it off my table. After that I was more careful.
Don't let their cuteness fool you. One man had a sack of apples and they ran up and ripped open his sack and attacked the apples. Then they chased him looking for more.

I spent most of the day in the park, but left a little bit of time to visit the bird park that is just outside the main entrance to the falls. I'm glad I did, because seeing the birds here made it easier for me to identify wild birds throughout my trip.

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

The next morning, I got up and caught a bus to Iguazu Falls, Argentina. After going through customs at the border and changing busses at Puerto Iguazu, I was on my way to the park.

The Argentina side of the falls felt much more developed. There were several trails instead of just the single trail, so it didn't feel nearly as crowded. The Brazilian side gave more of a panoramic view, but the Argentina side let you get up close and personal to the falls, especially the lower circuit trails.

Great dusky swifts (vencejos) perched on the rocks by the falls. These birds flitted in and out of the falls catching insects.

Salto Bossetti - you could feel the mist from these falls.

A small waterfall and lagoon on the Lower Circuit trail. It looked like the perfect place for a swim (if not for the sign prohibiting swimming).

The calm surface waters plunge into the Devil's throat (Garganta del Diablo).
The roar of the falls was almost deafening, but the spray felt fantastic.

The Argentina side of the falls didn't have nearly the problem with coatis as the Brazil side. Unfortunately, an even worse pest attacked your lunch....wasps!

After a day at the falls, it was back on the bus to Brazil for dinner and sleep. The next morning, I had an early flight to Campo Grande.

Escape from the Pantanal

The part of my trip that I looked most forward to was visiting the Pantanal. Unfortunately, this was the most disastrous part of the trip! Despite that, I still crack up every time I think of my escape from the pantanal.

(Mom and dad - if you are reading this, stop now! There are some things you don't want to know!)

I had priced a few pantanal tours before heading there, but decided to wait and book once I arrived at the Campo Grande bus station (all the travel guides claimed that this was easy to do .... it wasn't). Forgetting the mantra "You get what you pay for" I decided to go cheap and book a budget tour. The nice girl at the bus station that sold me the tour explained that it was a rugged farm and not a hotel, sleeping was barrack-style in bunks, there was a shared bathroom, and there was electricity for only about 4 hours a day. I convinced myself that this would be a good idea. Silly me!

From Campo Grande, I took the bus to Buraco das Piranhas (Piranha hole) and waited for my tour to pick me up. Basically, the bus drops you off on the highway close to the middle of nowhere (there is a pay phone, forest ranger station, and drink stand). I sat in the sun (with a big box of rations that the tour girl put on the bus with me) for almost 2 hours before my tour arrived.

I was greeted by a ragged pickup truck. It had benches strapped on to it with fraying rope and 4 "girls" in the back. There was a footstep underneath the truck and I was supposed to shove my foot 4 inches under the truck, pull myself up, and swing my leg over a fence that was built on the gate of the truck. Yeah, right. Sure. That was going to happen!

Because I was too uncoordinated to climb up over the flimsy fence put around the back of the truck bed, I got to ride in the front seat. It was difficult to find a place to put my feet, since most of the floor had been rusted out. Between me and the driver was an oil can that leaked, dripping oil down the side of my leg when we went over a big bump.

The driver, who was also the owner of the fazenda (farm), could only speak Portuguese. I speak very little Portuguese. It didn't matter that I didn't know what he was saying. The truck was so loud I could barely hear him, and enough dust to choke me was coming up from the floorboards and through the window that didn't have glass.

It was dark by the time we were back at the farm. I was handed a bottom sheet and shown my bed. No top sheet, no blanket, no pillow. The mattress was oddly warped from body dents on both sides. Lovely. I had been told that there were separate areas for men and women to sleep. I pictured two bunk houses. It was actually the left row of bunks were for women and the right row were for the men (who also consisted of the farm hands, tour guides, and cook).

After dinner we had a campfire. At the campfire, we were promised caipirinhas, but instead got straight cachaça - which was passed around in a single cup for 9 people! (us 5 women, the owner Durvan, his son Flavio (who was also a guide), another guide Rodrigo, and the cook). Durvan and Flavio acted like they hadn't seen women in years and kept staring at and brushing up against all 5 of us women and tried to get us really drunk. It was pretty creepy - good thing there was safety in numbers. The single cup passed around in a big circle, and if one of us women passed it without drinking, Flavio would try to force us to drink. We got to the point where we would put the cup to our mouths and pretend to drink just to keep Flavio away from us.

Flavio had a crush on one of the French girls. She didn't speak any Portuguese, so she asked me if I could tell Flavio that she wasn't interested. I conveyed the message, but he didn't seem to care. Finally she asked me if I would pretend to be her girlfriend, hoping he would get the message. That seemed to help - a little.

During the evening, Flavio and Rodrigo got into an argument. I don't know if I had too much to drink or didn't know enough words in Portuguese, but I convinced myself that Flavio was threatening to chop up Rodrigo and feed him to the piranhas, because nobody would ever find the body. This was not a comforting thought! Finally, the men passed out and we could go to bed.

I woke up early the next morning and took a 2 hour walk at sunrise (the bed was killing my back, so I couldn't have slept longer if I wanted). By the time I came back, everyone else was waking up and getting ready for breakfast. I went to use the toilet, and it was full of a brown murky liquid. I flushed it thinking somebody before me didn't flush, but then it refilled with the same brown murky liquid. I realized that it must be river water. After flushing, I hopped in the shower. It wasn't until I was rinsing shampoo out of my hair that I realized that the big cistern providing water to the shower had a pipe that ran directly to the toilet. I was showering in the same brown murky water. EEwwwww! So much for a clean and refreshing shower!

The four girls were on the last day of their tour and were scheduled for a horseback ride. Because it was my first full day, I was schedule for a nature walk. They got stuck with Flavio, I got Rodrigo. Flavio was icky and creepy - Rodrigo was nice, "safe" and really cute! ... and he spoke a decent amount of English. He and I had a nice 4-hour walk. I saw all sorts of animals and got great pictures, and we talked about the camp. He confirmed that my interpretation of the evening's argument was pretty close to what was said. That did not make me feel comfortable. I told him I was a bit uneasy about staying at the farm by myself after the girls left today, if no new tourists arrived. He told me that he was getting a bad energy from the place, but assured me that he would protect me from Flavio, or he would help me escape if I wanted to leave early. He even told me what time the last bus of the day passes Buraco das Piranhas.

We got back to the farm in time for a late lunch and an afternoon nap. While I was trying to nap on a hammock, Flavio and Rodrigo argued again. I saw Flavio show Rodrigo his knife - and not in a friendly way. A little bit later on, Rodrigo told me that my afternoon activity was piranha fishing - and that Flavio was insisting on taking me and didn't want Rodrigo to go. YIKES!!!!!!!!

I flashed Rodrigo a look of panic! He didn't look thrilled either. I told him "Let's go!" He told me to tell Durvan that I was sick. In my broken Portuguese, I told him I was very sick and needed a doctor. I must have been pounding my chest to emphasize the point, because he asked if it was my heart. I seized this opportunity and shook my head yes, then emphasized that I thought my heart was dying (I didn't know how to say heart attack) and that I needed a doctor or hospital.

That got him running. He got the truck started while I tossed all my clothes into my bag. Rodrigo packed too, claiming that he needed to stay with me on the bus in case I needed help. The drive to the highway was about 45 minutes on a dirt "road", but the bus was due to arrive in about a half hour. Every time Durvan started to slow down because of road conditions, I would clutch my chest, grimace, and moan in pain. That would cause him to speed up again.

We arrived at the highway just as the bus came into view. Two minutes later, Rodrigo and I were boarding the bus to Bonito. I found a seat on the bus and broke out into giggles, which turned into laughs, until tears were streaming down my face. Just thinking about faking a heart attack to leave the scary farm in the Pantanal started the giggles all over again. Every now and then, Rodrigo would make eye contact with me from across the bus and we would both break out in laughter. I giggled most of the 5 hour bus ride to Bonito.

Even though my "cheap" 4d/3n tour was shortened to a 1d/1n tour (I didn't even ask for a refund) I still crack up when I think about it!