3.23.2010

jacarés, tuiuius and capybaras, oh my!

This is the Transpantaneira.
transpantaneira
147 kilometers of elevated dirt road with 126 bridges over swampy wetlands. And lots of wildlife to be encountered along the way.

So I followed my knife-wielding guide one non-rainy afternoon to check it out. (Can a knife in a sling be considered a fashion accessory in Brazil?)
my armed guide to the Pantanal

Pantanal Panda.
pantanal panda 2

Capybaras,
the world's largest rodent, can be seen crossing the Transpantaneira en famille.
capybara_xing2

They are quite adorable, kind of like a giant guinea pig! Cuteness!
capybara & cow

I would not describe all animals of the Pantanal as cute. Especially the ones that got their eye on you. Like this jacaré, a cousin to the alligator.
jacaré 2

Creepy, yes. Cute, no.
jacaré 4

Even though there are said to be three jacarés per human in this region, the colorful tuiuiu remains the symbol of the Pantanal. Pure beauty & elegance.
tuiuiu

From my saddle, nary a jacaré was missed...
jacaré 3

nor were these purple flowers...
purple flower

nor these snail eggs...
snail eggs

nor this fox...
fox

nor this rainbow.
rainbow

The Pantanal provided a pleasant change of pace from my experience cycling elsewhere in Brazil.
KT_Pantanal
And yes, that is a plastic poncho tied around my waist.

7 comments:

Julz said...

aiaiai... Looove your photos! Makes me smile com saudades :)

Kristin Tieche said...

Obrigada, Julz!

kfg said...

". . .kind of like a giant guinea pig!"

But with more good eatin' on 'em.

". . .this jacaré . . ."

Don't say "Hey," to a jacaré,
best to tip your hat and slowly back away.

Kristin Tieche said...

Well said, kfg! Though I'm more of a pescatarian, so bbq capybara is all you.

kfg said...

Actually, I'm a vegetarian myself, but that don't mean I don't know how the world works.

Kristin Tieche said...

In Peru, people eat guinea pigs, but I didn't see capybaras being consumed anywhere in Brazil. ;-)

Julz said...

You should go to my hometown...kkkk "jacarés" (taste like chicken and fish together) and "capybaras" (taste like pork, quite rich) - I prefer jacarés :P