Emerging

While speaking with a loved one recently, she reminded me of a Brazilian Portuguese idiom that put some things in perspective. She told me not to look back, because there's nothing that can be done about the decisions we've made in the past, and not to give up because there are so many things worth fighting for in the future. While hindsight is 20/20, it's a waste to mull over the details (unless you are writing a biography, or it's in your job description).

The saying goes like this:

"Quem anda para trás é caranguejo. Quem fica parado é poste. Quem evolui é ser humano."

Crabs walk backwards. Posts are stationary. Humans evolve.

I immediately thought of this little guy that I met on a beach in Fortaleza. It was the first crab that I've come across that not only didn't scurry away, but hunkered down and observed... me? (Cutest thing ever!)

This expression also brought to mind that thing that I like to do on the beach, where I get just within reach of the retreating waves as they are pulled back to sea. I like to stand there in the shifting sand, seeing how far I can burrow down with each wave, becoming a human post. It's pretty easy to keep your balance until you're about mid-calf down, and a really big wave comes in. That's usually when I realize I'm stuck, and hope an even bigger one isn't right behind. Risky business. I suppose I've been guilty of this type of behavior in other arenas, as well. Hmm...

Then I remembered this commercial by Fiat. I guess the beach brings out the philosopher in all of us (or it's just a really good backdrop for marketing), or something.

The commercial shows a dog walker who tells himself that he should have been an executive, looking at an exec, who is at what appears to be an impressive lunch meeting. The executive, catching a glimpse of the seemingly glamorous life of a famous band, sighs and laments that he should have been a rock star. Later, in his tour bus, the rock star passes a beach and yearns for the more laid-back lifestyle of a lifeguard. The lifeguard, feeling overwhelmed, wishes that he had been born a crab. The crab just laughs, and says that he can't stand walking sideways anymore.  The announcer says, "Sometimes we just want to leave it all behind."


The grass is always greener on the other side even on the beach.

(...or maybe that's just us.)

Hoatzin: Here's A 'Do

The Hoatzin aka Jacu-cigano (pronounced “Zhah-koo See-GAHN-oh) [literally translated "Gypsy Guan"] is one of the most interesting birds that I've had the pleasure of encountering in my adventures around Goiás.

July means following the tradition of camping on an island in the Araguaia River Basin. When I had the opportunity to explore the more secluded areas of the surrounding waterways, I repeatedly heard what sounded like a group of angry monkeys within the forest. Turns out, it wasn't anything of the sort. It was the very vocal Hoatzin.

As we puttered down the winding canals through low-hanging branches of native plants and overgrown foliage, we were almost always ambushed at some point, by a group of Hoatzins fleeing from... us.

It was funny, because we wouldn't even be aware of their presence until they burst out of the brush, right over the boat. They would strategically wait until we were about two yards (or meters) away from wherever they were hiding, and about a dozen would burst out of the trees, screaming and flapping like crazy.

They could have just as easily remained hidden in their natural camouflage, and we never would've known they were there. Fellow campers noted that we were lucky that they weren't a bigger, fuzzier, fangier creature such as a Jaguar aka Onça (pronounced: OWN-suh). True, but that would have made a far more awesome set of pics.

I suspect that all the screaming is to momentarily catch a predator off-guard so there's no time to pursue them. (It's kinda hard to give chase mid-heart attack.) The Hoatzin is said to be a distant relative of the cuckoo which seems fitting, since they seem to be a little on the crazy side.

Hoatzins are hands down the kookiest birds I've been around, and from what I understand, they have a certain odor that has earned them the nickname "Stinkbird" in English. I'm assuming I was always upwind, so I cannot attest to their fragrance.

I can confirm their strange beauty, though. They have a periwinkle blue face, maroon eyes, wings of alternating earth tones, and a 'Do that reminds me of a certain famous Brazilian soccer star, Neymar (pronounced: "NAY-mar"). We affectionately nicknamed the birds as such.

All photos of Neymar found on Google

Regrettably, I was unable to get any clear shots due to the settings of my camera, and the effective evasive maneuvers (rapid retreat) by the subjects. Below are the precious few glimpses I did manage to catch of these fantastic feathered fugitives.

This is one of the many species allegedly found only in the Amazonian Basin further north, according to Wikipedia sources. However, I've personally been able to document several species of creatures that are "officially" off the Grid, and call the Araguaia River home. I guess we could call it the Incognito Cigano.

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Go See the Onça Pintada

It's been too long! I return bearing gifts.  They are secondhand, but I believe you will enjoy them, just the same.

 

I have to share some of the best photos of the onça pintada (pronounced: "own-suh  peen-tah-duh"), or jaguar, that I have seen, yet, in the almost six years that I have lived here. There are several national news crews that have gone on special assignment, that never quite succeeded in capturing more than a glimpse of these majestic creatures.

 

Photographer, Dev Wijewardane, has just returned from a trip to Pantanal with amazing photos of this regal beast. Visit his site to see rare shots of the onça pintada hunting capivara in Pantanal.

Here's an Idea of Who We'll See...

A trio of Roseate Spoonbills...




In Portuguese it's called a duck,
but in English it's known as an Orinoco Goose...




I'll show you the close-ups later...
See how big the Jaburus are compared to the boat?
That's a Black Skimmer passing by.




Bathing beauties...
A group of Saffron Finches...




A Burrowing Owl...




The ever-elusive Hoatzin, or "Neymar" as I like to call them...
(Just google "Neymar hairstyles" and you'll see why.)




A rare glimpse of the Great Black Hawk...




This little fish is known as the "Peixe-agulha," or Needlefish,
though it doesn't appear to have teeth like others by that name.
The ones I've seen are about 5 inches long.



I see you lookin' at me, lookin' at you...




Freshwater stingrays are everywhere.

FYI: When entering the river, you must shuffle your feet to avoid stepping on a stingray & getting a spike through your calf or foot.

I wonder who we'll see this year? Hopefully, I will be able to get a little closer to some of the more standoffish storks & herons. I still haven't seen a puma, although I did get some shots of its tracks through our camp on the first night of our last camping trip. (What a rush!)

I also finally captured a few shots of a freshwater dolphin last year, but they were only of a flipper! It looked like the boto was waving at me. I realized that they don't only toy with fishermen, but the paparazzi, as well. I will try my best to get a better pic this year.

It looks like this will be the last post until the third week of July. Feel free to explore the archives to see if there is something you missed. Comments won't show up right away, since they will only be moderated when I return. For those of you in the U-S-of-A, I hope you have a great & safe 4th!

See you soon!

To enlarge pics, right-click & open in a new window.

Pantanal, My Husband's Other Love

My man did some recon work for me on his recent fishing trip. He went to the state of Mato Grosso to fish in the area known as "Pantanal." Pantanal [pronounced: "pahn-tah-nahl"] is a tropical wetland — the largest of its kind. Think The Everglades ...only larger and more tropical.



Transpantaneira [pronounced: (nasally) "trahnz-pahn-tah-nay-rduh"] is a famous road that runs through this portion of Pantanal, from the town of Poconé to Porto Jofre, on the Cuiabá River. It is known for the 122 bridges made of wooden planks. My husband stopped to take a picture of the starting point. You'll notice that the signs are in English and Portuguese. This is because Pantanal is a popular fishing destination for Europeans.

To enlarge pics, right-click & open in a new window.

Pantanal is teeming with wildlife. Capivaras [pronounced: "cah-pee-vah-rdahz"] (capybaras) and jacarés [pronounced: "jah-kah-rdayz"] (alligators) are everywhere. So are the rest of the 1,000 bird species, 400 fish species, 300 mammalian species, 480 reptile species, and over 9,000 different subspecies of invertebrates.

My guy said that there are so many capivaras that they lie in groups in the road, oblivious to vehicles trying to pass. They are apparently more stubborn than a herd of cows — or more carefree. Before you think that is because cows tend to have a certain fate, apparently so do the largest rodents in the world. People eat them, as well. A friend actually had some capivara meatballs when he first arrived in Brazil. He said that he ate the dish before he knew which meat it was.

I haven't had the "pleasure."




I think the capivaras are too cute to eat — especially in the pictures that my man snapped. This series of pictures had me grinning when I saw just how close the truck came to these lounging furballs ...but the final one of nothing but skin and shafts of hair, caught when he simply stuck his arm outside of the window, cracked me up. They really were that close.








My guy knows how much I love wildlife, so he promised to take me back with him on the next trip. I can't wait! I'll be able to get up close & personal with the many different creatures that call this region home.

Incidentally, we will be leaving in a week to camp along the Araguaia River, among the creatures from that region. This year's trip will be almost 3 weeks long, so I will not be posting or moderating comments from June 26th through July 14th.

When we return I will hopefully have tons of photos of creatures to show and tell. I am determined to get good footage of the freshwater dolphins this year — like every other year! We (meaning me & my partner in hijinx: my nephew) are also planning on filming the sequel to The Araguaia Monster (O Monstro do Araguaia) featuring my nephew in the title role.

Boating Buddies

This last trip to the lake, we came into contact with all kinds of critters. It seemed like we had an almost magnetic pull with certain creatures of the 8-legged sort. Fortunately, we survived... and so did they.

No creepy-crawlies were harmed in the process of jumping away in terror, and then rummaging through bags to find the camera.



The first subject was about 5 inches in diameter... and under my seat.

Since it escaped and was lying in wait hid out somewhere in the boat, I showed the pic to locals in the area, who assured me it's not poisonous, before I agreed to board again. If anyone has any information to the contrary, please let me know - I'm officially keeping track of my near-death experiences.

As spiders go, this one was truly a beauty.

That's not something I'm accustomed to saying in regards to arachnids - not to mention, the prettier ones are usually venomous - but this one had the neatest texture & coloring.

(I'm only a fan if they refrain from sudden movements and/or jumping. As long as they keep their urge to be near me in check, we can be buds... from afar.)

So, from where I sit [next to Miss Muffet, long after she ran away and met her buds at a local cafe to tell her tale] my guess is that it is a wood spider, due to the similar markings of trees in the area.





The second subject was very nearly a new glove/mask set, which still makes me hyperventilate slightly, just thinking about it...

This thing was in the dark, finishing off a meal on the deck of a houseboat that had some secret stash of bait, or something. All of the fishermen were stopping there on the way out, so I assume that's why we went there.

Are you picking up on a general lack of communication? Me, too.

Truthfully, my fright wiped my memory banks of the minutes surrounding the event of almost wearing this thing - which was more than big enough to make me look like Tom Hardy's Bane character in the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises (the final film in the Christopher Nolan-directed Batman trilogy).

How did this happen, you ask?

Indeed.

As a last-ditch effort at catching something while out with my husband for some night fishing [aka stargazing], we stopped by the houseboat of secret-y stuff... As we docked, I stuck my hand out to brace my part of the boat (my vision limited by what little moonlight was coming through the nearby trees).

I felt a spider web.

I no longer cared if the boat hit anything (excluding, of course, a massive nest of spiders that might soon fill the boat, after ramming through and relocating their webby home right into our laps) quickly found my flashlight, only to discover it was literally in my face.

It was so big, the two guys on the boat couldn't believe it, either.

*Cough*

They screamed yelled, too!

I nearly did a limp backward roll into the water on the other side, but my fear of dark, murky water (infested with piranhas and such) kept me in place.

Upon review of this photo, [I can no longer relive the incident] I see a strong resemblance with the Grinch.

If you look closely at the head (and ignore the legs of some other creature hanging out of its mouth) I think you'll see a mini Grinch face that may or may not reflect a certain amount of animosity.

Let me know if I'm seeing things.

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Now Where Was I...

Something about this Guinea Hen I snapped last October, struck me as the poster bird for this familiar feeling.

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Phobias of the Creeping and Jumping Kind

Do you find this creature cute or terrifying?

I think it's cute! Personally, the only time I was a little apprehensive around these things is the time when I was stuck in a bathroom with 2 of these high-speed froggies, that were literally bouncing off the walls. They looked like a pair of super high bouncing balls. My only concern was what would happen if they accidentally landed in my hair. Would they get stuck? Would I unintentionally hurt one trying to free it from my hair?


Other than that, I find these creatures adorable. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I don't plan to be holdin' one any time soon! I appreciate that they catch mosquitoes & bugs, and provide entertainment for my kitty. (It gives her something to watch & do the kitty-twitch at...)


However, there are a lot of women here who hate these creatures, known as pererecas (tree frogs) and are terrified of them. Some women are so scared of these things, that they will run to the kitchen and grab salt to pour on them! :( Others demand that the nearest male catch and remove it from the premises.

I'm not sure why these bouncy little things are so vilified. I've asked if they are some unusual poisonous species, to which I've found out: no, they just lose out in the looks department.

Speaking of losing in the looks department, here's another creature that is sure to creep out the ladies. It is the common house gecko.


This albino gecko isn't much of a looker, that's for sure, but geckos catch & eat mosquitoes and other insects. Mosquitoes around these parts can carry the Dengue Fever virus. In my book, that makes the gecko my friend. A gecko a day, keeps the Dengue away.

What about you? Are you scared of these creepin' creatures, or like me, do you not pay them much attention?

What are your feelings on geckos and tree frogs?
	(squeals) Cute!!!
	(shrieks) Augh!! Someone help!
	(shrugs) I don't really notice them.
	(shivers) I can't even think about them.
	(smiles) I have one as a pet - wanna hold it?
	(sneers) Kill 'em all!
pollcode.com free polls

Five Facts For Foreigners - Volume VIII

Fun New Fishing Feats

One of the main draws in the state of Goiás is the Rio Araguaia (Araguaia River) for the unique fishing experience, and abundance of fish species. Here are a few facts you should know if you want to look like a fishing pro. Things are done a little differently down here. Get ready for a wild ride!

1. This isn't your grandpa's tranquil, traditional fishing experience. When you catch a fish be sure to hoot, holler and scream in delight. Apparently noise has no effect on catching fish in these parts, and as such it is a lively experience.
   
   


2. Make sure you bring your heavy-duty pliers. They come in handy when you need to remove/break the jaw of any piranha you catch & would like to keep. (You can't exactly just throw them in with the rest of the catch, otherwise.) The pliers are also used for other species of fish that have poisonous barbs that must be clipped in order to handle them, should you decide to keep the fish.
   
   It is for these reasons that I no longer fish. It’s too brutal. I am a “bleeding heart,” if you will, and cannot stand to see anything suffer – not even a piranha. I understand that something has to die in order to be eaten, but until I can find a humane way to achieve that, I prefer not to be a part of it. That’s just my personal preference. My motto is, “Kill it - fast!!! (...or leave it alone!)”
   
   

   Safest way to handle a piranha: a metal cage.

3. Avoid any sweet-smelling sunscreens or bug sprays. This will attract more bees, hornets, and other wasps than you have ever seen in your life. Jumping into the water with the piranha will suddenly seem like a good idea. True story.




Pic found through Google Images.

4. What in the world is that noise? It is a dolphin expelling air through its blow hole. There are freshwater dolphins in Amazon tributaries as far south as central Brazil, but they don't look like “regular” dolphins of the sea. There are two types of dolphins: one is the 'traditional' grey, and the other is pink. (I have yet to see a pink one.) All kinds of stories & strange folklore surround these pink dolphins, but they are usually treated with disdain by fishermen for the occasional theft of their catch.
   
   

   Image found on Wikipedia.

5. Never go running into the river or lake for a swim. Freshwater stingrays are common in Brazil. The smaller ones like to stay in the shallow areas along the bank, so one must be careful when entering the water. Keep your eyes peeled, and shuffle your way to the desired depth. If you were to inadvertently step on a stingray - no matter how small - its instincts would be to defend itself with the poisonous barb on the end of its tail. This could be a major problem for your calf (and health) since the hospital is more than a few hours away.
   
   Stingrays are timid creatures. They tend to steer clear of humans. The smaller ones scurry away in a cloud of murky water, and the bigger ones seem to be gentle giants. There have been instances where they unintentionally grabbed the bait on a fisherman’s hook, like this enormous one a friend caught in July 2008. (It was released after the photo op.)
   
   
   

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Newfound Friend in Fortaleza

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Fabulous Feathers and Marvelous Masks - Carnaval in the Country

During Carnaval this year, I got to see all of the colorful displays and fancy feathers without all of the noise.

Well, except for the fight I witnessed between a couple of Caracaras and a Seriema defending her nest...




...and the pair of talkative "Mulatos" (Yellow-chevroned Parakeets) that freaked whenever someone came around the side of the house. (They had recently invested in a cozy nest, conveniently located right under the roof tiles over the rear bathroom.)


...then there was the group of Toucans that seemed to have a comment for everything, as they observed us from every angle of the property...



...and the Southern Lapwings (Quero-quero) whose full-time job appears to be that of sounding the alarm. Once we have our home, I may opt for a pair of these to live in our yard, as opposed to getting a guard dog.


Only the "Pica-pau-do-campo" (Campo Flicker, or Ground Dwelling Woodpecker) couple seemed to go about their business in silence.



The "Curicacas" (Buff-necked Ibis) pretty much kept to themselves, not really minding the presence of anyone else.


One surprise was the Whistling Heron ("Maria-faceira") couple that was feeding right behind the house. The owner of the farm said he had never seen this type of bird around those parts before.

When he saw the pictures, he thought that I’d stumbled upon them in one of his fields, but they were, in fact, only about 25 yards behind the porch where we'd been hanging out all weekend. Apparently, they were keeping it low-key, as no one ever heard them whistle...

(Sorry for the quality of the pics! It was near dusk, so the lighting wasn't quite right.)

One of the most beautiful songs I heard all weekend was performed by the Saffron Finch (Canário da Terra) - I could listen to these little beauties all day long.


There were a few instances when these stunners really strutted their stuff, to let me know that I had approached too closely. That was my cue to put my own fancy footwork to use, and back up to a safer distance.

All in all, it was a very colorful & exciting holiday weekend.





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