Brazil

Wow!!!!!  Will try to sum up the last couple of weeks. Went to alien landing strip which are a big hit in Brazil....really, they want to welcome the aliens and you can get your picture taken with a cardboard figurine and the whole works....they are all over Brazil.  It is soooo green here and the land goes on forever and ever.  Today traveled to Campo Grande and at times it was like I was on top of the world and could see only various shades of greens and foliage and mountains farther than the eye could take you....beautiful.  Came across a 6ft boa constictor, beautiful steel blue and able to get pics up close...his face and tongue inches from my camera. Spotted caymen, toucans, pink dolphins, 2 types of otters, coita, capabbya various lg and sm birds. Surveyed an area of the Arguyia River....spelling wrong sorry, for habitat.....human dwellings and wild life and its effects on the jaguar and dolphins....defintely an impact.  Went on treks with trained dogs to sniff out jaguar scat....found 23 samples....maybe 2 jaguars, others puma and other type cats.
Got introduced to Brazils favorite drink...caiperinha....sort of like a margarita except the alcohol is made from sugar cane and has lots of fresh limes.....very tasty and strong!  Made wonderful friendships with my team....2 women from England and a guy from Austrailia.....then being around Portugese.....I wasnt sure what accent to pick up!...lol  Still working on my Portuguese.....
Went to lead researchers home....invited all 4 of us after the expedition was over and what a treat!!!  He and his wife head up the jaguar conservation and are the top specialist probably in the world on jaguars.  They have a variety of animals they have adopted due to the forest service asking them to with these animals that have been injured or abandoned.  They have 2 macaws, 5 Brocket deer which are as cute and friendly as can be.....minature, a tapir, 3 6 month old jaguar cubs, mother shot and killed.....bastards, a 6 yr old female jaguar and a recent wild jaguar that had been hit by a car and transported to them.  They will relase this one soon.....the cubs will be a work in process as it has never been done before and the 6 yr old would not survive. They just recieved a spider monkey yesterday and I played with it this am before I left and it is sooo sweet and graceful...it took all our breath away when she came out of the box.  Oh yeah....the BBC was their starting the filming of Leandros work there and the conservation....cool!
On my way to the Pantanal tomorrow for a few days and then Bonito.  Sorry...no pics until I get home and can down load them onto my laptop.  Not sure when I will have access to internet again on this trip.  Thank you all for yor thoughts and prayers.....its working!