The Life Aquatic- Day 16 Brazil. Coming back soon!

My last blog before my return to the united states! I will post a summary blog after returning, but a few experiences before then...

This has been an amazing time. The last day of work I was on the aquatic project and we caught tons of different fish and tested the salinity, oxygen content, and pH of the fresh water. There were tons of different fish, but also many different predator bugs that feed on the fish and on other fly's larvae, which was also in the water. I was warned to watch out for pairs of eyes swimming my way (caymans) and not dangle my fingers in the water (piranhas!)... It was a good experience and we waded chest deep into the murky waters. Fun times. I threw out the shoes i wore for that day (brought old ones for that exact purpose).

The final night in the Pantanal the cowboys took out their guitars and accordians and played us some local music. They are very good and two of them actually have a CD! One of the project investigators even taught me how to do the accompanying dance a little!

I am in the hotel in Sao Paolo waiting for my flight tomorrow. We flew back to Campo Grande yesterday from the Pantanal and, then flew into Sao Paolo today. The cities have a totally different feel to them- Campo Grande was very nice, but taking a cab in Sao Paolo today we realized exactly how dirty, impoverished, and indesirable this city is. We are holed up into the hotel not willing to leave into the city (which the cab driver called the murder capital of the world). But last night we went into the city of Campo Grande and met the project investigators of the bats project (who live there). They took us to some nice local spots and we had a very good time.

I will sure miss this place. I have to hand over the computer to Gene now... Next time you hear from me I'll be wrapping up this Brazil blog from my cozy apartment in Boston, MA. Until then...