BRAZIL 07

Since Rob did such a good job chronicling his great adventure west, and since there seems to be a dearth of posts from outside his family, I decided to chip in with a capsulization of Bill and Caryn's Excellent Year (to-date...). As a reminder, this was our 25th anniversary year and my 60th birth year. This and a rough few recent years convinced us that it was time to treat ourselves... So we were off.

First stop - BRAZIL

We spent one night en route in Miami, with enough time to walk the Art Deco section of Miami Beach. Then off to Sao Paulo and then inland to the Pantanal--the world's largest wetland. We spent a full week there exploring by safari vehicle, foot and on water. Too many rare, endangered, and just beautiful animals and birds to mention. We then went into the highlands area that separates the Pantanal (to the south) and the Amazon (to the north). Our primary goal was to spot the very rare Harpy eagle (successful!). The Harpy is the world's most powerful raptor, able to leap tall buildings, and snatch young lambs off the road (for real). Then on to the Atlantic Rain Forest (80% logged...) for viewing mostly birds of the most amazing and vivid colors. Finally, we spent the last two days in Rio, walking the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanima.

Some of the highlights of the trip were actually surviving the crossing of the 135 wooden bridges on the one road in and out of the Pantanal (check out the video below); spoting the endangered Brazilian tapir, giant river otter, and hyacinth macaw; the Harpy, of course; and the quantity, variety, and color of the birds.