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December 17, 2005
Arriving in Cuiabá
At 3:30pm (one hour time change during the ride) local time we finally rolled in to Cuiabá . It was hot and I was ready to get off the hot, humid bus whose air-conditioning had broken down halfway through the ride.
Amazingly, there was a young guy from the hostel we had made reservations with waiting with our names on a sign once we exited the bus. His name was Jamie and as he drove us to the hostel we found out that he also was a guide for the Pantanal, who had in lived in the UK for a few years. We agreed that after getting showered and heading out for a bite to eat we would meet with him at the hostel to check out our options for a guided trip into the Pantanal, an area of Brazil rich in wildlife that Em was hoping to see. Unfortunately, these types of trips are always expensive, and more so if you go through a middleman instead of directly through a guide. .Usually you get what you pay for, but like the Galapagos it sounded like we could get a big discount if we paid in cash.
Later on in the day after meeting with Jamie we worked out a plan for the next few days. According to what they have told us we will stay overnight at a fazenza (eco-lodge) and will see a good deal of wildlife.
We needed to check our email so we headed to a local internet cafe not far from the hotel. When we were leaving it was already getting dark and we had not yet eaten dinner. I asked the guy that worked at the place (speaking Spanish you can communicate amazingly well if both parties speak slowly) for restaurant nearby. He replied that there were a few down the street. I also asked if it was dangerous to which he replied somewhat. He then explained that he himself had been mugged a few weeks back and we would be more likely of a target if people knew we were tourists. Stay under the street lamps he warned.
Of course this is not what I wanted to hear, but I was glad to have the information. To get me even more skittish, I had also just got a email from my brother warning me that 4 people he knew had gotten mugged taking taxis from the airport in Rio. We headed to an Italian restaurant that was practically within view of the internet café and then after dinner we put everything valuable in my travel belt just so be safe. We walked home without any problems but we were both glad to be in the safety of the hostel once we did arrive.
Posted by Peter Mork at December 17, 2005 5:23 PM
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