Crocodile hunter

Arriving at the Amazonian hotel the first day, it was late as the boat pulled up to the dock and the sun was already falling in the sky. Having got the keys to the room I went straight to the shower to wash away the tiredness I felt from a day travelling. I was not prepared for the shock I got as I entered the bathroom. The bathroom itself was very simple with no windows, just a mosquito net separating myself from the trees that stood close by. As the cold water cascaded on me I watched the sun go down, the sky an explosion of orange and red. Definitely the best shower I have ever taken.

After a quick bite to eat I was back in a boat, a small long boat, and I set out on the river once again, this time in search of crocodiles. The boat was full with about 10 other guests, one man driving the boat, one at the front with torch in hand searching for the glowing eyes of the caymans, and another ready to jump in the water and catch the crocodile. As we went along small rivers with trees either side and the sound of frogs croaking, I looked up at the sky to see thousands of stars twinkling in the dark sky.

After searching many areas of the river I heard a loud thump as the young boy, who was our crocodile hunter for the night, jumped into the river and caught a small Cayman. With crocodile in hand our guide explained about the animal, before we each had a turn to hold it. I was one of the last to hold the small creature and as I felt its hard but also soft skin I could also feel a warm liquid trickling down my arm as it urinated in my hand! I guess it was trying to tell us something and two minutes later it was released back into the river.

Each time a crocodile is released back into the river two minutes of silence is held, and as I sat in the small boat looking at the stars reflecting on the dark waters surface, large fireflies flew by, their bodies a bright light. In our silence we could hear the noise of the forest and the many animals living within it. It was an emotional moment for me as I realised how far I had come in the last year since I had been in Brazil.

Ariaú

Ariaú was the name of the hotel in which I stayed on my visit to the Amazon, north Brazil. It is an isolated hotel, built in the tops of the trees, in the Amazon jungle. Constructed almost entirely of wood it has eight towers which house the reception, restaurant and many guest rooms. Each tower is connected to the next by long wooden walkways, which sway and creek as you walk over them, whilst underneath them the runs the dark river Negro. It is not a particularly handsome structure, but then again I did not expect luxury in the jungle.

I spent 4 days and 4 nights in Ariaú, each day packed full of activities, so much so it felt like the 4 days were doubled. At the end of my stay I had no desire to leave. Not only had I fallen in love with the Amazonian rivers, boarded by trees of the greenest green, which were inhabited by natives, but I also felt a strong connection to both the hotel and its staff.

My three days were spent with a guide and a boat driver, both of which were born and raised in the Amazon rain forest. My guide was a native Indian, born into a large family who lived of the land and because of this he had a great knowledge of his surroundings. Although he spoke English we often found ourselves slipping into Portuguese to talk about his culture and my work here in Brazil. He took great pleasure in telling those with whom he worked about my work with disabled children and adults, about Conductive Education. As a result the staff would often shout hello and ask how I was as they passed by me in the hotel.

I went to the Amazon with a desire to see its vastness and swim in its rivers with the dolphins swimming alongside me. What I did not realise before I arrived there was that I would leave not only with satisfaction and pleasure at having done these things, but also with sadness at having to leave behind the many Amazonian people I met. I have left Ariaú, but I am taking with me many special memories.

Only rivers and trees

It is almost five weeks since my holidays ended and six weeks since they began. I spent nine days dividing my time between two places, the Amazon and Bonito. The two places differed greatly in terms of terrain, the Amazon being masses of trees separated by huge rivers so wide it was at times impossible to see the other side, and Bonito with its dry earthy land, of soil an unimaginable bright red.

Leaving the small island on which I live I flew from one end of the country to another in order to reach the Amazon. High in the sky and looking down at the land as one manicured field met another, the fields formed a patchwork quilt stretching as far as the eye could see. Uninterrupted land for miles, with not one building in sight and very few tracks snaking between the fields. As the plane crept closer to the Amazonian region small rivers began to penetrate the land, creating an appearance of a tree in winter without it leaves. The larger of the rivers formed the trunk of the tree, and the numerous small streams leading from it the bare twisted branches. And then the fields stopped and the forest began, a sheer blanket of green.

The size of the Amazonian forest is truly unimaginable to those that have not visited it, as is the size of its rivers. One hour and thirty minutes past from first sight of the forest to landing in Manaus, in the middle of the Amazonian region. Leaving the plane the humidity hit me like a brick wall, and came as a welcome relief having come from a cold winters day in the south of Brazil. Within half an hour of landing I boarded a boat and begun the two hours boat ride to the hotel in which I was to stay for the next 4 days.

Fear

Yesterday was the beginning of the winter holidays here in Brazil, and for the next three weeks I will be busy working with five children as they participate in an intensive Conductive Education holiday course. To prepare my team for the hard work that is ahead of us I suggested that we participate in a group activity, and so it was decided that we would do arvorismo. Arvorismo is what in English we call a canopy tour, lots of wooden bridges and wires suspended from tree to tree, just like an obstacle course but in the air and not on the ground. We arrived at the place nestled in between mountains and surrounded by the beautiful Brazilian nature yesterday morning, and we could not have picked a better day and better activity. The sun was shining and the birds singing as we took a quick walk and stopped at a small waterfall to have a drink. We didn't take water with us, we didn't need it, instead we just cupped our hands and let them fill with the water cascading in front of us.

As we prepared ourselves for the activity by putting on the equipment and going through the instructions of how to use it, some of the girls began to get nervous and were really fearful of the prospect of being high up in the trees with nothing but a rope on a wire cord. I on the other hand was excited and ready to get going. We went in two groups and as one of the girls was more nervous than the others we figured it would be best if me and her stuck together, so that my tranquility could hopefully ease her fear. On our way round the course I took every opportunity to take in the beautiful scenery and enjoy the experience that we were having. Although there were only seven of us participating, we were spread out over quite a distance and always calling out for each other to see how everyone was getting on. The further we got on in the course, the more everyone's fear eased and as we reached the end everybody was ready to start it again. One of the girls commented to the others that all the way round I was completely fearless, messing about, jumping up and down on the rope bridges, the complete opposite of what she had felt. The truth was I was not fearless, yes I was fearless of the activity, but in fact I too felt fear during the activity. I was not frightened of the height at which we were, or the fact that if we put a foot wrong we could slip, but of the spiders that I knew where also crawling about in the trees where we were climbing. We all have fears, just different fears.

Many people find my fears quite amusing because unlike many others I am not frightened by danger, actually I thrive it, instead I am frightened by some of the small things in life that rarely create any harm to us. The children that I work with experience fear everyday in their lives. Fear that due to their mobility difficulties they might fall, fear that they might not be accepted, fear of every new situation in which they are placed, fear of trying something new and failing to execute it like their peers. Some of these fears were the same as what the girls were feeling as we participated in our activity, and it gave us an insight into the world of the children with which we work. The only difference being that for children with disabilities the fear is magnified, as unlike us they are not always in control of their bodies and their actions.

Natural Beauty

In five weeks time my holidays will be here, and I am in the process of planning what travelling and activities I will be doing, actually what me and my brother will be doing. He is coming over in four weeks and together we are going to the Amazon and another place called Bonito (the Portuguese word for beautiful). From the little that I already know of these two places, both of these places are natural beauties and I literally can not wait to see and experience all that I can. I will be trekking through the jungle, swimming in the Amazon river with pink dolphins (and alligators and cobras!), visiting local Indian tribes, diving amongst bright and beautiful fish, abseiling into caves, swimming in blue lagoons, walking through the treetops and much more.

Whilst planning my holidays of this year I thought back to those of last year, and the many wonderful and splendid sights I shared with my mum and dad during their time here. One of the places we went to was the Iguaçu Falls, a place where numerous large waterfalls meet to create a sight that is truly magnificent and magical. Walking by the waterfalls, so close we could feel the spray, we watched as small birds dived in and out of the cascading water. The fresh smell of nature was truly overpowering, and was accompanied by the vibrant colours of the rainbow, that disappeared not once while we were there. I will never forget the crashing sound of the water as one waterfall met another, the vibrancy of the greenery surrounding them, and the numerous rainbows that could be seen arching over the waterfalls. The beauty of the nature that exists on this planet never ceases to amazes me.

Memories

It is almost approaching winter here in Brazil and the days are colder with less hours of sunlight. As a result it is getting dark by the time I arrive home from work, and is pitch black by the time me and my dog take our evening walk on the beach. Walking in the dark the other night I could see a flickering light, ahead in the distance, and I was drawn to it with curiosity. As I approached I could see a blue lit candle, with three white roses laid on the ground in front of it, and three heart-shaped lollipops stuck into the sand. My first thought was that the arrangement was in memory of loved ones, past or present, and I found myself thinking of those friends and family I have left behind in England. Although I do not think too much about the sadness I feel for those eagerly waiting for the day I say I am returning home, it is times like these when I do dearly miss them. I experience many feelings here; happiness, joy, excitement and at times loneliness and sadness. I can honestly say it does not happen too often, as I do not allow myself to have negative thoughts about my experiences here. After all, this time I will spend in Brazil will be a relatively short chapter in my life, and I have many objectives to achieve whilst I am here. There is no time to be sad, as when my experience here is over I am sure I will return to England and feel sadness at what I will leave behind here. Sadness is just a part of our lives as is happiness, and for every sad moment we experience it is outweighed by many other happy ones.

Today I asked the girls, with whom I work, the meaning of the arrangement. It is in fact not in memory of others but a type of ritual, that can be both positive and negative. When the arrangement is of light neutral colours, as the one I saw, it is positive. However when the candle is dark and the roses red it is negative. As they talked about the ritual in quite a negative manner I was almost disappointed, as what I saw on the beach that night to me was beautiful, and had a completely different representation.

Sol

Today was the first morning in months I did not get to see the beautiful sunrise that I have become accustomed too. It was not that I did not wake up in time, but that it was obstructed by thick clouds. Each morning my personal alarm clock, my dog, wakes me without fail between six and seven and we go to the beach to sit and watch the sunrise. It really amazes me how even in the darkness of the flat, with the curtains closed, he is always able to perceive the rise of the sun, before it actually happens. In the last three months we have not missed one single sunrise and now with winter approaching, and more cloudy days predicted I will miss our morning ritual.

When it rains, it pours!

After a relatively long period of sun and dry, the rain fell heavily as I slept last night. The tropical storm lasted almost the whole night, with lightening illuminating my room and thunder rumbling above the sea that separates the island of Florianopolis from the mainland. It brought back memories of the tornado that I watched, over the same sea, less than three months ago. To give it it's correct name it was in fact a Tromba da Agua, a tornado that does not hit the land, but stays over water. All was calm before it appeared, and looking out over the sea I could not quite believe what I was seeing. It truly was an amazing sight that I will never forget. Between the rocking sea and darkness of the sky was a tunnel of water, and as it got ever closer to the shore I could see the water moving up the tunnel. My how the wind blew at that time, and then it was gone and all was quiet again. The extreme weather in Brazil is always an excitement and never a fright.

Nature

This week I am talking to the children about nature, in particular trees and plants, and it has made me think of the difference in nature between Brazil and England. The plants we have in England and consider to be house plants, grow here in the gardens and forests and are much bigger and brighter. I have always liked to be in green surroundings, but never really taken too much interest in nature, however here I find myself regularly taking photos of the wonderful nature to be seen here in Brazil. The brightness of the plants, reflects the attitude and personality of the people, who are incredibly warm and always have a smile on their faces, no matter what their situation. It always amazes me to see people living in houses with no windows, doors, paint or beds, but they all have a smile.

I guess it must be the sunshine.

Although it is spring going on to summer in England, for me it is autumn going on to winter and the wind is starting to blow. Not always a good thing if it is a cold wind, but I do enjoy falling asleep to the sound of the huge bamboos bashing against one another outside my window. With that and the noise of the sea breaking on the shore it is a wonder I ever get to sleep, but actually these noises are a real comfort and lull me into sleep. I can not really imagine the day when I will return to England and not fall asleep and wake up to the sound of the sea.

Inspiration

After much thought as to whether I actually had the time to create and regularly update a Blog, I have finally joined in on the action. I first considered creating one over a year ago, but at the time was submerged in books, in order to finish my degree. I am now a qualified conductor and working in Brazil, which has prompted me to write about my experiences. I have a life here very different to the one I had in England, and for those I left behind I know it is difficult to imagine what I am experiencing here. It is often difficult to relay to everyone what I am seeing and doing, so I figured by creating a Blog those who were interested would always be able to keep up with my activities.

My Brazilian adventure began 10 months ago in July 2007, so first I guess I have to update you on what has happened! So much to tell, so maybe another post.