pantanal/bonito: the condensed version

things I did:

waterfall/water-war rafting
zip lines into the river
swimming in six or seven waterfalls (lost count)
safari in the Pantanal wilderness
ate alligator meat
horseback racing
clear-water snorkeling
quasi-spelunking (not really I just love that word)
tree climbing
so much hammocking
bird spotting
night-time capybara/alligator adventure
wilderness walking
piranha fishing

and that's just what I can remember
my brain is slightly addled from all that dicking around we did in Belo Horizonte waiting for our plane.

also:
I was published! check it out! http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2008/10/23/coverstory3.html (guess I was wrong Ian; Eugene is small enough to care about one exchange student...though Bandon takes the proverbial cake still...)

I have a stupid tanktop sunburn

I got bit by a mysterious black bug which hurt like the dickens and my leg swelled up

I have cuts all over my legs from tree climbing and horseback riding

I caught nine piranhas while fishing

I danced YMCA, Eye of the Tiger, and Best Days of My Life with a bunch of exchange students (along with Créu and Piriguete but that's obvious)

held an alligator's tail

I found out cigarettes are apparently not counted as drugs amongst Terra Brasil folk, I guess cause Europeans love their smokes

I watched five movies on the bus ride to Belo (1408, the Illusionist, Love and Other Disasters, Shrek the Third and Blood Diamond... all pretty crappy movies but who cares?) also watched Crash, School of Rock and American Pie: Beta Version

learned a few words: 'mit sahne' in German, 'hygge' in Danish, 'ti wu don don' in Taiwanese, 'du er fiks' in Danish ('with cream', 'comfy/familiar', 'suck my balls' and 'you are cute')

I sang parts of 'Colors of the Wind' from Pocahontas in English and Spanish (with Becca and Andrea, the American and Mexican girls)

Tried roasted açaí ice cream

bought gifts for people

got insesently teased about being American (by two Canadians no less)

we had kids from Germany (seven), Denmark (eight), Canada (five), the States (four), Taiwan (two), Thailand (one), Finland (one), France (four), Mexico (one), Australia (two), Belgium (one), Hungary (two), making 38 in total.

held a tarantula and 'sapão' (big frog)

I have so many pictures it's ridiculous