A non-African safari: Brazil

[Jochen]

6h30 on day 14 and there's the alarm clock again. A half hour to get ready and a small breakfast (room-service). The croissant tasted like toothpaste. Or vice versa. At the reception, our driver was waiting for us. He apologised (needlessly) for his dissapearance last night. He paid us back the cab ride of yesterday evening (as the girl from the local travel agency had promised), and off we went, to the boat that would take us to Ilha Grande.

 

Now, I had been studying the map, and since the motorway passed in front of the hotel, I assumed we would take that one, and just go south following the beach (past Ipanema beach, then a tunnel; then more beach). To my surprise, the driver headed north, back to the airport. So I asked him abot this, but he said this was the right way. Eventually, he drove all around the city, on a highway that eventually turned south as well, following a mountain-range. But why??? Well, we were gonna find that out later. Read on...

 

After a ide of about three hours (with a pit-stop half way) we arrived in Mangarabita, a small fishing-village. There, we had to exchange some money, as we were warned that this could not be done on the island itself. But who could exchange so many USD for us? The driverhad a solution; he knew the owner of a fish-store, and he had loads of cash. We got a good exchange rate, and he won some money on the deal too. Only the bank won no money this time. Life can be simple sometimes.

 

Onto the boat! That seemed to be a very old thing with more layers of paint than there was iro (or rust) underneath. But it worked! Altough not vey fast. The boatride took about one hour, and that was understandable, given the speed. On arrival in Abraao, the only town on the island, we saw a girl with our names on a plate (extremely mis-spelled, as usual). She was from the local travel agency, and she explained what was arranged for us in the upcoming days. Apparently, in the afternoon, we already had an escorted visit of the town. We thanked her for that, but told her we needed some rest. All we wanted/needed was a beach, some sun, and a towel. Apparently, another trip (to a far away beach on the island) was also included. Good!

 

A little speed boat brought us to Pousada Asalem in about two minutes. A few steps to climb, and we were at our room. And that room was just lovely! It was rather like a small appartment. On ground level was a room with closet space, refridgerator, and a hamock, and behind that: bathroom and toilet. And on the first floor was the bedroom. In front was a terrace with a view "to-die-for" and two comfortable chairs. We had an airco (not used) and a ceiling fan (used a lot) too. Next to our room were three more similar rooms, and that's it (altough the owner is thinking of constructing two more rooms).

 

Here's the (pano) view from our terrace:

 

 

A quick lunch, and then... dolce far niente! That afternoon we did absolutely nothing. othing but rest in the garden of the hotel. In our room were two photo-books; one about a (now closed) prison on the other side of the island, one about Rocinha (the slums of Rio de Janeiro). Beautful! I read them with great interest. But why were these books there? And why were they for sale?? Read on...

 

Dinner at Pousada Asalem is of course no buffet, given the numbe of guests. Basically; it's like this: at noon the cook gives you a couple of choices for thatevening, and you just pick one. He will cook it for you, and rest assured; you cannot be dissapointed. The food was always absolutely delicious. Especialy the fish, that almost jumped from the sea right onto your plate.

 

Here's Mira at sunset, on the pier of the our pousada:

 

[Jochen]

Day fifteen, and finally a day without alarm clock! After a delicious breakfast (with lots of sun-riped fruit, the kind we do not have at home) we set out to explore the neighbourhood. First we went to a small beach about 100m from the hotel. That was nice, but the sun was behind us, so we moved on. A small path brought us to another beach called Braaozinha (little Abraao, roughly translated). Here, the sun was were we wanted it; above the ocean (luxury problems, I admit...). There was also a litlle more people here. Not like on our coastline of course. I mean like 20 people. There was also a bar (handy, as that ment we did not have to take water from the pousada, or that we had to go back for some food at noon.

 

Here's that beach:

 

 

The day just flew by. And we enjoyed it to the fullest. Which came down to... doing absolutely nothing. We really needed it. All those flights, delays, early wake up calls, dragging suitcases around, bumping around in jeeps, busses and cars... in the end, you do need a moment to recuperate. And that was this day. Why not? The perfect location, right?

 

Here's another beach-shot:

 

 

That evening we met the owner of the pousada. I asked him about the photo books, and why they were for sale. Wel... because they were his! Indeed, this pousada is owned by none other than André Cypriano, a famous photographer, whose pics can be found in a lot of art galleries in New York.

 

André told us his story that evening. Apparently he's half Brazilian, half American, and thus speaks fluent English and Portugese. As a young guy (and aspiring photographer), he wanted to photograph the people in that prison on Ilha Grande, preferably on his own.

That proved to be a hazardous project. In that prison were the worst criminals coming from Rocinhas (the slums of Rio). Even worse that that; they ran the prison themselves. The military stayed out of it, but just guarded outside to prevent anyone from escaping. You really should read the book to understand André must have some serious cohones to even dare to think about visiting that prison. And not just visiting, but even staying there overnight, when the military made sure to stay far away.

I'm not gonna spoil the rest of the story though. Suffice to say that in the end the prisoners trusted him, which resulted in incredible pics (like from the gang leader on top of the prison roof, a pic that you can now find a lot in Rocinhas).

 

Needless to say, the pics and the book made André famous. But he did not stop there. Now he gained their trust, he started a second project: to photograph Rocinhas, and to show there is beauty and hapiness to be found there. He was escorted around in Rocinghas by the wife of that gang leader. That project was yet another success, and his second book is just as great.

 

So... André's got some great books, and a pousada on top now. He goes a little slower now; managing the pousada with his wife. They have one kid. Altough he hasn't stopped photographing. He has now started a project on Ilha Grande itself. The goal is to show the hapiness and relaxedness of the people on the beach, and of course to show the gorgeous nature of the island.

 

The prison is closed now, but can still be visited. Altough it's a tour that's probably not that popular, as we rarily saw it advertised. Maybe André can be persuaded in doing the tour with him as guide. That would be even more interesting. You'll have to ask him if you pay him a visit!

 

Here's the website of the pousada: http://www.asalem.com.br/

 

And here's his photo website: http://www.andrecypriano.com/detected.php?page=&pass=

 

And here's a Brazilian tanager that listened to André's story, together with us:

 

[Jochen]

Day 16, and the last full day on Ilha grande.

 

Another great breakfast. With a great view. You should know; the restaurant building is basically a terrace where everyone is facing theocean while eating. Add to that that the pousada is ideally located (abuot as far away from the town as possible in Abraao-bay)... it's just so peaceful there!

 

We contemplated doing the boat tour for a moment (to that beach far away), but decided not to do it. To be honest, that "loading of the batteries" we had yesterday... we wanted some more of that. And why sit on a full boat to a (probably almost full) beach, when we had one near our hotel that's practically deserted. So... we just went back to Braaozinha.

 

Another pano for ya:

 

 

When the batteries were full in the afternoon, we decided to visit Abraao town, and to eat our last dinner there. André brought us to the pier around 16h00. Abraao seemed to be a lively town, but just four streets big. The street near the beach had a few shops, bars and restaurants. The other streets had a few more of the same (altough less) and a lot of pousadas. There's also one small church and a few government buildings.

 

We saw one van, one police car and one truck, and I think that means we saw all motorized vehicles on the island (at least with 4 wheels). Most toursis seemed Brazilian, spending their (prolongued) weekends here. We also saw a few "backpackers". Looks like the "tourist with a considerable budget" hat not (yet) discovered this island. Or maybe they prefer stying in the concrete prisons in Copocabana. Maybe better that way. Then Isla Grande can remain an unspoilt paradise.

 

Here's the town, seen from the boat we arrived with. This is taken a few minutes before sunset, so the boats that organize daytrips are all back in port already:

 

 

Another thing we noted were the patissiers, driving around on a bike with som kind of glass counter in front. In there, were large pieces of cake. Larger than we know them. And more sugar, lots more sugar. Looked like calorie-bombs to us. The Brazilians were really queueing up for these guys! We decided to keep it a bit heathier, by eating a healthy, well-balanced, ...pizza. Heh... But firstwe did some obligatory shopping, as restaurants weren't open yet (in about one hour we had seen the whole town)! We flushed our pizza down with some caipirinhas, a local (very addictive) coctail based on cashasa. Time to go to bed (two minutes on the boat, 50 stairs).

[Jochen]

Day 17. Some clouds today. Almost forgot those existed. André said rain was coming. Apparently, we were lucky with the weather, because it rains one in every two days here (altough it's always hot). Now we understood why the island is so green. Well, we had enough sun, so we started packing, and then relaxed a bit in the garden. But I also went on a final photo-hunt, which resulted in great images of an egret, a brazilian tanager and... a hummingbird! Full frame! That thing was so small I had to take my macro lens.

 

No, no image where he's sitting. I need it for other purposes. Maybe later.

 

But this one (in flight) is great as well:

 

 

I also spoke to André about the Rocinga slums, and soon it became clear why the driver had decided to drive all around Rio a few days ago, instead of taking the highway near the coast. The reason is simple; that highway passes Rocinha, and apparently it can getdangerous. When there's a traffic jam (in or near the tunnel leading to Ipanema beach), drivers do the most crazy stuff to not have to stand still.

 

Apparently crime (mostly coming from Rocinha) has become a big problem. As a result, tourist in Rio are advised to go to the beach "Brazilian style" (with only a towel). If you've got norhing on you, you've got nothing they can steal. Now we knew all this, we were pleased not to have stayed in Rio any longer than was needed. Well, we're not pro-city anyway. Altough I would have liked a pic of the statue of Christ on the mountain. Oh well, there's always next time.

 

We wanted to buy some cashasa, but in Abraao we only foundthe cheap (industrially produced) "51" brand. Luckily the cook at pousada Asalem could help us out. Cool!

 

One last pano. This is the small beach near the pousada. You can see the pier in the center:

 

 

Time to leave. The ferry took another route back to the mainland (as it always does apparently). To some port a bit more south. So the ferry ended up sailing inbetween Ilha Grande and the coast. Because of that, the sea was much more calm. Good, because the sun was setting and the wind was gaining in strength. A drive rawaited us with a minibus. The trip back to rio was fast, the pit-stop fattening.

 

When we arrived at the airport it started to rain. The Belgian weather we tried to escape had finally cuoght up with us. It was telling us it's time to go home.

 

A trip is never over without a lasty stupidity; I forgot to put the cashasa bottles safely away in our suitcases. It was still in our hand lggage. I forgot about the new liquid rules. So we ended up checking in one extra piece of (hand-)luggage, with very limited protection for the bottles. All we could do now was cross our fingers.

 

To be hones, maybe it's bette rto do it this way, as putting those bottles between clothing maybeisn't the smart thing to do either. Pretty silly, that liquid rule. As if they can't see I'm a tourist. Besides, after having passed security, we rounded a corner, and there was... a store with all the brands of cashasa you can possibly imagine. "Yes sir, but these bottles are sealed". So f***ing what? Do I look like terroist? Maybe, if they continue nagging regular people I could become one, yes.

 

Airborne! For the 10th time in this vacation. A long boring flight, but much worse; against the sun. So a short night and a jetlag. In Portugal we were too late for our next flight. Those damn delays! We could actually have made it, but gruond staff decided to guide us all to the transfer desk right away. A**holes. We got a voucher for a cheese sandwich, and were grounded for four extra hours. Luckily the flight to Brussels was OK.

 

Reclaiming the luggage in Brussels. There was our hand luggage. Cling, cling! Damn. One bottle was broken. Oh well. The towel will be washed, and the backpack smells like an alcoholic. Good to have lots of room on the next plane, perhaps.

[Jochen]

End conclusion

 

A trip like this, with lotsa places to visit, lotsa planes to catch, etc... can generate some typical questions. Did the trip meet your expectations? Would you do it again? The same itinerary? Who organised this for you? ...

 

Well...

 

The trip did meet our expectations, and in fact, in general, far exceeded them. Certainly when it comes to the Pantanal-trip. The guides thee, the place itself, the area, ... incredible!

Altough the pousada on Ilha Grande was better than expected too. And the guide (biology student) at Iguaçu falls was incredible as well. He really did his best. And I almost forgot to mention Yacutinga!! Come to think of it, the only thing that was a bit below par was that hotel in Amazon.

 

Would we do it again? Yes we would. The same itinerary? No. We'd leave out Amazon this time, and spend longer at the othe places (like the falls, and Ilha grande). Why we would leave out Amazon? Well not because of the hotel, but because it's such a long trip to get there and back. All other destinations are about two hours of flight apart. And because one should stay for a longer period in order to really discove the Amazon.

 

Something else we'd do is make sure we have at least two hours between flight movements. I know that, seen on paper, it might be best to not loose a lot of time at airports. But in real life, one hour's just too short. All the time you end up wondering if your luggage is gonna make it. Or if you're gonna make it.

 

Who organised this trip for us? Cosmic Travel, a Belgian tour operator secialized in trips to South America. A final THANK YOU goes out to them. Their choice of local hotels, tour operators, guides, airline company, etc... was excellent (perhaps with the unlucky exception of that one TO in Amazon, wo screwed up a bit). Plus they were there right away to help when help was needed (like to get that local TO in line, and in Rio when we arrived on another plane, etc).

 

I'm sure it must have been quite a task, piecing this trip together. If it weren't for them, I don't think it would have been possible. No other company in Belgium allows for a personal trip to be assembled in this way. Note for example that Asalem wasn't even in their brochure; they went looking for a pousada specifically to our liking, and chose the perfect one (I hope Asalem makes it to their brochure from now on. The deserve to be in it).

 

For those planning a similar trip: If there's anything you'd like to know, just ask!

 

A last pic:

 

 

"THE END"

[Atravelynn]

I looked at your photos and skimmed the report. I want to read it word for word next week to find out exactly what you did and viewed, plus to see what you thought about the different accommodations. I know your opinion will relate to the ability to see wildlife from each place, which is what's important to me. I'll use your insights for some return trips.

 

I know you return again and again to Africa. Do you think you'll head back to The Pantanal or other parts of Brazil?

 

Sept was prime time for your trip, end of the dry season, just like Africa, so you had optimal viewing conditions. I was there about a month earlier.

 

I was amazed at the wildlife abundance also. I even used the word "infested."

 

Since you started the Other Category of Trip Reports with Brazil and the Southern Pantanal, I'll round it out with the Northern Pantal and Minas Gerais. Hope I can learn to throw in a few photos like you did. Of course my photos won't look like yours, but I'll get the process of inserting them into a report down.

 

Way back when the headlines involved tragic Brazilian airline crashes, no communication with pilots over the Amazon, and dangerous runways, you were encouraging about flying there when I was getting nervous. A belated thanks!

 

In another post you mentioned you brought back a blue feather. Good for you. I was too chicken--no pun intended--to bring one back, thinking I'd be stopped for trafficking in animal parts.

 

It appears you had some troubles near the end of the trip. Hope that did not mar the entire experience.

 

I'll have some fascinating reading during the week!

[Jochen]

Hey Lynn,

 

Yes I remember you went to Pantanal too! So please post that trip report (maybe you did it already on "that other forum"? I haven't found the time to catch up there. Dunno if I ever will...

 

Your pics not that great?? Well at least I know one thing as you mentioned it in a thread: you saw jaguars!! So please, let us see some pics!

 

To answer your questions; yes, I will definitely go back to Pantanal. Maybe combined again with Yacutinga/Iguaçu and Ilha Grande. But the next time we want to take it slower. Time to explore the NP around the falls. Time to explore the complete Ilha Grande. And LOTS more time in Pantanal!

 

We indeed had one part of the trip that was a bit sub-par (a lodge that should definitely not have "ECO" in it's name, and a local tour operator that should learn how to communicate). But the nature over there made up for it.

 

 

Ciao,

 

J.

[Atravelynn]

When your plans for a return start taking shape, please let me know. I understand about wanting lots more time in the Pantanal. My photos were good, just not Jochen-good.

 

I'm looking at maybe a short trip in April 2009 where the Giant Anteaters live and then a longer one in 2010 that will include the Pantanal again. Next week I'll be going via your report.

 

More Brazil, unfortunately, will mean less Africa. The travel pie can only be sliced so many ways.

[Jochen]

More Brazil, unfortunately, will mean less Africa. The travel pie can only be sliced so many ways.

 

Indeed! Damn the god that decided to split Gondwana!

[Atravelynn]

Now I've read most of your report and you did a great job of detailing your experiences in Brazil. I never knew you were married. I don't recall your wife accompanying you on your Africa trips. My husband has never gone to Africa with me either, nor did he make it to Brazil.

 

You were very logical in relating Brazil to an Africa forum. The fact that Wilderness and Caiman Lodge both received the Tourism of the Future is fascinating in and of itself and adds to my desire to get to Caiman.

 

Sorry about your unsavory travel partners on the international flight, and then the delays that occurred later on. It could have been worse. Relatives just told me about a guy in the seat behind them who threw up, which made the pregnant woman next to them do the same. They were surrounded.

 

Then to have your luggage lost. I did not recall seeing you were reunited with it. Sorry if I missed that but hope you were eventually. You are so right about the carry-on restrictions requiring you to put essential items in the checked bags, only to have them lost.

 

Your explanation of how the activities at Caiman work was very helpful. I didn't realize there were separate buildings. Do you know if the cost of the 3 locations is about the same? From a wildlife viewing standpoint, it seems like Cordilheira would be ideal. That's where you were, I believe.

 

Your comment on the roadside hawk following its name made me laugh. A couple of times I was fooled by this bird because it was along a river for a change.

 

Your wildlife sightings were excellent. How fortunate you saw the giant anteater so close and I bet you were very happy that's what stomped out of the woods! Wild pigs WITH piglets--wonderful. You also saw some armadillos that escaped us. I think the spoonbills were my fav birds this trip.

 

Your comment about when the vehicle stops, the animals run was something I definitely noticed and that's not so different from the prey species in Africa. It can be so frustrating trying to get an impala shot with the motor off and those vervets run up the tree and hide while the baboons run out of the tree and flee. I found most of the mammals in the Pantanal to be more skittish and not hang around and pose.

 

Your observation about the get acquainted talking during the walk and the close proximity of the howlers may not be coincidental. The monkeys may have become habituated to the noise. The monkeys I encountered in the Northern Pantnal were less relaxed.

 

I hope Mira's illness was not too disruptive. Throwing up on vacation is absolutely no fun.

 

How do you get that rounded sphere-like effect in your pictures? You've done it before.

[Atravelynn]

By now I guess you're wondering: "goddammit, why doesn't he show pics of the howler monkeys, or the anteater, or (etc)... ?"

 

A well mannered lady such as myself would never even ponder such a term, not even while wondering privately. But thanks for the explanation.

[Atravelynn]

Now that you've canoed in the Pantanal, the Zamebezi will be a snap. I had to read the lost a finger sentence twice! Since it was just a joke, maybe Mira can go too and you can share a canoe.

 

The drive to/from the main lodge seems to be a real plus. You have some excellent bird photos and the closeup of the caiman, actually its eyeball, is superb.

 

Your picture next to your name changed in the last couple of hours. Is there a story behind it or the t-shirt?

[Atravelynn]

To celebrate 10 years you got a cat. I can't think of a better present! I hope the 3 of you are doing well as a family. I have thoughts about the horseback riding similar to what you experienced--that it is not the best way to see wildlife. But I can see the positive side of doing it.

 

Thanks for all the info on the Camain Lodge and more Africa connections. Also on the Jaguar project.

 

I understand your sniff comment at leaving the Pantanal. It gets into your blood like another place we know. I'll read about the rest of your trip later.

[Jochen]

Now that you've canoed in the Pantanal, the Zamebezi will be a snap. I had to read the lost a finger sentence twice! Since it was just a joke, maybe Mira can go too and you can share a canoe.

 

The drive to/from the main lodge seems to be a real plus. You have some excellent bird photos and the closeup of the caiman, actually its eyeball, is superb.

 

Your picture next to your name changed in the last couple of hours. Is there a story behind it or the t-shirt?

 

 

Mira is actually very affraid of canoeing. So when we go to Botswana this year, she insisted: NO MOKORO'S!

 

But... I still have time to convince her. I already arranged for a boat trip on the Chobe... but that's on a big raft.

 

The T-shirt: I switched to Mac!

[Thembi]

Mira is actually very affraid of canoeing. So when we go to Botswana this year, she insisted: NO MOKORO'S!

 

Kaye and I spent three days at Xigera in the Okavango Delta and mokoro'ed all around - it was such a fantastic way of travelling and seeing the delta. We felt safe (probably totally niavely!) and even when we siddled up to some grass on the way out of this area and parked for 20 minutes to watch the Hippo in a deep part of the water -we felt safe-ish. they WERE over THERE at least and not UNDER here...

 

Having the mokoro guides/polers with us mean't there was an experienced person on board and we would not be responsible for getting ourselves out of trouble if it arose - which it never did. So hope that might be some consolation and encouragement to Mira!

[KJL]

I have to agree with Jude. We spent 3 days in Mokoros on the Delta and the polers know their stuff. Felt totally at ease the whole time...actually it is very mesmerising. No risks were taken. Any sign of hippos and we were off into the reeds. Being in the lead mokoro, this meant taking the brunt of the insects and spiders that dropped in for the ride

[Jochen]

Jude, KJL,

 

Actually, she's affraid of the water, not the animals. When she wasa kid, she got stuck in a canoe (it tipped over). So...

 

For me; I'm not affraid of any animals either. I mean; the things you read about on the web ("interactions gone bad") are surely exeptions, so... but I must admit I am affraid of the water as well. Not for myself (I can swim the English channel), but for my photo gear.

[Atravelynn]

I followed the very same logic as Kaye and Jude and KLJ and spent time on a mekoro before doing a trip that included a canoe.

 

I should have known that it would be the camera gear you'd fear for, Jochen.

[Atravelynn]

Now I am at the falls. So the coatis are all over? I had not heard that about before.

 

You mentioned Das Cataratas is one of 2 hotels in the reserve. It appears to be the only one on the Brazil side. So despite some of the negatives you mentioned about it, should I consider it the best choice due to location, location, location?

 

Seeing tarantulas at the falls would be fascinating. Did you look for them any other place during your Brazil stay?

 

Your description of getting to Yacutinga Lodge in the roundabout way reminds me of the difficulty of going between the Mara and the Serengeti.

 

Can you summarize how many nights you spent at each Iguazu Falls spot?

[Jochen]

Now I am at the falls. So the coatis are all over? I had not heard that about before.

 

You mentioned Das Cataratas is one of 2 hotels in the reserve. It appears to be the only one on the Brazil side. So despite some of the negatives you mentioned about it, should I consider it the best choice due to location, location, location?

 

Seeing tarantulas at the falls would be fascinating. Did you look for them any other place during your Brazil stay?

 

Your description of getting to Yacutinga Lodge in the roundabout way reminds me of the difficulty of going between the Mara and the Serengeti.

 

Can you summarize how many nights you spent at each Iguazu Falls spot?

 

Well, I mean; there's one hotel on the Brazil side, and one hotel on the Argentina side (I think that one's a Sheraton or something). So if you want to stay in Brazil, then yes, you only got one choice. Don't get me wrong; bot are excellent, high standard hotels, so yes, I'd still go with one of them due to their location. Actually I'd probably choose Das Cataratas again, as it is the cheapest of the two. Having said that, neither one is actually my style. Way too big. Noisy aircos. No personal touch.

 

Tarantulas are probably in the Amazon too (give the humidity), but we didn't look for them there. Or to put it otherwise; the guides of the Amazon "eco"park lodge wouldn't be able to differentiate a rabbit hole from a tarantula's hole.

 

Yacutinga/Iguasu vs Mara/Serengeti: you're 100% correct!!!

 

We spent one night on the Brazil side (Das Cataratas), and visited that side. Then we spent two nights @ Yacutinga. Then we visited the Argentina side of the falls and stayed another night in Das Cataratas. Thn we left for the next part of our trip (Amazon).

[Atravelynn]

Or to put it otherwise; the guides of the Amazon "eco"park lodge wouldn't be able to differentiate a rabbit hole from a tarantula's hole.

[Atravelynn]

Can you check the dates you were in the Pantanal and see how they correspond with the moon? I had been told it was so important for viewing mammals, especially at night, to go when the moon was not full that some guides wanted to suspend trips during the full moon unless the guests were only interested in birds. My dates matched up well with low moonlight and our most successful viewing was when there was no moon.

 

Just wondered what your experience was.

[Jochen]

Can you check the dates you were in the Pantanal and see how they correspond with the moon? I had been told it was so important for viewing mammals, especially at night, to go when the moon was not full that some guides wanted to suspend trips during the full moon unless the guests were only interested in birds. My dates matched up well with low moonlight and our most successful viewing was when there was no moon.

 

Just wondered what your experience was.

 

I don't need to look that up; we hardly saw any moon at all. I assume that's why the milky way was extra visible (incredible).

[Guest kuduuu]

For some reason your photos are not loading. Just a question mark surrounded by a box, do you have a link by any chance to your photos?

[Jochen]

Hey Danny,

 

I switched ISP's (and created a new website), and unfotunately the lnks are no longer correct.

 

Some pics here:

http://safaris.marulacamp.com/shop/foto_eco_dieren.php

http://safaris.marulacamp.com/shop/foto_eco_vogels.php

http://safaris.marulacamp.com/shop/foto_eco_landschappen.php

 

(but word of warning; those albums contain pics from other travels as well)