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Sent from Bonito, Brazil on Dec. 16

Subject: Salvador, Brasilia, Cuiaba, Campo Grande, Corumba.
Hello from the Pantanal

1. Landscape.  From Salvador to Brasilia it is a 25.5-hour
bus ride.  The bus stations in Salvador and Recife were
fine, also Internet cafes in both, the rest OK, but I did
not like the one in Brasilia.  I took a taxi to the TV
station to see the Bow-and-arrow design of the city, then
another taxi to the cathedral to see this fine design by
Oscar Niemeyer, Brazil,s finest architect.  Then I returned
to the bus station and got into the 2:30pm bus to Cuiaba
(State of Mato Grosso) 21 hours to the west, arriving there
at 11:30am.  Since the HI Hostel there was empty, I decided
to take the 11-hour bus south to Campo Grande (Mato Grosso
South), there at 8am Thursday (Dec. 15), then connected to
the 11am 7-hour bus to a town called Corumba, just 15 min.
from the border with Bolivia.  This ride is said to be the
nicest free view of the Pantanal, probably much like the
Rt.41 Tamiami Trail from Miami to the Everglades but much
longer.  It will be my 4th day without a bed, so I intend
to stay in Corumba Thursday (Dec. 15) night, take a river
cruise the next day, and go back to Campo Grande on
Saturday, sleep a night there.  Then it is south to the
Iguazu, for the falls and the Itaipu Dam, another focal
point of this trip, also my gateway to Paraguay.

As far as the landscape, this is tropics with lots of
undulating hills and mountains.  Some of the beautiful
jungle along the way has been cleared for farmland and
ranches of various sort--ostrich, cattle, horses.  Where
they left the forest untouched, it is magnificent, very
lush, reminding me of Hawaii, though not as spectacular. 
Lets say it is more a semi-tropical Shenandoah Valley.  As
far as the Pantanal, there are open small river like flows,
pond like open areas, pond-like areas covered by lily-like
carpet of plants, all same species, areas with fuzzy grass
that look like a rice field, areas that look like covered
by saw grass as in the Everglades but these are all green,
whereas in the Everglades it is brownish and rough, then
there are huge areas covered with bushes, trees, palms of
many varieties.  It is really a spectacular, constantly
changing scene with many large birds, some alligators, and
other animals along the way.

2. Campo Grande.  As far as where to initiate a tour of the
Pantanal, Campo Grande seems the best suited.  Many more
people there at the HI Hostel, so easy to form a group. 
During high-season, Cuiaba and Corumba may be fine too, but
I was the only one there in the latter 2.  HOWEVER, the
7-hour ride from Campo Grande to Corumba is an excursion in
itself.  Beautiful scenery.  So if nothing else, do that,
sleep a night in Corumba and return to Campo Grande, OR as
I did, take a detour via a place called Bonito--where I am
now--between Corumba and Campo Grande, more south.  There
are beautiful caves there for diving, snorkeling, etc., and
the HI Hostel there arranges tours on the spot.  All dorm
rooms are 25 Reals ($11), but where you can get it--in
Corumba, for example--get an air-cond. room for 30 Reals. 
It is like a steam bath even at night.  Taxi to bus
terminal is 10 Reals, a motorbike taxi 5 Reals.  All places
are spotless, people very hospitable.

It is Friday (Dec. 16) 10:30pm now, 4:30pm in Calif.  I
will take 1/2 day rafting cruise of the river tomorrow and
be off to Campo Grande possibly tomorrow afternoon, or
Sunday morn, see what they have there, and I will be on my
way to Iguazu, done with the Pantanal.  By the way, much of
the tour activities in the Pantanal is similar to the ones
in the Amazon, just in a different setting, scenery.

Sirman