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After a welcome comfortable bed, pillows, great shower, and a bit of laundering, recharged we continue onto the last leg of the trip. Heading west, we drive the six hours to Canastra National Park. Hilly terrain, termite mounds return as we pass coffee plantations (not shaded, similar looking to an orange grove). Most are arabica beans, many in bloom, strings of white flowers. Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world.
Random thoughts sitting in the van:
- Thank goodness for manioc flour and Brazilian cheese balls (gluten free), present at most meals and sooo tasty.
- Square toilet seats don't work very well.
- I am not a fan of spongy toilet seats.
- Buildings here are mostly cement giving a '60s monochromatic look to the cities. But many are also brightly painted.
- Minas Gerais' roads are full of "sleeping policemen" (as they say in Belize), highways as well as side roads, but mostly in good shape.
- Today is Sunday and shops are closed up tight. Streets deserted, but clean, little litter, with trash receptacles raised two feet above the sidewalks (rat-proofed).
Our target bird in this area is the Brazilian Merganser. There are only 200 left in the world, only about eight pairs here in this park. They don't like muddy water and are not happy when it rains, so a sunny afternoon by a clear stream offers the best bet. We searched along such a stream at a few spots and then suddenly saw a pair from afar. We ducked under a fence and hiked down closer and got good looks at the pair, swimming eventually, the male's crest showing.
- comments
Tracey Congrats on the Merganser sighting... and I am not a fan of spongy toilet seats either. :) However, you are going to have to show he square ones... hahaha