Sao Paulo, Beco do Batman, then home. Chau Brasil!

 OK, after several false starts, this is really the end.

Our flight to Sao Paulo was uneventful, and our new friends generously had volunteered to pick us up and show us a little bit around the city, in particular Beco do Batman, or Batman's Alley.

This is an amazingly cool neighborhood, and it is now the image I have for Sao Paulo.

Here we are with Cesar and Bruna, the talented film makers I mentioned earlier.


You can see some of the beautiful graffiti below:










Cesar's surbname is Leite, which means "milk", so this image is particularly appropriate for him. The cartoon boy is looking at a herd of cows, and was asking "Uncle?!"


We had a great time with those two, who later went off to a "football" match between Sao Paulo and their hated rivals Palmeiras, (which they won). We had dinner at a wonderful little restaurant called the Casca Gastrobar. 

Recommended if you are ever in that neighborhood.

Finally, just a few thoughts about Brazil, and this sort of Eco-Tourism.

We had a great time. It was not a cheap trip, and we had some inside contacts through the Houston Zoo, and we enjoyed every day we were there.

The best part of the trip, though, was not the flashy jaguar sightings. It  was understanding that science is hard work, and you spend a lot of time waiting, or checking traps, and hoping to see your target species and trying to learn as much as you can with the limited contacts you have.

Everything we did, worked. The lodging was good,  the air conditioning worked, the beer was cold, the food was edible, and at times delicious, and we saw things I never believed that I would be able to see 'in real life'. I felt like I was with Marlin Perkins on Wild Kingdom. 

The jaguar trips are great, and what I started calling the "Jaguar Industrial Complex" I realized was a bit unfair. We were promised jaguars, and jaguars were delivered. The big cats did not seem intimidated by the people watching them, nor did they seem upset. I am sure that there are miles and miles of rivers and streams where the cats can go to get some solitude, but they seem to be playing their part in the preservation of The Pantanal as well. More power to them, and more power to the operator, guides, drivers, cooks, and managers that make it all happen.

If Brazil, and Mato Grosso, can make money from people like us, which then means that places like Porto Jofrey can survive and thrive with this sort of tourism, that is great.

I don't know if we will ever go back, but this trip will be a strong memory for us.


Photo of a jaguar, one of the ones we saw, by our guide, Aynore Caldas. He generously shared this image with us.


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