September 7, 2021 - I am in Brazil. No words can express how blessed I feel to be back in this magical place. I have been dreaming of returning here every day since the last time I was here. This is one of my most favorite places in the world. I should be over the moon with excitement. Sadly the truth is I am not. Recent family events have cast an enormous shadow on my excitement of being here and leaving home. Getting on that plane yesterday afternoon was one of the hardest things I have had to do in a very long time.
Thankfully no one has died. No one is sick. It is just a very low moment for me and my loved ones… I could put on a game face and pretend that all is perfect in my world, but that would not be right. Part of sharing the travel life is sharing those low moments as well. On the bright side… I am hoping for some amazing news from home that will remove this dark cloud, but until then, I sit in my hotel room in Campo Grande, over thinking things and working hard to muster up some good vibes to send out to the universe.
From our 2018 expedition.
Anyway, off my soap box and onto some details about why we are here, and why you read this blog. It is that time… anaconda diving. Yup, it is time to go seek out the largest slithering reptile on the planet, the green anaconda. The largest green anaconda on record was 29 feet long (8.8 meters) and 550 pounds. Now that is one giant ass snake. I hope that our guests who are joining us for this trip find a few snakes like this to swim with.
Unfortunately, they are not easy to find, and each year, thanks to poachers, fear, and ignorance, they are becoming more scarce. Thankfully the private lands we visit during this trip protect the snakes there. So they do have some refuge here in Brazil, which is amazing.
Green anaconda from our 2018 expedition.
Like every trip we run, these are wild animals not from a zoo, so we have to search for them, and nature is nature - she is going to do what she does, and sometimes is not very kind. Thankfully we have been fortunate on our trips here, and I feel terrific about our chances of seeing some big girls. The females of the species are the ones with size. The males are normal-sized snakes. So with some luck, which we have on our side, we will find some snakes.
So the adventure begins tomorrow! I arrived a day early to ensure that I would get here on time. Unlike my Dominica flights, things went smooth - no late flights, an empty row for my 9-hour plane ride, no crazy customs, and no missing bags… it was nice. Our friend Pooja arrived here in Campo Grande with me, and tomorrow morning, we pick up our buddies Julian and Stefan at the airport and go off to Bonito.
The new adventure begins… now all we need are some giant snakes, and some good news from home.
Thanks for reading.