Richard And Jo Demeester's photos

Another thing we did not know about Moldovax. The wells. The sheer number of them. Day 1, walking around, we encountered wells, and wondered if that was just this town, or this area. Wrong. They are prolific through the country. Thousands upon thousands, in towns and villages, along the highways. The proportion of the population still relying on them, without running water to their homes, is scary. They generally are rated quite low on hygiene scales, being polluted by pesticides and harbouring a host of nasties. Many are purely functional, but the great majority are decorated, or have themes, showing that at some point, they were respected and prized and valued.

So, here we are, arriving just before my birthday, in Moldova, in a fancy room in a magnificently beautiful winery, Castel Mimi. Before coming, we had no idea what an amazingly good wine heritage this country has. This was the view from our room. Notably, Castel Mimi frequently is ranked in the top 15 most beautiful wineries in the world.

Sitting above the river, scanning. Finding the kingfishers is not a hard task. The blue stands out against the tree foliage, and they don't mind sitting on bare branches. They are brave birds, too, not too quick to take flight as we edge close to them for a picture.

A caiman keeps watch on us, ready to dive and disappear if he perceives us to be a threat.

It wasn't a very long sighting, but it was special. An unforgettable end-of-trip highlight.

We were warned. This was not a good time of year for spotting jaguar. In fact, probably the worst. With our expectations set suitably low, we nonetheless decided that it was worth a punt. They are still around, just more elusive. Our accommodation was a fair way along the river from the true border of the wildlife protection reserve. Even though technically not in the reserve, a wide perimeter around the reserve seems to be respected by locals and treated somewhat the same. The land might be private and (sparsely) populated, there are some farming activities, but it makes the transition from rural to nature quite gradual, like a soft border. We set off early in the boat, with the schedule having us on the water for around 7 hours. Within the first hour, and possibly within 5 minutes of entering the reserve, there was this beautiful sight. Swimming. A jaguar. Swimming. I didn't know they swam. We were looking in the trees, and in the undergrowth along the banks. We weren't looking in the water. Swimming. A jaguar.

Capybara, or in Portuguese, capivara. The ears and eyes and nose are all high on the head, so like the anaconda, they can remain almost completely submerged.

They darted back and forth along the water's edge. They seemed a little unsettled by us on the boat, even though the engine was off.

I saw a description of anacondas, calling them polite predators. With few predators, they are considered apex. The polite label is earned because they generally don't engage with anything they won't eat, conserving energy and effort for true prey only, or only if they feel threatened.

It’s amazing to see the vibrant golden scales so close. Eyes and nostrils high on the head enable them to disappear in the water, with only these vital organs above the surface.

Less than 15 minutes after our arrival, one of the workers burst in. He was running to get us. not wanting us to miss the beautiful snake passing through the yard. The biggest surprise was the unconcerned behaviour of the chickens.

We saw this beautiful bird snatch that large fish from just below the water surface. It landed on the other side of the river, and proceeded to feast straight away, proudly showing us the catch.

Travelling on the Cuiaba river in a small speed boat, a thin gentle haze hovering above the water to provide an accent for the rising sun.

From down here, you cannot tell that it was raining quite heavily. We weren't really swimming. It was more of a float. We were encouraged to not kick, not splash, not stand, just using our hands for some minor propulsion. The entire trip consisted of a walk through the forest, then 10 or 15 minutes in a natural pool to get accustomed to the activity. Not so much the snorkelling, but resisting the urge to put your feet down and stand. From the pool, the float downstream took about an hour. I believe it was almost a kilometre. Mainly fish, and dominated by three or four types. We were always excited to see the odd stand-out differing species, and would try and catch each other's gaze. In hand gestures we try to enquire of each other while pointing, "did you see that little red one?" We saw a water snake, too, which was really cool. About 60 or 70 cm long, near the bottom, entirely unbothered by us floating by. It seemed to be searching through the river grasses, perhaps looking for a frog for lunch.

Snorkelling in the natural aquarium near Bonito. Known for exceptional visibility and large numbers of colourful fish. To help preserve the balance, visitors are asked not to be wearing sunscreen or insect repellent before they swim.

It's a combination of clear water, natural minerals, and sunlight refraction.

The calm, mirror reflection disguises the fact there is a waterfall behind us. A natural infinity edged pool This location is called Janela para o Céu, the Window to the Sky. The framing of the view out is just spot-on. The canyon below, the mountains in the distance, and the jungle filling all the space between. I was looking forward to this spot, and our opportunity to "dance on the water".

Or maybe it was number six. The water and air temperatures were ideal, with neither entry nor exit proceedings leaving one feeling cold. But the ritual of footwear and shirts and drying was becoming tedious. Maybe I'm a social influencer at heart. I honestly think this last swim was only so we could get the picture.