After a day in Sao Paulo our new friend, and team member, Eurico took Paul and me to Ubatuba for a few days. Ubatuba is on the coast, about 3 hours from Sao Paulo. It is a spectacular place where the mountains tower above secluded white sand beaches. We have been studying the Atlantic Forest and gathering content for the Wilderness Classroom, getting to know Eurico and testing our new folding canoe. On the drive to Ubatuba we stopped in a small town to wander around the market. We bought some fruit and listened to a local band.

We stopped at an open air market on our way to Ubatuba and listened to a local band sing songs about life on a farm.

Eurico is like a mountain goat. He is 74, twice my age, but led us up and down the steep, rocky trails, stopping only briefly to point out plants, birds, or insects. He is a botanist and knows an incredible amount about the plants we encounter. He is a great guy and a wonderful addition to our team.

We assembled our PakCanoe and tested it out on the ocean and mangrove rivers. It was easy to assembly and paddled very well.

The forest is filled with interesting sounds and colorful birds.

Everywhere we look, we see something new. While paddling this morning we saw 5 sea turtles in the bay and countless birds and crabs in the mangroves. When we returned to Eurico’s house for lunch, it seemed like all we did was eat.We also watched these beautiful birds feeding right out the window. Everyone has been feeding us like crazy and telling us that soon we will only have rice and beans to eat on the Rio Roosevelt. We are doing our best to pack away as much food as possible before we hit the river!

Shortly after we arrived in Ubatuba Eurico took us hiking in the Atlantic Forest. The mountains, ocean and beaches here are amazing.