In search of alligators ...

Sunset in the pampas

Bet you thought we wouldn't get out of the hammocks, did you? Well, we did. We covered ourselves in DEET, armed ourselves with torches and climbed back into the dugout to go in search of alligators.

According to Bizmark, alligator spotting is best done at night. And it's true, there are hundreds of them out there lurking on the edge of the river. Their beady red eyes give them away instantly, but be damned if you can get near enough to see anything else. We searched for two hours - a pair of red eyes would send Bizmark into a frenzy and he all but dived into the water at least three times - to no avail. So we retired to the Sunset Bar (one of two hidden in the pampas) for a consolatory beer ...

Not a hugely successful alligator hunt, but this little tucker was cute

Then suddenly, there was a commotion out back. Bizmark had dived into the shallow water behind the bar and run through the swamp. We thought he'd gone mad. But he emerged with huge smile on his face. He'd found an alligator. Granted, it was a tiny alligator and he didn't seen too happy about having his evening disturbed. In fact, he peed on Carl to prove it. But it was an alligator. Can't argue with that.