day at the river

So, here's just a little side note on these day trips we've been going on. Today we went to Passa 20 a river that they enjoy relaxing and playing in. The ground here really has a lot of sand. This was strange to me at first, but considering they have a TON more water during the rainy season (6 months of the year)...it's more understandable. Secondly, the natural rock formation looks more like a cobblestone pathway with red-ish colored sand, pinkish looking rocks and even some shimmery white ones with flecks of fools gold too. Very pretty. We normally ride to these daily trips all piled into a Land Rover or truck equip to traverse the semi-forest terrain and make it down and up these sandy steeps. On a good day we fit 5 adults and ten kids in one truck. Haha...I guess they used to have a rack on top, which later broke, that the kids would ride up on too.

Roberto was telling me that just down the very river that we were on today, there is a town called Baja something. Hardly anyone knows about it, being out here in the middle of Motto Gross. But those who have heard of it knows it's a huge mining town for diamonds. It's supposedly one of the only places they mine for diamonds (in Brasil) in a river. I guess they still haven't found out where the river is really picking these diamonds up, but they do know it's from somewhere up this river we're playing in! : ) It'd be pretty cool if the Martin's family found out it was on their property.

Our short swim down the river led us to this area with a bunch of little falls and holes in the rocks. Such crazy rock formations (sorry no pics, I've made the whole takin' pics in waterfalls mistake before). Before we left, the whole family was all cheering on different members of the family to see who would do the most pull ups on the center mango tree (the same one that that cow was disected on...and where all the hammocks hang). I was running around trying to find Olivia's diaper bag as they snatched me up to join in the fun. Haha...me and Rafael (they call him Hafa) tied with ten until one of the uncles out did us with 15! Sue, the marathon runner was proud I rep'd the girls well. ; )