We had a free morning before our 11 am check out at SESC Pantanal. Some utilized this time to get some sun, some decided to catch up on sleep, and some chose to further explore the amenities of the hotel. One such amenity was the butterfly house. The house was very pretty with many different types of flowers and species of butterflies. There were butterflies all over the place and a lot of them would land on us (which some of us loved and some didn't love so much). One of our favorite butterflies was one with bright blue wings, but we couldn't figure out what type of butterfly it was. Inside there was also a room with a large anthill experiment which some decided to visit as well.

After checkout we had a quick final lunch at the hotel. It was very delicious and again... buffet style. Then, we spent the whole afternoon on a 7-hour bus ride from the Pantanal wetlands to the city of Lucas do Rio Verde.  We were headed to Lucas because it is one of the newest and fastest growing cities in the agricultural-booming state of Mato Grosso. Although it seems to be "in the middle of nowhere," farms and agribusiness development are helping the city grow, attract jobs, and the economy is booming.  Many of us chose to use this time to catch up on some much needed sleep, though the ride was quite bumpy given that it is the only 2-lane highway between Lucas and Cuiaba.  It is overpopulated with heavy grain trucks transporting grain towards the port city of Santos, and the BR-163 highway has been degraded with potholes making it a truly rough ride.  We learned from many people that this road is the only infrastructure that currently exists to transport grain out of Mato Grosso straight to the port cities.  There are plans in circulation to build a railroad system in the next few years, and farmers are praying this comes soon.  The environmental community has been resistant to further infrasturcture developments for fear that it may harm the natural habitat and environment.  Brazil is seeming to have many similar political, environmental, and social negotiations that America has experienced throughout its developmental history.

On our travels we stopped at a gas station for a rest break of 20 minutes. Here there were many treats you wouldn't find in the U.S. such as corn flavored ice cream and meat flavored potato chips. Then we continued our journey to Lucas. On the way, we got to see a lot of factories, houses, and beautiful scenery during the sunset. Finally we arrived at our hotel Odara around 7pm, where they gave us a very delicious fruity drink upon arrival.  We had about an hour to unpack our things and get situated before heading to a special private dinner just for us at the hotel at 8pm.

They served a buffet style dinner with salads, pasta, french fries, beef, chicken, and pork. The food was delicious and a mix of Brazilian and American cuisine; the Brazilians really cook to please with an excellent sense of hospitality. After dinner they served a chocolate cake topped with rich chocolate frosting for dessert. After dinner some students hung out together in the banguet area for a while and some went directly to bed to prepare for our busy day tomorrow.  We're starting to feel pretty beat.

We'd like to thank both SESC hotel and Odara hotel for their accommodations.