WELCOME to beautiful translates the road sign as we enter the next town on our itinerary – Bonito.
This tourist town is a small oasis close to the Brazil and Paraguay border, surrounded by gorgeous greenery and wildlife. Everyone knows everyone and the guy at the hotel tells us he doesn’t even lock his car or his house because the town is so crime-free.
Proud of the varieties of birds and animals in its region, even the payphones along the main street are not in average phone boxes but inside large models of a tucan, parrot or jaguar.
At one point our minibus was surrounded by cattle who were being moved from one field to another. There were hundreds of them. We were officially in the heart of the countryside.
Bonito is well known for its rivers, water sports and horse riding and on our first day we visited the Balneario Municipal – a natural riverside pool with lots of hungry carp. While everyone jumped in and happily swam along with the big, evil looking fish I chickened out and couldn’t bring myself to get in. So I just sat on the edge, dangled my feet in and soaked up the sun. The park also has areas for BBQs so the aussies in our group felt at home as they cooked sausages and kebabs on the barbie. Being a Sunday and with no large supermarkets open, I had very little veggie options so “enjoyed” some toasted bread, fried onions and sliced cucumber. (Yum?!)
In the evening we were told the whole town would be at an open air party, so unsure of what to expect we thought we’d go have a look.
We made the 1.5km walk to the outskirts of the town fearing we had been lied to, when we saw lights and heard music in the distance.
What we found can only be described as a Latin American barn dance. Dressed in denim, cowboy boots and stetsons, couples danced in a ring while others stood on the sides dancing and drinking. Forget the tango, salsa or samba, this was Latin American line dancing! Texas had come to Brazil and was all a little bit surreal.
The following day, some of the group went tubing at a water park and the rest of us headed an hour out to Rio de Prata – one of the popular spots for snorkeling in Bonito. As we drove out into the middle of nowhere along a dirt track the ride was picturesque and bumpy reminding me of bus journeys along the uneven ‘roads’ of rural Punjab, India.
Wet-suited and booted up we were taken to the river in an overland truck. It almost felt like we were on safari as we looked out to the vast green fields and the grazing horses and cows.
At the river, surrounded by woodland, I was amazed at how crystal clear the water was. Without a thought, or remembering my previous day’s fear, I got straight in (much to the disappointment to the guys who had planned to push me in if I bottled it again). As we slowly made our way downstream it was incredible being so close to the fish. Big ones, little ones, black ones, colourful ones, they swam around us oblivious to the nine humans among them looking stupid in wetsuits and goggles.
I couldn’t believe how fantastic my first snorkeling experience was. If all the waters are as clear (and fish as well behaved) I can’t wait for the next opportunity.
I write this as our minibus literally sways from side to side along the rough road. It’s like being on a rollercoaster ride for four hours.
We’re heading out to the Pantanal, an area of wooded wetland in Brazil. The area usually suffers from some seasonal flooding but days of torrential rain last week has left some parts badly flooded. On the news I have seen pictures of cows and horses being stranded and rescued and others being washed away by the force of the water. We won’t know how bad the situation is until we get there but some of our planned activities may be affected 🙁
Cut off from phones, shops and the internet for the next three days, I’m ready for the next part of the adventure.