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Published: March 24th 2008
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One of the Locals
As seen at the entrance to the municipal baths The photos might look tropical, but trust me, the water was not as warm and inviting as it looks! The water is crystal clear and so clean because most of it is filtered through aquifers and emerges at the surface at springs...
..But before the fun in Bonito could begin, we had to run the gauntlet of tour operators in Campo Grande, who were trying to sell us a Pantanal Tour (we found out afterwards that you don't even need to pre-book!). We arrived in Campo Grande tired from our epic overnight bus ride, with about an hour to spare for breakfast before boarding the connecting bus to Bonito. One guy in particular chased us and cornered us
five times! We eventually checked out what he had to say, and because we had deliberated for so long he gave us a huge discount, and included the transfers in the price. I guess travelling during the low season has its perks.
When we eventually did arrive in Bonito it was hot, sticky and tropical - just the way I like my weather, although I suspect Pete was not so impressed. We stayed at the only real backpacker accommodation in town
The Municipal Baths
Cool, hey? The water is clear and cool with fish swimming in it! and set about enjoying some sleep, the pool, and the company of other travellers. We only had a few days planned in Bonito so we set about finding things to do in this tiny-but-touristy town. First was a snorkelling trip down one of the aforementioned crystal clear (and very cold) rivers around town. We were a little dismayed to learn that Bonito, despite its size and remoteness, is a slick, well-oiled machine for siphoning money from the many tourists that pass through. Tours cost exactly the same, no matter which operator it is booked through, and the cost of the trip does not seem to include the transport... which must be booked through the local taxis at gringo rates.
Just before setting out on our river snorkelling trip we were lucky enough to meet another traveller, Matthew, with whom to share the taxi fare with. Upon arrival in the sweltering afternoon sun at the river, we were sent straight to the sheds to be fitted with wetsuits, prompting us to wonder just what the water would be like despite the heat. We then had to row up the fast-flowing stream with our wetsuits on, a very uncomfortable feeling. Only
then could we start swimming and see what we had worked so hard rowing for: all sorts and sizes of fish, giant snails, crazy underwater plants and even the odd bird underwater! The visibility was almost to infinity, and the current was fast - so fast that floating was enough to carry us downstream quite quickly. The wetsuits were absolutely essential, at the end all I could think about was a hot cup of tea even though it was well above 30 degrees.
Back at the hostel the next day we were about to head out to the municipal baths on (dodgy and uncomfortable) rented bikes with Matthew when at the last minute I recognised some friends we had made in Patagonia! Anne and Thiago themselves said they were wondering if they would see 'the aussies' again since we had similar travel plans within Brazil! We ended up travelling through the Pantanal together as well, and it was really handy to meet a native Portuguese speaker when the best we could do between us was
'Portuñol' Pete had been dreaming about the 'Abismo Anhumas' cave trip since we started planning the trip in Australia last year. There was
no way on the planet we were going to miss out on it so we booked ourselves on when we got the chance. I was a little worried when we had to do a practice run the afternoon prior, not so much because of the rope work, but because of the 5mm wetsuits we were fitted out with.... I'm not a fan of cold conditions at the best of times and after the previous snorkelling trip I was wondering just how much colder it could get. The descent was easy, mostly because the entrance to the cave was just a tiny overgrown hole on the surface that opened up at depth to the cave. Once inside the cave we waited for the others on our tour and then hopped in a tiny boat which was kept down there and did a tour of the underground lake. The water was crystal clear and I found myself severely affected by vertigo at one stage: the water was so clear it felt as if we were flying and 40m beneath us were giant stalagmites as clear as if there was only 2m of water. It really was eerie. We then shimmied into the
wetsuits and were given fins, masks and waterproof torches. Again I found myself with vertigo as we snorkelled above the largest underwater stalagmites in the world! The water was really cold however, and after about half an hour I, along with most of the others, was ready to get out and warm up. Then the fun started! I was really not looking forward to ascending back up 72m to the surface, but it was surprisingly easy. I even surprised myself with how quick and easy it was, and if they hadn't tied us together, I would have left Pete for dead! It's not often I'm really good at something like that so I was chuffed for ages afterwards!
It was a big day and the next day we were due for an early start on our way to the Pantanal. Unfortunately the too-good-to-be-true prices that we paid for the tour involved several hours of follow-up on our part, and eventually we were forced to purchase our own bus ticket, in the hope that we would be re-imbursed later. It was a stressful end to a fun and expensive few days.
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