Bonito Bonito

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Wednesday 9th April
Wake really early as is a lot of banging around in the space - retaliation for last night I think - so childish! Give up and get showered/dressed. Ater breakfast get Levy to finish off my tattoo so doesn't just look like someone has written on my arm! We're taken back to the hotel to meet the minibus again... With Levy stopping to catch an armadillo en route!

We stop for lunch at Brazilian buffet BBQ (buffet seems to be the preferred style) in Miranda, before arriving in Bonito in the early afternoon. Seems like a nice quiet place... Find the internet café before we meet up for dinner. Lila no great suggestions so we pick one. My Maracuya (passion fruit) milkshakes are great and food OK so I'm happy... Especially when go to bed early (just want so much sleep at the moment!).

Thursday 10th April
Good breakfast before 9am (cake and soft bread.. And fruit) before we're collected 10.30am for our optional trip. Bonito is known for its snorkelling (and cave diving, but that's about $500!), and our guide Neau gives us some info en route. There, kitted in 7mm wetsuits, we have a short truck-ride, a 40 minute forest walk (strange in wetsuits), and then 20 minutes in the 'training pool'. Already amazed by how clear the water is (and going mad with my camera), and then we start drifting downsteam (don't touch the bottom!) and just love seeing it all!

Decide to video a bit - think everything looks faster then see that am in the bit approaching the rapids and NEED TO STAND UP! Get out in time, then we jump in the end of the rapids for another quick thrill ride into a big pool where there's bubbling sands below the water. Neau gets me free-dive to the bottom - pushing on my feet to help me down! We then have a further 200m or so to swim down... The fish start to get bigger and a few seconds later we hit the cold stream! The visibility has also significantly decreased and suddenly I'm in a big schoal of fish - cool! I see we're being directed to the side.. We have a choice of 600 more similar metres of getting in the boat. By the point everyone is hungry/needs the toilet so we opt for the boat as the visibility is poor. Soon we're back on the truck and by 3ish tucking into another good buffet meal!

Back at the hotel by 430 so a chance to shower, sort, and head to the internet café. Lila's in the café so I find out where dinner is and join at 820pm. We're at the restaurant where you can eat camivarors(sp?)/Caimans and other exotic meats! I'm so not hungry so just there for milkshake/the company... And get to try Stuart and Lila's Caiman (I keep calling it crocodile, but apparently that's wrong!). Group heads to bar across street from the hotel but I can't keep eyes open so head back to bed and am asleep by 11pm.

Friday 11th April
Woken by alarm 815am... Still want more sleep but get up for shower/breakfast. We have another 1.5 hours to re-sort bags and clear our rooms before we shove everything into Room 10 and head for 'the beach', which is the Municipal Baths... A river bank! First stop the supermarket where we spend 100 Reias on meat/veggies. Doesn't look much and of course there is 'debate' about what to get, but we're eventually sorted and en route. We check out the water... Full of fish... Before firing up the BBQ! Interesting trying to prepare with 3 plates/knives/forks and not a lot else... And trying to ensure that Shilpa's veggie food is kept clear! The marianade for the chicken, etc is nice but pretty salty, and everything else seems to be going down well. Fed and stuffed we head towards the pool where we spend an enjoyable hour playing with my underwater camera/the fish, before we're collected to head back to the hotel. Time for relay showers/the internet/more food before the bus arrives. We have a private bus, but 3 extra passengers. It's not 920pm and we've agreed the air-con is correct and that lights/music will stay on til 10pm!! Lights went out 945pm, and after a quick toilet stop we all try and get some sleep...

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Photos

Diving down 3 metres to touch it
(I´m not very good at free-diving!)