This post was originally from March 4, 2019

The next leg of our trip has been to a place called Bonito. This was a 12 hour drive from Iguaçu!! Having supposed to leave at 8am we all waited around until well into the afternoon for our bus to pick us up. Not everything runs like clockwork over here however. Apparently our bus broke down and they had to send another from a different city. After a full day of a lot of miles and random truck stops we arrived in Bonito just after 2 am!

The next day we were supposed to have an excursion planned where we would go snorkeling in fresh water pools with an abundance of fish. Apparently it’s like being in a giant aquarium and people come from all over just for this activity. Our guide had us sign up the first day of our tour because he knew how popular this activity was and told us he needed to reserve our spaces well in advance. By the time we got to Bonito he never did have confirmation from the excursion company. You could tell he wasn’t confident that the company held our spaces so we all got up early to be the first in line at the tour company. Sadly this activity was all booked up...so was the other option of tubing…as well as abseiling down a cave into a lagoon. So basically we drove 12 hours to find out pretty much all the best activities were not available. Obviously we were all a bit disappointed but you can’t be too unhappy when the sun is still shining and you are on vacation in Brazil! 

Instead, a bunch of us went to this place where you could swim in a river surrounded by several waterfalls. It turned out to be more of a picnic area for locals. Tons of Brazilian families had the bbq’s going and kids were either in the park or playing ball. We had several families come up to us with plates of meat all wanting to share. The people here are so friendly and kind. It was a really nice way to hang with the locals and not feel like a tourist. At one point Kris found an empty hammock. She got all cozy and nestled down for a little nap. When the sun was starting to set and people were packing up she got a tap on her shoulder. It was a man who said he needed to leave and that she was using his hammock. They probably wanted to use their hammock all day, but didn’t tell Kris until they actually had to leave!  It was a relaxing day and quite honestly something I needed in order to rest my hoof sized ankle. My foot is so swollen and bruised that the swelling is all the way down to my toes. It’s a pretty sexy sight.

Today Kris and I chilled out in the town looking for an outfit as tacky as possible for Carnival when we go back to Rio. It’s not that difficult to find tacky here in Brazil but getting something to fit is another story! We both found sensational outfits Here is a sneak peak: option 1 or 2?

Tomorrow we head into the final leg of the tour before heading back to Rio on our own. This part should be pretty cool as we are going to the Pantanal. This is the part where we are roughing it a bit and all 17 of us have to stay in a dorm room together at some ranch. If you don’t hear from me again the likely outcome will be that I had been taken down by an anaconda. I am the slowest one right now with my gimpy leg you know!

If you are interested in taking a tour that covers the places on my adventure check out G Adventure’s Wonders of Brazil