Bonito: snorkelling and sunburn

After smothering myself liberally in mosquito repellent whilst in the Pantanal, we were told upon arrival at Rio Prata that we were under no circumstances to wear anything on our skin, due to the fact that the crystal clear waters of the river have to be kept free from contamination.

Fair enough.

What they then told us to do was to put on WET SUITS then walk through the forest to get to the river.

Hmmmm. I don"t know if you have ever worn a wetsuit in 40 degree heat then trekked an hour through a forest of mosquitos in said wetsuit, but it wasn too pleasant.

The following two hours more than made up for it though. Oh my, it was amazing. The river is absolutely clear, and we were instructed to "float" down the river. That is to say not kicking or moving your arms too much. Just wear the mask and snorkel and drift with the current. I felt like I was in an Attenborough documentary. There were so many types of fish and coral-like formations on the river bed. Some tiny and many large fish, yellow, blue and black. I"ve never experienced anything like it. Itś a shame my camera isn waterproof, or I could have got some amazing shots. Just imagine a marine nature docmentary and you are halfway there.

We spent the next morning by the river in a kind of small resort. We sunbathed on the bank, then took dips in the river where all kinds of fish swam around our feet. Fantastic! Although I confess to missing a bit on my back with the suncream.......OUCH.