Coca-Cola Zero saves me from getting hypothermia

November 23, 2011:  If it wasn’t for the municipal park and the trip down the Rio da Prata, my past 6 days in the small town of Bonito might have been hard for me to justify if I only saw the mediocre waterfalls and caves.  I think a strategy of these tourist traps is to take some professional photos, invest in a good photo editor and then spend large sums of money on signage.

As we were driving away from my hostel to the Rio da Prata when it was too late to change my mind, I began to think…why am I paying to do the dead man’s float down a cold river for about an hour or two? What was I thinking? I HATE cold water and I am doing it without anyone pressuring me. I was relieved though when I arrived to the staging center, seeing that in addition to the goggles and snorkel, you are also given wetsuit.

I joined a group of 6 other Brazilian tourists, which were obviously not backpackers since not one person talked to anyone for the entire first half of the trip. I missed being with other backpackers today…I would do anything this moment to be asked the dreadful repetitive standardized backpacker questions.

A big big bottomed woman go to the fitting area for her equipment, I wondered if they were actually going to find something that fit her.  Exiting the fitting area a minute or two later, they actually had a wet suit over that gargantuan booty of hers.  Crazy on how elastic these wetsuits can be.

During the swim down the crystal clear Rio da Prata River, it was as if you were swimming in the world’s longest natural aquarium, being able to see hundreds and hundreds of fish for great distances.  I would have thought the water would have been safe to drink - if it wasn’t for what I did to prevent a medical emergency. 

I thankfully drank a whole 2 liter of Coke Zero the night before not knowing that is was going to help prevent me from getting a mild case of hypothermia today.  When my body began to uncontrollably shiver, I initially pushed out 0.75 liters of warm body fluid into my convenient urinal wetsuit following another 0.50 liters shortly after – saving the rest to regulate the interior temperature for the remaining swim. 

I couldn’t understand almost anything the guide said, so I lagged behind the others, playing a game of “monkey see monkey do.”  Since in Brazil, I am getting use to not talking very much – I suppose this goes for all of South America.  A lot of people that I been meeting lately don’t speak English or is just hiding it,  so I have been getting accustomed to being silent and for those who truly know me…I am a talking machine so this has been difficult. 

Tomorrow I am thinking about making it to the Cuiaba, the city right before the Northern Pantanal.  If the price it right, I will take a tour to the Pantanal.  If not…I will show some leg and hitchhike.