Brazil > The Blue Grotto

In the middle of the night, a car stops in front of the hotel. The radio is blaring. Surely everyone must be awake now. I check my phone to see what time it is. It seems the phone has jumped back to the old Brazilian time again. Is it half past two or half past three? Is the alarm set for the right time? A little over two hours later, I am woken up again, this time by the alarm. It’s six o’clock (and the correct six o’clock). Dourados is just a transit stop. After breakfast, I continue my journey to Bonito, which is still about a four-hour drive. Today is also cloudy, with occasional light rain. Apparently, Brazil has had an extremely dry spell over the past three months. This is the first rainfall in months—and of course, it has to fall right during my trip. Hopefully, the weather will be better this afternoon when I visit the Blue Grotto. In sunlight, the water turns a vivid blue. On the way to Bonito, we make a short stop at a restaurant for a bathroom break. At half past eleven, the bus drives into Bonito. Strangely enough, I found this short trip more tedious than yesterday’s long travel day. Maybe it’s because I didn’t sleep very well last night. I take a walk into Bonito to withdraw some cash and grab something to eat. The kilo buffet is a good option. I pile some salad and meat onto my plate and have it weighed. I make it back to the hotel in time for the afternoon excursion to the Blue Grotto. A smaller bus pulls up. We fit exactly into the seats. In about fifty minutes, we reach the Gruta do Lago Azul. The grotto lies in a nature reserve, and efforts are made to preserve it as close to its natural state as possible. Only groups of up to fifteen people are allowed at a time, with a maximum of three hundred visitors per day.

Brazil - The stalactites grow not only downwards but also horizontally

We are split into two groups. I’m given a helmet and join the first group into the grotto. The Brazilian guide seems a bit unsure of how to handle his Dutch guests. Fortunately, Marion can translate now and then. The cave, with its clear blue water, was only discovered in 1948 and opened to the public thirty years later.

Brazil - The underground blue lake near Bonito

Recently, researchers determined the depth of the underground lake—it’s over sixty meters deep. From the cave entrance, a staircase leads down—more than three hundred steps. With each step, the lake seems to grow even bluer. Stalactites hang from the rock walls, most of them vertical, but some growing horizontally, like artistic creations suspended from the stone. They grow toward the light. At the very bottom of the grotto, I see the blue water in all its glory. Its color comes from minerals in the rock walls, and the sunlight filtering in does the rest. Beautiful! In the late afternoon, I have a drink on a terrace in Bonito. The waiter looks surprised when we order three bottles of beer. “Three?” he asks, just to be sure. In Brazil, it’s customary to share—just as we are used to sharing wine. When it’s time to pay, there’s a commotion over a fifty-real bill. A small piece is missing from one corner, but that’s how it came out of the ATM. The waiter comes back—the bill is refused. Together, the waiter and I walk over to the cashier to explain that the bill came from the bank and that its serial number is intact. The cashier takes it to the manager. In the kitchen, the bill is examined with disapproval. I don’t wait for the verdict and walk into the kitchen myself. I explain to the manager that it came from the ATM. Hesitantly, the bill is accepted. The waiter later comes by to ask, with interest, whether it worked out. I get a handshake from him. In the evening, I take it easy. I’ve eaten plenty over the past few days. I skip dinner and go to bed early for once.