Born again in the middle of nowhere

Everyone who goes to Brazil loves clichès: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Salvador de Bahia, Amazonia and beautiful beaches (like Copacabana or Ipanema) are a must for those who travel in this portuguese-speaking country. But few people know that in this country as big as the whole Europe, there are millions of other things to do and places to discover.
Chapada Diamantina National Park is one of them.

Situated in the inner state of Bahia, this park has actually the most amazing views and landscapes I've ever seen in my life (and I come from Italy, not really such a bad/ugly/irrilevant country to live in or explore). I arrived there in the middle of july, so in the middle of the brazilian winter. But oh, they really don't know what winter is about. With more than 20°C, hiking was quite difficult; doing it across the forest and climbing mountains was even worse, due to the heat, and only the help of a local guide (trust me, you can't explore the park and survive without hiring one of the locals) saved me from a premature flight back to Italy. In a coffin in the hold of the aircraft.

I remember that day, when the guide came to my hostel and told me: “Do you like Coke?” and I was still half asleep, unable to say anything except “Wh...What?”, thinking about a mistake due to his terrible English. Then, he drove till the forest out of the city and stopped his car in the middle of nowhere. When I asked him where we were, he didn't answer me. And I must confess, I was a little bit scared.

We get out of the car and started walking, under the sun. After three hours I was about to die dehydrated, begging him to stop for a while and looking for something to drink. “Do you still have some water?” I asked. “Don't you like Coke?” he answered, weirdly smiling. Downhearted, I decided to walk on in a place that seemed hell to me. But after only ten minutes he stopped me, indicating something just beneath our feet.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing: black water, actually looking like...Coke!

My guide was laughing at my face. “Can I dive?” I said, while already taking off my clothes. “Sure” he said and I jumped in the lake made of Coke. It felt like jumping in a big black hole, an abyss connected with the center of the Earth and in the exact moment I dived, the fear tightened my guts. Surrounded by darkness, under the water, my heart stopped for a while.
Then started beating again, and in that moment I perceived that it was just the beginning of a new adventurous life.