Brazil Day 12 - Excursion to 'Gruta do Salitre'

After a shared breakfast, we set off at 9:00 am to the University of Diamantina, where we participated in a workshop. After a short warm-up, consisting of exercises such as shoulder circling and breathing exercises, our coach José started playing a rhythm on two drums and we just had to walk in the beat. During the exercise, we had to clap or change direction at a certain beat. This was meant to train our presence, concentration, and attention. Another exercise involved imitating rhythms with body gestures to make our expression with the body not robotic but flowing and strong. Maintaining an upright posture, emphasized José, is very important for a good stage presence. Finally, we learned two Brazilian folk songs and then sang two pieces from our repertoire as a thank you for our coach's commitment. 

After the workshop, we returned to the restaurant where we had lunch. Around 2:30 pm, we took two small buses along a very adventurous path to 'Gruta do Salitre'. Once there, we received some information about the cave and were then allowed to explore on our own. The gorge leading to 'Gruta do Salitre' runs through a part of the 1200-kilometer-long quartz mountain chain. Originally, the rocks were in the horizontal plane but over time they shifted to the vertical plane, which created the cave. In the cave, which is located at the end of the gorge, all three types of 'Vampire' bats can be found, which exist worldwide. Although we didn't see any of them, we were able to observe blue tarantulas and leafcutter ants. 

Around 5:00 pm, we returned to Diamantina and stayed in our hotels until 7:30 pm, from where we went to the church for a rehearsal. After a one-hour concert, which was also very well received here, we had dinner around 10:00 pm. There, a small band was waiting for us, which had also been organized especially for us and entertained the evening with their lively songs. It was a very nice end to the day and the warmth of the people we experienced will probably never be forgotten by any of us.