Next stop - Palmas - capital of the newly formed Tocantins state and a city created only 20 years ago. The city is set in a beautiful location , next to a river with mountains as a backdrop. Only one thing - there doesnt actually seem to be that many people living there. We walked around the centre during the day , hardly any people , no cars on the road - it was completely bizarre - like a ghost town. Oh yeah - the other thing about Palmas - it is sold as the ecotourism capital of Tocantins - it´s [View Full Entry]

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So from Belem we got on a riverboat and headed three hours up the Amazon to the Ilha de Marajó. The island is slightly larger than Switzerland and famous for two things - buffalo (which thrive in the swamp conditions) and the scarlet guara birds we encountered in Cabure. Grassy streets where the buffalo roam , beaches , miles and miles of green make this a truly beautiful island and we had a fantastic time there. The first night we stayed in a beautiful pousada set right on top of the ocean. It was that night we ate buffalo steak for [View Full Entry]

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From São Luis a thirteen hour bus took us to Belem. It really does have the feel of the oldest Amazon port. We had a cool time in Belem, we visited the beautiful botanical gardens where they have a large amount of animals - some live in cages (which we didnt like) , most didnt (which is much better) . It was also where we saw the peixe-boi (Amazonian manatee) a weird river animal (and very rarely seen). We also managed to see a 3 toed sloth - having never seen one before it was a treat - they really do [View Full Entry]

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From the tranquility and beauty of the small towns on the coast we made our way 4 hours north to our next stop, São Luis. We were looking forward to the city because of the historic centre where a number of buildings have been restored. Well its true that some have indeed been restored but its also true that most havent. The Lonely Planet describes São Luis as "one of Brazil´s architectural gems" - i have got to be honest - i have seen better architecture elsewhere in Brazil - more colonial and better preserved. I know that this is one [View Full Entry]

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From Paulinho Neves we went about an hour up the beach to Cabure. Normally this wouldnt be a major event - however we hired a local guy to take us in his buggy - he was cheaper than the rest - on the journey we discovered why - he basically couldnt drive on sand - which is kind of a key criteria for driving along the beach at reasonable high speeds ! After nearly throwing us out of the buggy twice and then getting a flat tyre - we decided that a 20 minute walk with the backpacks in the baking [View Full Entry]

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From Tatajuba we travelled up the coast passing through Camocim (eyesore!) , Parnaiba (nothing there!) and Tutoia (really grim!) and eventually ended up in a small town called Paulinho Neves. We werent really sure what to expect - we knew it was a small fishing town on the banks of a river - but it was much much better than just that !! Paulinho Neves is the entrance to the small Lencois sand dunes - the difference from the grand lencois - is that the small dunes have vast green areas next to them making them look even more beautiful. We [View Full Entry]

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So having had enough of city living - we decided that it was time to leave Fortaleza and head out to Jericoacoara - 4 hours up the coast by a mixture of mini-bus and 4x4. Our guide describes Jeri as a small , tranquil beach villiage - and it is really beautiful with the most amazing stars at night - the only problem being that it did seem to be a bit of a tourist trap with expensive boutiques lining the sandy streets. Having said that it shouldnt take away the beauty of the place - huge sand dunes (amazing for [View Full Entry]

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So from the beauty and tranquility of Lencois we headed off to the city of Fortaleza. I suppose you could call it the Benidorm of Brazil - huge skyscraper hotels right on the waterfront. Even though it wasnt what you would call picturesque - it did have a really pleasent atmosphere with lots of markets along the seafront. We didnt do a great deal there - though we did go out on a schooner for a couple of very relaxing hours. And Gina even managed to hunt down one the most exclusive hair salons in town for a hair cut - [View Full Entry]

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Ok after a month travelling its about time that we added a new journal !! We flew (very posh and not at all traveller like - we know!) to Salvador and after spending a day or two mooching round the Pelorinho - headed for some tranquility at Lençois. Lençois is the gateway to the Chapada Diamantina National Park - which is a vast expanse of waterfalls , rock formations , canyons and tabletop mountains. Lençois itself is a fabulous little town with very old colonial architecture - all of the buildings are made of stone - and the area has now [View Full Entry]

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After the wedding our English friends and family stayed in Brazil for a further couple of weeks. We had a great time doing not a great deal - eating , drinking , swimming, and getting excessively bitten by the local mosquitos. One day we headed out to Eco Point in Ilha Bela and did a rather taxing assault course - me , the wife , Eve and Steve came back to the pool (where Mum and Dad were relaxing) saying "Im not sure you two should do that - its a bit tough" - well like a red rag to a [View Full Entry]

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