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Published: September 17th 2007
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10th February- 13th February
Parque Nacional Da Chapada Dimantina near the mining town of Lencois.
said to be the most beautiful national park in Brazil...and for me, a definite stop in Brazil!
An overnight night bus trip (6-7hours) from Salvador, and we booked ourselves into the ever friendly hostel- Pousada Daime Sono. The staff are nice and very accomodating.
the first day we toured the nearby regions driving by van through the winding roads, with some of the best mix of classic songs that ive ever heard! chilling back with the 2 dutchies and 2 French girls that joined us. beautiful landscapes, wide gorges and stunning mountains. We swam in waterfalls and were exhausted by the end of the day...all rested up for the upcoming 3 days of hiking ahead!!!!!
Marco and I joined 2 awesome and fun australian girls (sarah and elissa) and our guide whose name now escapes me.
Day 1
the first day is always the hardest! having been lazing on the beaches for the few months preceding, i was not used to my energetic level i used to normally attack these treks, but my momentum quickly caughtup
with me, and my fitness definitely regained to its holiday best again!
we walked through forested areas, crossed rivers, climbed up mountain passes, swam in beautiful waterfalls and shared the company of other travellers and enjoyed moments of blissfull solace and thought that i usually achieve in the tranquility of trekking.
We drank from the stream and rivers that we crossed. not used to drinking brown water! it didnt help that i could see little specs floating inside. and although my faeces did not become runny, it definitely became looser!
We finally reached camp in the late afternoon- our camp was on rocks covered by an overhanging rock that gave the appearance of a semi-formed cave. at our doorstep lay the rushing sounds of the river that formed the nearby waterfall around 18meters over the mystic black lagoon below, and into where some of the crazy hikers jumped into to escape the build up of filth from the day's trekking!
the afternoon was spent chilling and playing races with boats made of leaves. 4 of us set them upstream and followed them in excitement waiting to find the winner, which was the last leaf to fall over the
edge! my boat one. in fact it still hadn't crossed over by the next morning!
That night was magical. we lay our mats on an open flat rocky platform, and slept admiring the beautiful stars above us. It was the first time that i had ever slept under the stars. with no city lights. just the millions of stars sparkling above and the moon watching over you. it was the most beautiful night ever! and i saw my very first shooting star!!! woohoo!
Day 2
a short 1.5 hour walk to our next campsite. then another 1 hour walk to a waterfall. this is the highest waterfall in Brazil. standing at 400metres high, formed by a right-angled narrow rock formation, and a lagoon laying in the bottom. We just stayed here for hours- photos and words cannot even come close to describing the immensity of the experience. We had lunch here and swam in another black mystic, but clean lagoon. it is a scarry experience swimming in water where you can barely see past half a metre from any direction including below you!
the night was spent beside a warm fire, talking about travels,
exploring cosmology and philosophy. listening to brazilians (part of another trekking group) playing guitar and singing! makes you feel great to be travelling!
Day 3
another short day. having seen the waterfall from the base, we climbed a steep path to observe the mouth from the top. looking from the top was a dizzying experience. fear-struck, we would barely tempt nature by slowly crawling to the edge to get but a small glimpse of the height of the waterfall with a backdrop all around of lush green mountains. WOW!
However, the best feeling was the end, when you know all your pain and walking had came to an end. and you automatically forget about all the suffering you endured as soon as you absorb that first refreshing after trek drink!
the endless hot shower and dinner that night was like 5 star luxury compared to the prior 3 days. Although the guide was a great chef! credit definitely due. Although he kept to himself alot of the time, he sure made a good mean dinner each night!
However no sooner had i arrived back in the hostel than did fevers start...hmmm....more likely from the brown apparently "natural"
our drinking water
no water i got fevers by the end of my trip! water we drank each day.
Nauseated and felling like i was going to die, i had to board an overnight bus back to Salvador. unluckily i was to be sitting behind 2 Australian girls who we nicknamed Vomit girl (2 bags full by morning!) and pash girl (who had a guy all over her with the seat fully reclined back into our laps! although we did not get acquainted during the bus trip, they turned out to be part of our company for the subsequent week's revelry in carnival when they showed up to our appartment to visit my friend who was sharing the flat with me...small world! hilarious too! vomit and pash girl, you know who you both are!!!! hahaha
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