Advertisement
Published: October 29th 2007
Edit Blog Post
En route to the park
A common sight. The locals looked worried. For our stay in the National Park area we stopped at Alto Paraiso to pick up our guide. Pulling into the Rodoviaria (bus terminal) of this little town we had our first indication that we were in hippie country as a barefooted rag-topped lady came onto the truck trying to sell us her jewellery. We were not going to see any toucans during our visit to the National Park but we saw one there in a tree next to the bus terminal. Go figure.
Sao Jorge is a lovely small town on the edge of the National Park. We stayed at one of the many pousadas. Rooms were only R$10 (US$5) per night, en-suite and very comfy. We had a lovely old lady for a hostess who let us doing our washing in her tub. Wandering the town, we covered the area in no time. All dirt roads, there were pousadas and restaurants and residences all jumbled up. The main square had a little park and a shop or two with veranda seating for drinking. We found a souvenir shop where Pieter finally brought some flip flops! That was an occasion.
Mari was our guide and she was lovely,
alternative, perhaps in her mid 40s but looking older in her sun baked thin leathery body. Her first suggestion was a dip in the hot springs. R$5 each entrance, we walked five minutes down a track to find the two pools. They were not that hot but it was still nice being in a pool in the forest in the twilight.
The next day started for myself (Rae) and Kirsty and Gary with yoga. Mari had invited everyone but we were the only ones brave enough. I had never done yoga before but I guessed that 'see the blue and violet light' and 'rub your breasts' was not mainstream yoga. Mari was definitely spiritual. She had a bag full of natural remedies and somehow discussions about health lead to the topic of drinking your own urine which Mari happily admitted to doing to boost her immunity. When asked how much she would drink she made some scooping motions with her hands. Hmm. It is also good for your skin. It was really interesting to get to know someone like her. It was an eye-opener.
Mari took us for a walk in the National Park. It was a fairly
Quartz
Sitting on the ground like broken glass easy trail with some interesting plants and Mari told us about their medicinal purposes. It was very dry here and there were bugger-all birds. But we did some wolf poo. There was tonnes of white and rose quartz lying like shattered glass on the ground. Mari said the park was special because of the energy. We had two water stops. The first was a scramble down some rocks. A beautiful deep pool with a waterfall. The river was Rio Preto (Black river) and I reckon it was the rocks that made it look black as the water we collected for drinking seemed quite clear. We enjoyed a water massage under the waterfall and ate our lunch with our feet in the water being nibbled and tickled by little fishes. Next there was a canyon and another water hole. Had a lovely swim up the canyon. At both stops Mari would do some yoga .. it was amazing how she could bend her body .. and thank mother nature.
Next day Mari took us to the Vale do Lua (Moon Valley). Looking at the valley I stupidly asked 'why is it called Moon Valley?'. It was obviously because of the
rounded and pock-marked rocks. Water had left holes in the rocks of various sizes and this was most pronounced by the river. We walked over rocks that would be underwater in the wet season. Mari showed us a spot where we could jump in and take a water slide. After a bit of umming and ahhing only Pieter and Franz dared to follow Mari. They enjoyed it tremendously and did it twice. Down a bit further was a proper water hole where we enjoyed a swim and a clamber down some rocks revealed an underground water fall idea for sitting under. We sunbathed and watched a bunch of school kids play in the swimming hole.
Pieter opted out of the afternoons activity, preferring to rest. I went with the rest to another spot where we walked in the hot sun to a river where I saw a morpho butterfly fluttering past. After a dip and visit to the top of a waterfall we stopped in a deep shady canyon for a swim. It was lovely water and very deep in places.
We had a couple of meals at a really fantastic pasta place. All you could eat for
R$12, it had an unusual set up. You chose your sauce and ingredients (20 ish available). They had two little frying pans where they would would that up in front of you and add it to your choice of precooked pasta which they dipped quickly into hot oily water to heat through. And the best thing was you could back again and again. Pieter had three plates one night.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.162s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 21; qc: 117; dbt: 0.1107s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
Monique
non-member comment
Oh Rae, that sounds like a lovely time with Mari. I can see you all absorbing it and using lots of it when you will grow your vegetables in Nelson