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Published: July 30th 2006
Uma praça de Lençóis
Near the main square area, this was a nice place to hang out, have a beer, and listen to some music with friends.For those of you who love the outdoors or cool things in general, have I got a city for you, Lençóis, Bahia. It´s a very small town far inside the Bahian sertão, really an oasis of sorts. The Chapada da Diamatina is an expanse of mountains and valleys that are home to a vast number of different natural habitats. Way back when (i.e. Pangea time, the supercontinent and all), the area was connected to Nambia in Africa. There was a big boom in the region when diamonds were discovered, but it died out somewhat quickly when more diamonds were found in--guess where--Africa. Today Lençóis attracts backpackers from all over the world. The small town has a very bohemian, hippie vibe. Everyone is very laid back, lots of vegetarian restaurants, Asian restaurants, etc.
My first morning there I met two Swedish guys who were going on a three-day hike into the chapada and decided to join them. Two German girls came along too, and we were guided by a very nice local man. (There are all sorts of agencies that do hiking, horseback riding, rappeling, mountain biking, etc.) Our trek took us all through the chapada and was pretty intense. At
O mato
Descending down into a valley, you often reach what is essentially a miniature tropical rainforest centered around a small river. some points we were jumping from rock to rock in huge, dry riverbeds, other times were making over way through giant tropical plants, and other times were crawling hand over hand up the side of a mountain.
We saw a number of beautiful waterfalls were we could bath in the very dark, red water. (The water was a reddish black color due to organic matter, but we were assured it was safe to drink. And we did.) The real prize though was seeing the Cachoeira da Fumaça (Smoke Waterfall) from both the top and bottom. It is Brazils tallest waterfall and gets its name from the fact that by the time the water drops the 425 meters or so, it turns completely into mist. You can actually stand at the bottom and watch the column of water sway side to side like a pendulum as the wind changes direction. Very cool. On our last day we hiked up to the top of it and were rewarded with a spectacular view of the entire area. Absolutely unbelievable.
So after three days of strenuous hiking, sleeping in caves, and amazing views, we returned very tired and dirty, but very glad.
Introspection
Cheesy pose on top of a big rock. Lençóis was an absolutely lovely town, and I was very sad to leave, but duty calls and I must press on. At the moment I´m in Salvador. I´m not really sure at the moment what I´m going to do next. I´m trying to decide what the next course of action should be. Perhaps a few days here, poke around for a job, but maybe I´m continue farther north and find somewhere a bit quieter and safer. More adventures to come!
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Lots and cammie
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Go north!!!
Just spent an awesome evening with MonkeyBoy, drinking Caipirinhas and Caipeta (or something like that..?). We will miss our personal guide and translater, and we are thankful cause now we know never to wear Caprii-pants. Come join us in Pipa! See you soon Love Lotta and Camilla