Farewell to Salvador and off to Lençois

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Had to get up at 5.45 a.m. today to catch the 6 am bus for Lençois. Wouldn't normally choose to get up at that time but, quite honestly, I was glad to see the back of Salvador although I do have to do an overnight there en-route back from Lençois to Parati. Getting this bus would also give me time to fix up a tour for the following day. Rita said she would be up in time to see me off - she normally gets up early which I was glad about, if only because she seemed to have occasional problems getting any of her sets of keys to open the door. As It turned out, she ordered another taxi for me when the one I thought I had ordered failed to appear. She also made me a sandwich to take with me and insisted I have juice and coffee before leaving, which was nice of her. She has been very helpful, even doing washing for me, but we haven't talked much, except about practicalities such as security. She seems to spend most of her time either having a shower, washing her hair, sleeping or watching TV. I don't blame her for the first three, given the temperature in this flat!

The taxi she ordered came immediately and getting the ticket at the bus station was a piece of cake as the ticket office appeared right in front of the lift instead of my having to hunt for it. I was a bit confused by the token the sales clerk gave me for paying the municipal transit tax. It turned out that you needed this to get past the turnstile onto the platform and of course I had put mine away and coudn't find it. The bus was very comfortable with reclining seats, air conditioning and a toilet. Have to say that on the whole the toilets are pretty good here - probably better than some you might get in the UK but of course there are very few public ones. As expected, the driver stopped once to allow a guy on board who was selling packets of nuts and we also had a stop of about three quarters of an hour for food. Had to ask another passenger how long we had got for the break, just to make sure. The bus got quite busy with people getting on, rather than off, at stops - I had a brief conversation with a couple of Uruguayans and realised that my Spanish had all but disappeared! I'm sure it will come back.

When we got to Lençois the bus was met by men holding up placards for pousadas and also for taxis. I looked at the taxis with their home-made signs inside and said, but you are not official. Oh there aren't any official ones, one said, which of course was a lie. When they realised how close my pousada was they lost interest in me, although one did point out the way. I started off up this cobbled street which turned into a dirt track with a suspicious looking man following me. However he turned out to be an official guide who worked with the pousada I was going to. Although he claimed to do tours in English he showed no inclination to speak English to me. I haven't quite worked out why the Airbnb address I had was 1 Murituba Road whereas the Pousada has a specific name and its address: 3 Murituba Road. No doubt there is a simple explanation but this led to a very confusing conversation with the guide who, of course, I was wary of. Having watched me struggling with my case he eventually asked if I would like a hand. Just as well, as there was a pickup truck almost completely blocking the way and in the end he had to put my case on his shoulders to get past!

This was good but it was also bad because when I got to the guest house I was subjected to the hard sell - of a tour going to the national park, Chapada Diamentina tomorrow. I had in fact been planning to sign up to one but would have preferred to choose my own and compare what was on offer. I pointed out to him that his leaflet said it was not to be used for publicity purposes outside the office whereas he was all keen for me to commit there and then. The owner of the pousada offered to ring up to check prices and the guide suggested he would show me where the agency was. I was in fact starving since it was about 2 p.m. by then and I had been up from before 6 but instead of just showing me where the agency was he took me there and sat me down. No lunch for me until I had signed up! It's a day trip lasting about 11 hours - the park is quite a distance away and it includes all the main sights do-able in a day, mainly waterfalls, caves and grottos plus a climb up to a plateau for views of the surrounding area. You can, of course, do multi-day trips covering many kilometres in this park.The cost is £40 but they didn't charge me extra for paying by credit card which the salesman had indicated he would do on the phone. I think he realised he was in a weak bargaining position when I asked how many other people were going and it turned out that there were only about three do far! It's quite a competitive business here. I told him I would not be happy if they cancelled and I missed a day as a result! Had to fill in a form which included things like my blood group. They needn't worry - I shall not be diving into any deep pools or sliding down any waterfalls.

The guide also showed me where to eat, the usual per kilo set up, although I gather there are a lot more options for dinner. It was OK. The guesthouse itself I would describe as a cross between rustic and a building yard. For example, there is a hammock outside the room - no, I don't think I am going to risk this - but it appears to be next to a mound of sand or other building material. However there is a nice terrace for breakfast with a pile of stones behind it! I was a bit worried about walking back along the dirt track at night but Maiza assures me that it is safe; it is well lit and there are two other pousadas just before this one. Later in the afternoon she asked me if I wanted coffee and also produced cake. I discovered she had a grown up child in Jersey but the conversation went off too long for me to ask her to clarify whether it was a son or daughter. It also emerged that she is learning English but, like Sheila, for example, didn't seem eager to practice. She says it is easier for her to understand French people speaking English than native speakers. I know what she means.

I went back up to the 'town' for dinner. As promised by the guide, it was quite lively with two of the streets blocked off so that the restaurants could put tables out. There are a few colonial buildings and pretty cafes and restaurants but it is otherwise undistinguished although set in attractive scenery which I shall see more of tomorrow. Lots of foreign accents, particularly French - this is the first time I have been somewhere where there are more foreigners than Brazilians, with the possible exception of Pão de Acúcar and Cristo Redentor. I had a set meal, tortilla with salad and homemade fettucine and pesto which was acceptable, but the best thing about it was that it included a caiporinha - think I am becoming addicted to these! Had hoped it would be cooler here than Salvador but the rooms seem pretty hot. However I shan't feel bad about running the fan as much as I like here, particularly as have had to buy my own soap and drinking water - everywhere else has supplied these.

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Comments

[Patricia Santos]

Hey!
Hi Judy it has been a long time since I last read your emails so now im ready to read them all! Lencois seems a place to relax. Beautiful pictures and laid back atmosphere! Looking forward to reading the rest! cheerio