Blogs from Lençóis, Bahia, Brazil, South America - page 4

It's been a long break since my last post. Not that I have been doing strictly nothing, but prehaps nothing worthy of a full-scale article. And you wait, you wait, for something important to happen, but only mondane events have punctuated the last few weeks. This article will not have an overarching theme, but will rather be a little collection of some of the - as I have said - rather banal things that have occurred. Firstly, the obvious: I'm still in Lençóis. I thought my work at the pousada would have been finished by now, but they seem to be able to find extra bits and pieces for me to do, and do not seem in a hurry to chuck me out. That obviously makes me very happy. Of course, this means less time to ... read more

It's the third day since a fire was set off in the forest across the Riberão River - almost certainly intentionally. According to Roy Funch's excellent guidebook to the Chapada Diamantina, there are many reasons why this occurs. Often, they are due to cattle farmers who want to extend pastures for their animals, or simply as a gratuitous act of vindication against the National Park which expelled them from the area to protect the local fauna and flora. Less frequent as they used to be, but still of occurrance, diamond prospectors burn out areas to make it easier to identify the most promising locations. Hunters do it if they think it will, on the short term obviously, help them to catch little rodents that will hide underground. Funch even mentions a frequent local belief that, during ... read more

Today you will get a treat of Lençóis history, along with photos of the little walk I just did up to the cachoeirinha and the cachoeira da primaveira, for which I didn't need a guide as it was only about an hour away. I managed to take a few (too many you may think) pictures of lizards and dragonflies on the way. Lençóis was founded in the mid-19th Century by diamond prospectors, when precious stones began to be found in the area. The city grew quickly due to the diamond rush, which also gave the name to the area of the Chapada Diamantina. For most of the second half of the 19th Century, the town was very largely influenced by its important French population, as testified today by the building which was once the French Vice-Consulate. ... read more

Now that I have got a translation gig in Lençóis (lovely little town in the centre of Bahia) and free accomodation, I can explore the surrounding Chapada Diamantina National Park. The pictures here are of a place called Pratinha, about 70km from town, deep in the park (but I got a lift off a couple of Brazilian tourists). It has lovely (but cool) clear waters within which you can snorkel with the many fish that live there, and has a network of caves that you can visit with a snorkel, a bit of light (it's 100% in there otherwise) and a guide. The final pictures are of one of the caves, the groto azul, so called because of it's (who could possibly guess?) blue colour. I am really enjoying my time here. Lençóis is a truly ... read more

Further apologies for the lack of news, but last week was carnaval, and that is in Brazil an excuse for absolutely anything. Salvador carnaval is different from the stereotype of the Brazilian samba folly that is generally seen from outside the country. Here, there is almost no samba. Instead, they have Trios Eletricos. The concept started in the 1940s' when two musicians, Dodó and Osmar, got the idea of putting a couple of loudspeakers on an old Ford 1929 car, and playing into them. The idea became an instant success, and the trios grew larger and louder until today, when the trios play on top of giant customised trucks with monumental soud systems. There are several ways to enjoy Salvador carnaval. One can simply go on the street and dance around as a 'pipoca' (pop corn) ... read more