Week 7: Chapada Diamantina & Morro De São Paulo
Day 43: February 14, 2016

After having so much fun the first day, we decided to go look for all the trails again today in order to find one of the caves. Unfortunately, we didn’t find the caves but we did end up meeting a man that lived up the river a ways. We spent a good long time listening to him talk about the most random things! It made us wonder what it would be like living in a tent in the wilderness. He even had a mirror set up and you could tell he took time to comb his super long hair! After that we went wandering even more and found some really neat places like a smaller place that felt like a cave and some amazing underground river fed natural pools. It was amazing to see how deep they were and Luke ended up swimming there for a while! The scenes were amazing that day. That night we ate at the awesome and cheap sandwich stop. While walking there we heard what we thought were fireworks. Turns out someone was shot and killed less than 50 yards from us. Magnus and Sofia, who we didn’t know yet, were sitting on a bench even closer and were oblivious until we told them days later. I guess the guy shot was a drug trafficker who was killed by a rival. It was very surprising to walk past a pool of blood and crying women in such an idyllic and peaceful town. 

   
    
   
Day 44: 

After getting constantly asked if we needed a guide, we finally gave into a day trek since we couldn’t do our 3 day hike until the next day. It was worth every penny! For R$350.00 we went to see a few waterfalls near Duck restaurant and then saw the Devil’s Pit or Poço do Diablo in Portuguese, which was this amazing waterfall with a zip line and extremely cold water which we swam in. After that, we went to Pai Inácio and hiked to the very top of the mountain! The view was breathtaking and we had loads of fun taking pictures and feeling like we were I top of the world. After our very delicious traditional lunch (which was included), we visited the complete opposite feeling in Smoke Cave or Gruta da Fumaça. This cave was very warm and it had everything you could want in a cave: bats, stalactites, stalagmites, complete darkness, hidden paths, and more! We’ve never seen so many still growing stalactites and stalagmites. When we got back we still had time to celebrate Valentine’s Day and splurged on a perfectly cooked and delicious filet and potatoes for $10.00 each. That night we were completely exhausted and went to bed early to prepare for the big hike.

   
    
    
    
    
 Day 45:

We had been debating if we were prepared for this trek for a few days and after a few mix ups and miscommunications we finally ended up deciding to do it and suck it up. We’re so glad we did. We embarked on the 3 day, 62 km (38.5 mile) trek of pati valley. We were joined by two young Danish travelers named Magnus and Sofia. They later told us when the first saw us they sad, “oh great we’re stuck with a couple of backpacking freaks” because of our boots and backpacking packs. We were quite proud haha. Our guide, sparrow, spoke English well and had more energy than anyone I’ve met before. He is training for an iron man competition and wants to own a restaurant one day. So yes his cooking was good but he was hard to keep up with. We drove about two hours and then began hiking up a very steep mountain. We were worried. Really worried. Luckily it flattened out and soon we stopped for lunch by a river. We had a great salad made of maybe 15 different fruits and vegetables along with bread and snacks. It was great. We walked to an amazing vista before descending into the valley on another very steep path. We continued to the river and swam in a freezing waterfall and pool. We reached camp before sunset and were happy to find we had a rustic room in a primitive house. The houses used to be coffee plantations but have been converted to lodging lately. The handpicked coffee from the fields next door is amazing and the breakfast and dinner was quite good. The best part was the isolation between the mountains and the amazing stars. The gardens and fruit trees and cold nights were great too. We fell asleep with an open window listening to frogs and looking at stars. 

Day 46: 

We had a relaxed breakfast and morning before emptying our packs of the nonessentials and embarking on another hike. We headed across the river and steeply up a mountain. We came to a cave halfway up the mountain and walked through the the other side. We hiked further upward and had some incredible views of the valley. We bonded some more with our friends and guide before heading even higher. The view from this spot revealed two waterfalls in the river and the entire valley stretching below. In my opinion it’s more beautiful than the Grand Canyon. We ate lunch of salad again and stayed for a couple hours enjoying the view. We hiked back and swam in the freezing river a bit. Then we returned to camp where we were treated to a fire juggling show from our guide and played cards with our guides and our friend. Sparrow loved playing and always said “Go fishing” excitedly! We were exhausted and asleep early. 

Day 47:

When we woke up Sarahi was having stomach pain (we drank river water so it’s a miracle I felt fine). We took our time and our guide gave Sarahi and Indian medicine potion made of special ground seeds or something. It seemed to work pretty well! We hiked back up some very steep trails and essentially retraced our path back. We stopped for another great salad (this one with 3 kinds of basil which was the closest we came to having lettuce). We swam in the river and watched a hilarious group of Chinese tourists take thousands of pictures of themselves, the river, and us. I felt like a wild animal being photographed for national geographic or something. A guy from holland stopped near us and was quite infatuated with Sarahi. We continued back and we happy to be in civilization but sad the trek was over. We went to our favorite sandwich shop again with our friends. Then we got a room for a night in their hotel so we could easily hang out with them for another day. We were all asleep within 30 minutes after long, maybe not warm but at least not frigid, showers. 

   
   
Day 48:

We woke up early and packed our bags and had a nice breakfast with our friends. We stowed our bags at the front desk and bought bus tickets for the whole group that night. Then we went to the store and picked up booze and sandwich stuff for the four of us. We hiked back up to the natural pools and relaxed with our friends. After a return trip for more booze we went to the small cave like area we had found and escaped the hot sun. We talked and laughed and ate and drank with our friends here. One of my favorite memories. It quickly became dark and we stumbled home. Everyone else had flip flops but my boots came in handy for me. We had more sandwiches and then retrieved our bags, changed our clothes, and returned to the bus stop. We saw sparrow and said goodbye. After a long wait we took the midnight bus back to Salvador.
Day 49: 

We arrived sleepily in Salvador at around 7 am. We sadly said goodbye to our friends and took a taxi to the marina. Here we took a boat for 2 or 3 hours to the beautiful island of Morro de São Paulo. We were cranky and tired by the time we found a pousada. Then we wandered for awhile looking for lunch. Eventually we found a cheap place with good fish. Then we returned to freshen up and nap. That afternoon we walked the beaches a bit and bought groceries for the next day. We went to a restaurant called los pollos hermanos. The name is from breaking bad and the restaurant is used to launder money in the show. Well this restaurant served only rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, and fries. When we went they were out of fried chicken and fries. The rotisserie was good but it makes me think the restaurant may sell more drugs than food. Anyway after some chicken/sandwiches from our mini fridge we were exhausted. 

   
 

Week 6: Salvador & Lencois Brazil
*Sorry there aren’t many pictures this week.  I didn’t want to lose my phone or camera and pickpockets are common at Carnaval. It’s hard to express the experience but imagine being completely surrounded by people and music for miles and miles. It’s also hard to capture on camera but if you google Salvador Carnaval I’m sure there are cool pictures. **My memory card malfunctioned so I may have lost some photos. But I have a brand new memory card and a lot more photos coming. 

Day 36: February 7th, 2016

After a hearty breakfast we packed our bags and took them to the front desk. Then we walked through town for a bit before taking a taxi to our new hotel closer to the ocean. The taxi couldn’t drive through the crowd so we ended up walking a mile carrying everything we own through a very crowded parade. But we made it to the hotel and stayed for awhile but eventually we left to wander the city and look for food. Once we got lunch, we walked a little bit further and then headed back to the hotel. There were already people dressed up for the night! We hung out for a little bit longer then went back to Carnaval in campo grande. This one was very different than the one in Pelourinho. There were a lot more people and there were blocos which were essentially huge moving vehicles the size of a city bus or semi with a band performing on top and speakers that stretched from top to bottom. Around the vehicle were thousands of people with specific tshirts or costumes who walked in pace with the vehicle.  After walking around for a long while we finally ended up in front of a stage with a DJ and some dancers! After watching, we went back to the hotel exhausted. Sarahi fell asleep and I went to look for some food and found some amazing hotdogs for 3$R ($0.75 US).
Day 37:

After another great breakfast, we relaxed in the hotel preparing for an even bigger Carnaval experience. We ended up picking some chips and some more of those amazing hotdogs for lunch. That night we went to the biggest Carnaval of all of them in Barra. The crowds were so full it was extremely hard to walk through without almost losing each other! If you don’t like huge crowds and people all around I suggest going to Pelourinho. It felt like the true Carnaval experience which is impossible to describe. You can walk for miles without breaking away from the parade and it’s almost impossible to escape the loud music. We walked up a hill to a statue and had an amazing view of the oceanside street stretching for miles and completely covered with people. We were exhausted and eventually had to make the long journey home. Luckily, it was getting late and the parade slowed down or it would have been impossible to move against the flow of people. 
Day 38:

We were sad to realize that carnival was almost over. We spent most of the day relaxing and preparing to make the most of our last carnival night. We ate lunch at a local bakery/grocery store. We watched a movie or two and then headed back into the madness that night. We stayed in campo grande and enjoyed many “blocos” and some stage performances. We met a few people and tried to stay at the same pace as the parade. We were exhausted by the end of the night and were a bit relieved Carnaval had ended.
Day 39:

The next day we mostly just relaxed and enjoyed the quiet. We watched some movies and did some laundry. We had McDonald’s for lunch and hotel food for dinner. It wasn’t glamorous but we both needed a day to nap and relax. 
Day 40:

One of the main reasons we traveled to Salvador was for the history and museums. Because of Carnaval all the museums were closed. Finally two days after Carnaval some museums in the area opened up. We walked to three during the day and enjoyed looking at the exhibits of the geology museum, art museum, and nautical museum. Then we took some photos of the sunset and headed back to our hotel. We made travel arrangements for the following day but were sad to leave Salvador. 
Day 41: 

The next day after breakfast and packing we took a taxi to the bus station. From there it was about 7 hours by bus due west from Salvador to Lencois. Lencois is the main town for exploring Chapada Diamantina national park. After arriving we had some awesome sandwiches at a shop where nothing on the menu cost more than $3. We had a lovers quarrel. Then we wandered around looking for our pousada and were soon fast asleep. 

   
   

 Day 42:

We had read that many trails originate in Lencois so we set out to find them. After walking briefly up river we decided to try another route. We walked through town until the road ended and turned into a path. We decided to try it but had to guess which fork to take a few times. Eventually we ended up by a beautiful waterfall and river and swam there for a couple of hours. Chapada Diamantina used to be a diamond mining area and several people told us, jokingly, that we might find diamonds while there. We took this as a challenge and while swimming in the river collected around 100 potentially diamond looking stones. We weren’t quite sure the criteria for a rough diamond so we kept them all for future evaluation. Two weeks later we still have them all and after some research I’m pretty sure we didn’t find anything valuable… Anyway we took another trail for awhile but ran out of water and turned around. We spent some more time at the river and took a trail home where we found a much easier trail we failed to see that morning. We returned for more cheap sandwiches before heading back to our place, sunburnt and exhausted. 

   

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
It was a really fun week. Sarahi loved Salvador and Carnaval. I thought it was fun but was really happy to escape the crowds and go back to a more remote place. Lençois is an amazing town and we were both happy to be there! We’re missing a few things from home but still having a blast on the road! 

Week 5: São Luis & Salvador Brazil
Day 29: (January 31st, 2016)

We had a great breakfast early and tried a new fruit called barracuri (or something like that) with the flavor of a lime and texture of a banana. We quickly packed our bags and were picked up at our hotel and taken to a boat which set off toward the coast. Our tour guide told us a lot that we didn’t quite understand and we soon stopped at a sand bar in the middle of the river. We navigated a narrow channel full of crabs before stopping at a small beach with massive sand dunes and hungry monkeys. We continued on to Cabure island which has salty river water on one side and crashing ocean waves on the other. We ate leftover subway on the beach and then took a nap in some shady hammocks. We made one more stop at the lighthouse before our boat stopped running. We were stranded here for awhile and worried that we would miss our bus to São Luis. Eventually another boat showed up to take us back to our hotel. We waited at our hotel for the shuttle/bus to the city but it never arrived. Luckily a couple of European guys who worked in São Luis were driving back after a weekend vacation. They gave us a ride for free and despite the literal 80+ speed bumps we made it within a few hours, much faster than the bus would have been. We ordered some Chinese food and relaxed in our hotel for a bit before bed. 

   
    
 Day 30: 

We had a great breakfast and a lazy morning before heading to lunch with my friend Elba and her sister. Somehow we became Facebook friends and started talking last year so I had to stop to meet her. She is very sweet and fun and we were thrilled to hang out with a new friend who speaks surprisingly good English. After some great fish next to the ocean we drove around the city and went to the historic city center.We wandered around looking at some beautiful old architecture before heading back to the middle of the city. We stayed with Elba pretty much all afternoon, went back to the hotel, and then Elba picked us up to go to this restaurant. The restaurant was sort of like a churrascaria and was very delicious. We were exhausted by the end of the day!

   
    
    
 Day 31: 

Elba picked us up earlier in the morning and we headed back to the historic center. We walked around for awhile looking at the old buildings and looking at some displays of Carnaval costumes. Then we got some great lunch at a cheap local place. After that we spent the afternoon at Elba’s place playing with her dog, swimming in the pool, and trying Brazilian fudge. Then we went with her sister to dinner by the ocean and ate “toc toc” crab which is named after the sound of cracking the whole crabs shell with a mallet. We enjoyed the crab here even more than in Fortaleza. We were sad to say goodbye to our new friends but we needed to get up early the next morning for our flight. 

   
    
   
Day 32:

We got up around 5 and headed to the airport. We flew to Fortaleza and then Salvador. By the time we reached our hotel we were starving and headed into the historic district looking for food. We found multiple groups of drummers parading around the city among festive decorations and lots of tourists. We ate some great chicken and steak while watching the Carnaval festivities. We wandered the city a bit more before getting some much needed sleep. 
Day 33: 

We spent the first part of the day exploring the historic center but found that most museums were closed. We continued on through the shopping district and down the public elevator until we reached the ocean. We explored a bit more, bought some masks for Carnaval, and headed to lunch. We chilled at the hotel for a bit before heading back out for dinner and drinks. The Carnaval festivities had begun and after dinner at o cravinho we wandered around for a bit among the Carnaval parade before heading to bed. 

   
    
   
Day 34: 

We woke up early and went out to take some pictures of historic Pelourinho, a neighborhood of Salvador, before the Carnaval festivities began. We returned and had a great breakfast in the beautiful centuries old section of our pousada. Then we relaxed for a bit before having some great beer and filet parmigiana at a local restaurant. We played some cards and then went to the Carnaval area as the sun set and made friends at a local rasta bar with the friendly bar tender. Then we wandered around the city for a bit checking out the various live performances going on. We drank a few too many beers and decided we had better head back. At about 9 o’clock… 
Day 35: 

After a big breakfast we relaxed by the pool and read our books in the sun. Later we went to a restaurant for some great burgers. We did a little shopping but didn’t buy anything and went to our hotel to get ready for Carnaval. We walked around for awhile looking at all the different musicians on the various stages. We found some bands we really liked and enjoyed the view of old churches contrasted by wild parties. After taking part in some dance parties we were tired and left the party. 

Week 4: The Route of Thrills, Brazil
Day 22: (January 24th, 2016)

After breakfast we headed from Jijoca to a new pousada (bed&breakfast) named Aloha Aruba in Jericoacoara. It took a couple hours to take off-road trucks but this time we went through the national park and it was really cool. We were starving and ate a huge lunch of chicken and steak with rice and beans for $12! Then, we had to take relax a bit and do laundry. After that we headed to the beach and this giant sand dune right next to the ocean. We swam a bit and waited for the sunset. That night we met up with our Finnish friend Sini who we had met on the bus. We had some dinner and talked with our friends Thiago and Fernanda from Rio who we had met in Jijoca the day before. Then we headed to a local party with live rasta music before getting some late night munchies at the only store open in town. It was a great day but we were exhausted when we went to bed at 3:30. 

        
Day 23:

The next day we had a great breakfast and headed to meet up with our French friends Charles and Flofly (nickname). We joined them on a dune buggy tour and it was fantastic. We first drove over the giant beach dune and then continued to a channel we had to cross by boat. Here we ate fresh raw oysters and caught a sea horse to look at up close. We continued through large mangroves along the ocean until we arrived at a beautiful lake between sand dunes. We ate some awesome grilled fish here for lunch while sitting at a table in about 2 feet of water in the lake. After lunch and a swim in the lake we took the buggy to the bottom of a large sand dune and hiked to the top. We took some great pictures before riding the buggy the long way back. We then checked into our new hotel and went for a hike up a nearby hill with our French friends to watch the sunset. We returned for a shower before heading to dinner. We had a very rude American waiter but the food was great. We intended to stop by our room for just a few minutes before we hung out with our friends but were soon fast asleep. 

   
    
    
   

Day 24: 

We intended to leave Jericoacoara and continue North along the coast but after meeting the English speaking husband of a local travel agent we instead reserved tickets for the following day. We found that two separate bus companies were necessary to reach Parnaiba and were lucky to reserve tickets for the next leg of the journey. We bought our other tickets, checked into our new pousada, Douro de Piexe, and then after a lunch of shrimp and cheese sauce in a hollowed pineapple we headed to the beach. We had some incredible cocktails made with fresh mango, pineapple, and star fruit. We walked to the other beach of Jericoacoara which is beautiful in a different way. Then we returned to watch the, once again, cloudy sunset and met some awesome fellow travelers from Philadelphia! After talking for a bit and swapping tips and stories we headed back to our hotel for a shower before heading to dinner for wonderful grilled lobster, shrimp, and fish, for $15 for both of us. I had a caipirinha made with cashew fruit at an artisanal drink stand, and soon we headed back to our room. I stayed up for a bit and a parade of spiders invaded our apartment but were gone by morning. They reminded Sarahí about her obsession – Harry Potter.

   
   

Day 25: 

After breakfast and a short walk to the beach we packed our bags and went to the bus stop. After the off-road journey back to Jijoca we took a bus to Camocim with several other international travelers. Upon arriving we found that the bus onward was completely full. Luckily, we had reserved tickets but we were the only ones who made it on that bus. We walked around Camocim with our backpacks and received some strange looks so we returned to the bus area and played some cards. When we arrived in Parnaiba we took a taxi to our pousada, and went to dinner at a nearby restaurant. We had caranquejo torta which we discovered is a massive pie made almost entirely of crab meat. It was good but very rich. Then, we reserved a boat tour for the next day and went to bed. 
Day 26: 

After a nice breakfast we were picked up by a shuttle and taken to our boat. The boat was two stories with a bar, live band, and great lunch. We were a bit disappointed because we hoped to see flamingos and monkeys but instead only saw crabs. It was a good time with fun Brazilians and a lot of sun sand and water, but I wouldn’t recommend stopping in Parnaiba. We returned to our hotel in need of a shower and found that the water tank was empty. We walked to dinner and had some pizza and calzones and returned to our room hoping for a shower. The water was still off but we were too tired to care. 

   
   

Day 27: 

Woke up at 5 am to take a bus to the small town, Tutoia. From here we took a shuttle to an even smaller town Paulinho Neves and then we took an off-road truck for an hour or two to Barrerienhas, the gateway to Lencois Marenheses national park. We were starving and had a burger for lunch. We spent most of the afternoon relaxing and napping in our hotel room. We went to the bank, grocery store, and lined up a tour for the next day. Then we watched Harry Potter and ate sushi for dinner before retiring early. 
Day 28: 

We had a great breakfast and were picked up by a off-road truck. I had an upset stomach but decided to suck it up. What followed was a miserable 1.5 hour ride through the most bumpy road imaginable sitting in essentially a seat bolted to the bed of a pick up truck. You had to hold on with both hands in order to stay in the truck. Obviously, Sarahí loved it. We arrived at a beautiful small lake among the sand dunes. After taking some pictures we swam in the lake. We made friends with an Irishman named Patty and a couple of little Brazilian girls. Then we headed back down the incredibly rough road hanging on for dear life. It was fun but we were left bruised the next day. We went to subway for a late lunch/dinner and finished watching Harry Potter. We lined up a boat tour for the next day and a bus to São Luis for the afternoon. Then we passed out, exhausted. 

      
More pictures coming soon!