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!